Box Score CROOKSTON, Minn. --- The No. 18 Minnesota State men's basketball team won its seventh straight game for the second time this season Saturday as it downed the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles 82-55.
With the win, MSU improves to 23-4 on the season, including a 17-3 NSIC record. With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 4-20, with a 1-19 record conference play.
MSU junior
Zach Monaghan set a new MSU single-season record in assists as he dished out 10 assists against UMC bringing his season total to 224. Monaghan's mark surpasses the previous record of 221 assists set by Gene Glynn back in 1975-76 season.
Monaghan recorded his ninth career double-double with 16 points and 10 assists, while junior
Assem Marei finished one rebound shy of his 15th career double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Junior
Zach Romashko and sophomore
Jaymeson Moten each reached double-digits off the bench with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
As a team, MSU shot 51.5% (34-of-66) from the field and brought down 39 rebounds, compared to Minnesota Crookston's 27.
The first half saw some close action in the first few minutes as MSU led 6-4 with 16:09 left in the first. The Mavericks would then set out on an 18-0 run to go up 24-4 with 8:18 remaining in the first half. MSU would then finish the final eight minutes of the opening session outscoring the Golden Eagles 18-5, to take a 41-13 lead into the locker room.
Marei and Monaghan led the Mavericks in the first half with seven points each, while senior
Connor O'Brien and Romashko tallied six points each.
As a team, MSU shot 18-of-34 (.529) from the field in the first half. The Mavericks also brought down 22 rebounds and passed out eight assists.
The Mavericks maintained their double-digit lead throughout the entire second half as they closed out the game with the 82-55 win.
The Mavericks continue their four-game road trip Friday as they take on the Sioux Falls Cougars. The opening tip is set for 8 p.m.
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