MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball won its third game in a row Friday evening as the Mavericks bested the Waldorf Warriors 95-77 in Taylor Center.
With the win, MSU improves to 3-1 on the season, while Waldorf falls to 3-2.
The Mavericks were firing on all cylinders in the first half as they connected on 15-of-26 shots (.577) from the field, including an 8-of-12 (.667) showing from behind the arc. MSU also forced 11 Warrior turnovers and passed out eight assists.
MSU lead throughout the entire opening 20 minutes and built a lead as big as 27 points before taking a 51-29 lead heading into the locker room.
Sophomore
TJ Lake led the Maverick offense in the first half with 11 points, including a 3-of-3 showing from behind the arc. Junior
Jon Fuqua and freshman
Joey Witthus added 10 points in the first half as well, with both connecting on all four of the attempts from the line.
Erik Brewer led all scorers in the first half with 13 points, while Pierre Roddy notched 10 points. As a team, Waldorf shot just 27.6% from the field in the first half, but was a perfect 9-of-9 from the line.
The second half saw Waldorf outscore the Mavericks 48-44, but the Warriors would only get within 18 points of the Mavericks as MSU closed out the game with a 95-77 victory.
Fuqua finished the game with a team-leading 23 points, including a perfect 9-of-9 clip from the line, to go along with five rebounds. Lake finished his evening with 17 points, including a 5-of-8 showing from behind the arc. Junior
Mike Busack and senior
Jalen Pendleton each added 12 points, while Withhus tallied 10.
As a team, MSU shot 47% from the field against the Warriors, including a 41.4% showing from behind the arc. MSU also connected on 21-of-28 (.750) of its shots from the free throw line.
Brewer led all scorers as he netted 28 points, while Roddy and June Powell notched 10 points each. As a team, Waldorf connected on all 17 of its opportunities from the line, to go along with 39 rebounds.
The Mavericks continue their homestand on Friday, Nov. 27 as they host Peru State at Taylor Center. The opening tip is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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