MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team got back in the win column Saturday evening in Taylor Center as it topped Minnesota Crookston 78-72.
With the win, the Mavericks improve to 12-5, including a 7-4 NSIC record. With the loss, Minnesota Crookston falls to 3-13, with a 1-11 conference record.
The first half saw the Mavericks with the lead for nearly 17 minutes. MSU led by as many as seven, but the Golden Eagles were able gain the lead at 19-18 with 8:37 to go in the half after a layup from AJ Walton.
MSU was able to regain the lead at 22-21 after a layup from senior Jalen Pendleton, before finishing the half on a 13-7 run in the final seven minutes to take a 35-28 lead into halftime.
Freshman
Joey Witthus led the MSU offense in the first half with nine points and five rebounds, while junior
Jon Fuqua notched six points and five rebounds himself. As a unit, the Mavericks shot 56.5% (13-of-23) from the field in the opening stanza, including a 3-of-6 performance from behind the arc. MSU also controlled the glass in the first half, boasting a 20-14 advantage.
CJ Polk led all scorers in the first half with 12 points. As a team, Minnesota Crookston shot 33.3% from the field in the first half.
The second half saw the Mavericks jump out to a 13-point lead at 54-41 with 12:37 to go in the game. The Golden Eagles would not go away however as they managed to outscore the Mavericks 16-7 during the following six minute to pull within four at 61-57 with 6:40 remaining.
MSU responded with six straight points to get its lead back to double-digits but once again, UMC was able to cut the lead to a pair of possessions as MSU led 75-70 with just 56 seconds left.
MSU and Minnesota Crookston would both connect from the line in the final seconds but Minnesota State was able to hang on for the 78-72 win.
Witthus led all scorers with 19 points, to go along with six rebounds. Senior
Lucas Brown and Pendleton dropped in 14 each, while Fuqua added 11 points and eight rebounds. As a team, MSU shot 53.2% from the field, to go with a 22-of-31 (.710) performance from the line.
Polk led the UMC offense with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Kobe Critchley netted 13 points.
Minnesota State begins a three-game road trip on Tuesday as they take on the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears. The opening tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
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