ST. PAUL, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team opened its road trip on a high note Tuesday evening as it defeated the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears 82-66.
With the win, the Mavericks improve to 13-5, including an 8-4 NSIC record. With the loss, the Golden Bears fall to 6-12, including a 3-9 league record.
The first half saw the Mavericks control the pace as they led by as many as 14 points, while shooting 15-of-30 (.500) from the field. In comparison, the Golden Bears were held to 29 points as they shot just 34.3% from the field, including a 2-of-12 (.167) showing from behind the arc.
With 9:31 remaining in the opening stanza, sophomore
Alex Herink hit a jumper to give the Mavericks their first double-digit lead of the game at 20-10. CSP managed to get back within seven at 26-19 with 6:31 to go in the half, but MSU would outscore the Golden Bears 15-10 the rest of the way to take a 41-29 lead into the locker room.
Herink led all scorers in the first half with 12 points, which surpassed his previous career-high of 11 points. Freshman
Joey Witthus added eight points in the first half as well, while senior
Lucas Brown passed out five assists.
Cole Olstad led the CSP offense with 11 points in the first half, while Diallo Powell added 10 points of his own.
MSU maintained its double-digit lead throughout much of the second half. The Golden Bears managed to get back within eight of the Mavericks on two occasions but they would get no closer as the Mavericks cruised to an 82-66 road victory.
Herink finished his night with a career-high 27 points, while shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Fifteen of his 27 points came in the second half. Junior
Jon Fuqua added 16 points and eight rebounds of his own, including a 10-point, five-rebound showing in the second session. Witthus followed with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Brown netted eight points and passed out six assists.
As a team, MSU shot 50.9% from the field, to go with a 9-of-19 (.474) showing from long range. MSU also cashed in at the free throw line as hit on 17-of-20 (.850) shots. The Mavericks also passed out 20 assists and hauled in 40 rebounds.
Olstad led the CSP offense with 24 points, while Powell and Shea Mandii each tallied 15 points. As a team, the Golden Bears shot just 34.8% from the field, including a 5-of-20 (.250) performance from long range.
Minnesota State continues its road trip on Friday as it takes on Southwest Minnesota State. The opening tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
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