DULUTH, Minn. --- The #25 Minnesota State men's basketball team saw its winning streak come to an end Sunday evening on the road as it fell to Minnesota Duluth 91-84.
With the loss, the Mavericks fall to 10-3, including a 5-2 record in NSIC play. With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 10-3, including a 7-1 conference record.
The Mavericks came out strong early on in the first half as they built a 12-4 lead with 16:49 to go in the half, with five points coming from senior
Snoop Viser. The Bulldogs would answer with a 22-6 run to take an eight-point lead at 26-18 with just under 10 minutes to play in the half.
Minnesota State would work its way back into the lead with sophomore
TJ Lake hitting a jump shot as time expired to give MSU a 46-45 lead heading into halftime. In total, the first half featured 10 lead changes, with each team leading by as many as eight points.
Senior
Jalen Pendleton led the Maverick offense in the first half with 14 points, while junior
Jon Fuqua and Viser each tallied seven points.
As a team, MSU shot 55.6% (15-of-27) from the field in the first half, to go with a 16-9 advantage on the boards. The Mavericks also connected on 15-of-19 (.789) opportunities from the line.
Taylor Lavery led all scorers in the first half with 18 points, while Pierre Newton added 17 points. As a team, UMD shot 58.3% (14-of-24) from the field and 13-of-15 (.867) from the line.
The game remained within one with 12:32 to go in the game as the Bulldogs led 59-58. UMD would then go on a 19-6 run to go up 78-64 with 7:40 to go in the game. Just five minutes later, the Mavericks nearly erased the 14-point deficit as they pulled within one of the Bulldogs at 82-81 with 2:34 left on the clock.
Minnesota Duluth was able to recover in time as it finished the final 2:34 of the game outscoing the Mavericks 9-3 to lock down the 91-84 win.
Pendleton finished his night with a season-high 30 points, to go with five rebounds. Viser dropped in 12 points of his own, while Fuqua and Lake each chipped in with 11 points. Senior
TJ Okafor finished his game with a career-high 11 rebounds.
As a team, MSU shot 42.9% from the field, to go with 39 rebounds. The Mavericks also connected on 20-of-26 (.769) of their free throw opportunities.
Lavery led the Bulldog offense with 30 points, while Newton recorded a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mavericks begin a four-game homestand this Friday as they host the Wayne State Wildcats at Taylor Center. The opening tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
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