MARSHALL, Minn. --- Minnesota State's late rally in the second half came up short against Southwest Minnesota State as the Mustangs defeated the Mavericks 58-56 on the road.
With the loss, the Mavericks fall to 13-7, including an 8-6 NSIC record. With the win, the Mustangs improve to 15-3, including an 11-3 NSIC record.
The first half saw the Maverick firing on all cylinders early on as they jumped out to a 19-2 lead with 12:08 to go in the half. Sophomore
Joey Witthus added six points during MSU's opening run, while sophomore
Jay Knuth added five. SMSU responded quickly and got back within 10 points of the Mavericks as it trailed 19-10 with 9:11 to go in the half.
The Mavericks got their lead back up to 13 with just over six minutes to go in the opening stanza, but the Mustangs were able to pull within three of the Mavericks at 30-27 as both teams went to the locker room.
Both Witthus and sophomore
Cole Harper led the Maverick offense in the first half with six points, while Knuth and senior
Aarias Austin added five points each. As a team, MSU shot 44.4% from the field in the first half. The Mavericks also held a 19-17 advantage in rebounds.
Michael Lee led the Mustang offense with six points in the first half. SMSU finished the first half shooting 39.3% from the field. The Mustangs also forced 10 Maverick turnovers in the first half.
The Mustangs opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 35-30 lead, only to see the Mavericks respond with a 10-0 run of their own to go back up by five at 40-35 with 14:05 remaining in the game. The lead would change hands four more times during the next nine minutes as Mavericks held a three-point lead at 50-47 with 4:32 to go in the game.
The Mustangs managed to knot up the score at 54-54, before SMSU's KJ Davis put them up 56-54 after he connected on a pair of free throws with 2:24 remaining. Both teams would fail to score on their next possessions, but Witthus was able to knot up the score at 56-56 with 1:15 to go after connecting on a layup.
Both teams would again miss on their following possessions, but it was SMSU's Ryan Bruggeman who broke the deadlock as he put the Mustangs up 58-56 with 14 seconds to go. With four seconds left, MSU's inbound pass was stolen by Mitch Weg who then ran out the clock to secure the win for Southwest Minnesota State.
Knuth finished his night one point shy of a double-double as he tallied nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Witthus added a team-high 13 points, while Harper dropped in 10. As a team, MSU shot 42.3% from the field, but it committed 21 turnovers.
Carter Kirk led the SMSU offense with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Bruggeman tallied six points and four assists. As a team, SMSU shot 40.7% from the field. The Mustangs also recorded 15 steals.
Minnesota State continues its road trip on Friday as it takes on the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
-30-
