PITTSBURG, Kan. --- Saturday's meeting between Minnesota State and Missouri Southern State saw a total of 11 lead changes, but it was the Mavericks that were able to come away with the 91-89 overtime victory.
With the win, Minnesota State improves to 1-1 on the season, while Missouri Southern State falls to 0-2.
Minnesota State led throughout much of the first half, which included its largest lead at 17. The Mavericks built their first double-digit lead at 27-15 after senior
Chris Kendrix nailed a three pointer with 9:30 left in the first half.
MSU continued to add to its lead over the next six minutes as a layup from senior
Charlie Brown put the Mavericks up by 17 at 40-23 with 3:40 left in the opening stanza. The Lions were able to cut into Minnesota State's lead in the final minutes of the half as the Mavericks took a 45-34 lead into the locker room.
Brown and junior
Carlos Anderson paced the Maverick offense in the first half with 14 points each as they combined to shoot 11-of-20 from the field. As a team, MSU shot 47.4% from the field in the first half, including a 7-of-14 showing from three point land. MSU also boasted a 22-16 advantage in rebounds during the first half.
Koray Gilbert led the Lion offense in the first half with 10 points, while Kinzer Lambert added seven points and six rebounds. As a team, MSSU shot 50% from the field in the first half.
The second half saw the Lions claw their way back into the game as both teams were tied at 60 with 8:36 left in the half. The lead would change hands eight times in the final eight minutes of the regulation. MSU held a four point lead at 77-73 with 1:24, but Missouri Southern's Elyjah Clark scored five points in the final 1:24 of regulation, including a three point shot that knotted up the score at 78 with 16 seconds left. MSU's last second shot missed the mark as the game headed into overtime.
The overtime period saw both teams grab a lead early on, but with 1:08 to go, Missouri Southern State held an 85-82 lead. MSU managed to get back within one point of the Lions at 85-84 after a pair of free throws from Brown. MSSU got one of those points back to go up by two, but a three pointer from sophomore
Kevin Krieger put the Mavericks up 87-86 with 24 second left on the clock.
Brown and Krieger both sank a pair of free throws in the final seconds to preserve MSU's lead as the Mavericks finished the game with a 91-89 victory in overtime.
Brown finished the game with a team-leading 22 points, which included a 4-of-8 performance from long range. Anderson added a season-high 20 points, while Krieger tallied 13 points, five of which came in the overtime session.
As a team, MSU shot 45.2% from the field, to go along with a 15-of-18 (.833) showing from the free throw line. The Mavericks also passed out 16 assists and forced 11 MSSU turnovers.
CJ Carr paced the Missouri Southern offense with a game-high 29 points. Enis Memic added 14 points and seven rebounds as well. As a team, the Lions shot 51.5% from the field, but finished the game shooting just 12-of-21 (.571) from the free throw line.
Minnesota State continues its season on Friday, Nov. 17, as it takes on Domincan in Rohnert Park, Calif. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (CST).
-30-
