ST. CLOUD, Minn. --- It came down to overtime for the second game in a row for Minnesota State, but this time the Mavericks would prevail as they bested #13 St. Cloud State 80-77.

With the win, MSU improves to 2-1, while SCSU drops to 3-1. 

The opening 10 minutes proved to be a close affair as neither team led by more than five points through the first 10 minutes of play. Both offenses flowed through Cameron Kirksey and Gage Davis as they accounted for 12 points and 14 points, respectively, as the Mavericks held a 21-18 lead with 9:26 to go in the opening stanza.

SCSU was able to take the lead at 24-23 with just over five minutes to go in the first half and it would hold the lead through the rest of the first half as the Huskies carried a 36-30 lead into the locker room.

Kirksey led the Maverick offense in the first half with 17 points, while junior Kevin Krieger tallied seven points and four rebounds. As a unit, MSU shot 37.1% from the field, while holding a slight edge in rebounds at 18-17.

Davis led all scorers in the first half with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Brindley Theisen added 10 points. As a team, SCSU shot 57.1% from the field in the first half, including a 4-of-9 (.444) showing from behind the arc.

The second half saw the Huskies build a 14-point lead just three minutes into the second half at 49-35. The Mavericks were able to get back within single digits of SCSU a few minutes later, but SCSU still held the lead at 55-48 with just 10 minutes to go in regulation.

Minnesota State then responded with a 12-5 run over the next 4:27 to knot up the score at 60-60, with six points coming courtesy of Krieger. Neither team would lead by more than a basket through the remainder of the second half. With just 1:26 to go in the regulation, junior Carlos Anderson hit a jump shot to put the Mavericks up 69-67, but SCSU was able to knot up the score 15 seconds later as Davis connected on a jumper of his own as the game went into overtime.

The first 2:06 of overtime saw the Mavericks start with a 9-0 run to go up 78-69, which included five points from Krieger. SCSU answered with a 6-0 run of its own, but a basket from junior Juwan McCloud put the Mavericks up by five at 80-75 with 1:24 to go. SCSU managed to get another basket to cut the MSU lead to three, but its final shot to extend the game missed the mark as the Maverick came away with the 80-77 win.

Both Kirksey and Krieger recorded double-doubles in MSU's over the Huskies. Kirksey added 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Krieger notched 24 points and a career-high 14 boards. Carlos Anderson tallied 13 points as well, while freshman Jamal Nixon notched nine points and a career-high eight rebounds.

As a team, Minnesota State shot 45.2% from the field, including a 51.6% performance in the second half. The Mavericks also held a 43-39 advantage in rebounds and scored 11 points off 11 SCSU turnovers.

Davis led all scorers as he tallied 30 points, to go along with 13 rebounds. Theisen added 18 points as well, while Sean Smith finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Mavericks will continue their season in the Sunshine State on Friday as they take on Tampa in St. Petersburg, Fla. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (CST).

                                                                    -30-