ST. CLOUD, Minn. --- Minnesota State saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end on the road Saturday evening as it fell to St. Cloud State 80-71.

With the loss, the Mavericks drop to 19-5, including a 15-3 NSIC record. With the win, SCSU improves to 17-6, including a 13-4 conference record.

The first half proved to be a defensive struggle as SCSU carried a 33-27 lead into the locker room. The lead changed hands three times in the first half, but it was the Huskies that led throughout much of the opening stanza as they held the Mavericks to a season-low 27 first-half points.

Sophomore Cameron Kirksey and junior Carlos Anderson led the MSU offense in the first half with six points each, while senior Charlie Brown tallied four points, three rebounds and two assists. 

As a team, MSU shot 42.3% from the field in the first half. MSU also passed out five assists.

Gage Davis led all scorers in the first half with 14 points, while Sean Smith notched five points three rebounds and three blocks. As a team, SCSU shot 46.2% from the field, including a 5-of-12 (.417) show from long range.

A little over six minutes into the second half, SCSU put together a 24-16 run to go up by 14 at 57-43 with 13:35 to go. The Mavericks responded with a 15-4 run to pull back within three of the Huskies at 61-58 with 8:43 to go. Sophomore Kevin Krieger notched five points during MSU's 15-4 run. 

That was as close as the Mavericks would get to St. Cloud State as the Huskies finished the game outscoring the Mavericks 19-13 to bring the final score to 80-71. 

Brown finished with a team-leading 26 points, to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Both Krieger and Anderson posted 11 points, while senior Chris Kendrix added five points and 10 rebounds.

As a team, MSU finished its night shooting 43.5% from the field, including a 6-of-17 (.353) showing from long range. The Mavericks also recorded seven steals and forced 11 SCSU turnovers.

Davis led all scorers with 33 points. Davis also hauled in eight rebounds, while Smith notched a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. As a team, SCSU shot 51% from the field. It also connected on 22-of-29 (.759) attempts from the free throw line.

The Mavericks return to Taylor Center on Friday as they play host to the Upper Iowa Peacocks. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

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