MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team (12-4, 8-2 NSIC) handily defeated the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (8-8, 3-7 NSIC) 101-72 Saturday night at Taylor Center.
In the opening minutes of the game both teams traded baskets with ease, finding lanes to the hoop. The Mavericks were successful from the outside as
Carlos Anderson and
Cameron Kirksey drilled a couple ear on.
The Mustangs leading scorer, Ryan Bruggeman took advantage of screens from teammates to get several good shots, but it was the offense of the Mavericks that gave them the edge in the half. Coming off a missed three-pointer,
Anderson found
Kevin Krieger for a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Minnesota State a 48-38 lead at the half.
Krieger led the Mavericks in scoring with 12 points making both of his three-point attempts and
Kirksey added ten points and five rebounds in the half.
Juwan McCloud finished the first half with nine points of his own as well as three assists.
Minnesota State made five three-pointers compared to only one for the Mustangs and held the first half edge in rebounds 20-18.
The Mavericks extended their lead in the second half with an 8-1 run that forced the Mustangs to call a timeout. Minnesota State continued to grow their lead, eventually getting it to twenty points with less than ten minutes to go, when
Quincy Anderson slammed home a monster dunk over the defender.
The Mavericks were able to play out the stretch, getting the opportunity to play their bench depth, and ultimately came away with the 101-72 win.
Kirksey led the Mavericks in scoring with 23 points and also recorded 10 rebounds to earn a double-double.
McCloud finished the game with 15 points and four assists, while every player who came into the game scored at least one point.
Minnesota State dominated the boards with a 47-38 advantage and assisted on 17 of their made shots compared to only four for the Mustangs. As a team the Mavericks shot 48.7% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range.
The Mavericks will continue their four game homestand next weekend as they host Minnesota Duluth Friday at 7:30 p.m. before taking on St. Cloud State Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
