MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team opened conference play with a 67-57 win over Southwest Minnesota State Friday night at Taylor Center. 

With the win, the Mavericks improve to 3-4 (1-0 NSIC), while the Mustangs fall to 3-5 (0-2 NSIC). 

The Mavericks controlled the pace early on, leading 9-3 with 15:17 to go in the first half. The Mavericks' biggest lead in the first half came with 11:50 left in the half when MSU led 18-9. The Mustangs clawed back and made it a two-point game at 20-18 with 8:23 left in the half. 

The Mavericks extended their lead back to six points at 24-18 before SMSU took a 28-26 lead thanks to an 8-0 run with 4:22 to play in the half. MSU went into the halftime break trailing 33-31. 

The Mavericks shot 11-of-28 (39.3%) from the field in the first half, with sophomore Kelby Kramer leading the way with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. 

MSU used a 9-0 run early in the second half to take a 45-37 lead with 13:18 to play. The Mustangs would tie things up at 47-47 with 8:06 to go, but the Mavericks went back up six points at 53-47 with 5:36 left. 

A pair free throws pushed the Maverick lead to 59-51 with 2:47. A pair of free throws and a dunk by freshman Ryland Holt would extend the Maverick lead to 13 points at 67-54 just before a three-pointer by SMSU ended the game's scoring at 67-57 in favor of the Mavericks.

Senior Cameron Kirksey led the Maverick offense with 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting. He also recorded seven rebounds. Kramer finished with a double-double as he tallied 13 points and a team-high 16 boards.

As a team, the Mavericks shot 22-of-55 (40.0%). The defense limited the Mustangs to 18-of-58 (21.0%) shooting, MSU held a 45-40 rebounding advantage in the contest. 

The Mavericks will be back in action Saturday when they host Sioux Falls at Taylor Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. 


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