MANKATO, Minn. – The No. 4 Minnesota State football team defeated No. 21 Texas A&M University-Commerce 42-21 Saturday afternoon in the third round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Blakeslee Stadium.  With the win, the Mavericks improve to 13-0 on the season, while the Lions finish the season at 11-3.  Minnesota State also advances to the NCAA Semi-finals for the second straight year and will face off with Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa., next Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (CST).
 
The Mavericks took a 7-0 lead after a six-play 74-yard drive ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Nate Gunn with 12:06 left in the opening quarter.
 
The Lions then responded with a 22-yard pass from Miklo Smalls to Kelan Smith to knot things up at 7-7. A  mistake by the Mavericks resulted in the Lions scoring on a fumbled punt to give TAMUC a 14-7 lead with 2:17 left in the first quarter.
 
Two unanswered touchdowns by the Mavericks, a three-yard run by Gunn and a six-yard rush by JD Ekowa, gave the Mavericks a 21-14 lead with 8:21 to go in the half and the defenses kept the game there going into halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Alex Goettl intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards to extend the MSU lead to 28-14 with 4:57 left in the quarter.
 
Gunn's third touchdown of the game, a two-yard run with 11:32 left in the fourth quarter, pushed the Maverick lead to 35-14.
 
A six-play, 82-yard drive, which was capped off with a two-yard rushing touchdown by Justin Taormina, made it a 42-14 Maverick lead with 6:36 to play.
 
The Lions added a touchdown with a two-yard connection from Preston Wheeler to Tyler Guice to end the game's scoring at 42-21.
 
The Mavericks compiled 410 yards of total offense, which included 277 yards on the ground. Gunn led the way with 174 yards on 24 carries.
 
Defensively, MSU held the Lions to just 64 yards rushing and 346 yards passing. Zach Robertson anchored the defense with 10 tackles. Cole Schroedermeier added eight. The defense also intercepted two passes, one by Goettl and one by Cade Johnson. Goettl finished with four tackles and an interception, while Johnson finished with eight tackles to go with the interception.
 
The win will advance the Mavericks to the NCAA Playoff Semi-Finals for the second straight year, and the fourth time in program history.  Minnesota State will travel to Slippery Rock, Pa., next Saturday to take on Slippery Rock University, kickoff scheduled for 11:30 a.m., central standard time, with the winner advancing to the NCAA DII National Championship game in McKinney, Texas.