MOORHEAD, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team fell to MSU Moorhead 88-63 on the road Friday evening.

With the loss, the Mavericks drop to 11-10 on the season, including a 9-6 NSIC record. With the win, the Dragons improve to 13-8, including a 9-6 conference record.

The first half featured a lot of offense as the Dragons carried a 42-35 lead into halftime. As a unit, the Mavericks shot 14-of-24 (.583) from the field in the opening stanza, while the Dragons shot 14-of-29 (.483) from the field. The Dragons also connected on 10-of-10 attempts from the free throw line and held a 16-10 advantage in rebounds.

Senior Cameron Kirksey led all scorers in the first half with 16 points, which included a 7-of-11 performance from the field. Sophomore Kelby Kramer added nine points of his own also.

Gavin Baumgartner led the Dragon offense in the opening half with 14 points, while Jack Rusch added eight.

The first half saw neither team lead by more than seven points as the lead changed hands several times. A jumper from Kramer put the Mavericks up 24-23 with 10:15 to go in the half, but both teams found themselves tied at 27-27 with 7:11 to go in the half. The Dragons would then go on a 15-8 run over the final seven minutes of the half to take a 42-35 lead into the locker room.

In the opening minutes of the second half the Mavericks were able to pull within one point of the Dragons in three instances. A layup from freshman Corvon Seales brought the score to 48-47 in favor of the Dragons with 15:20 to go. The Dragons would then go on a 16-2 run over the next five minutes to go up 64-49 with 10:06 to go.

The Dragons would hold their double-digit lead throughout the final 10 minutes of the game as they claimed the 88-63 win.

Kirksey led the Mavericks with 22 points, while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. Kramer added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds also. As a unit, the Mavericks shot 44.3% (27-of-61) from the field.

Baumgartner led all scorers with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Kaedrick Williams added 16 points and nine rebounds also. As a unit, the Dragons shot 29-of-59 (.492) from the field to go along with a 22-of-29 (.759) showing from the free throw line. The Dragons also enjoyed a 44-26 advantage in rebounds.

Minnesota State wraps up its road trip on Saturday as it takes on the Northern State Wolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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