Mankato, Minn. – The Minnesota State men's basketball team won a physical 71-61 victory against the Bemidji State Beavers Wednesday night in the first round of the NSIC Basketball Tournament.
With the win, the Mavericks will advance to the second round of the NSIC Basketball Tournament against Sioux Falls with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday night.
The Mavericks opened the game with a 9-0 run to put the Beavers on the defensive in the early going. Defenses for both teams stepped up and made shots difficult to come by, but the Mavericks held onto a 16-5 lead with 11:25 to go in the half.
The teams played evenly for the remainder of the half, the defense being the key, but Minnesota State took a 30-22 edge into the locker room.
Ryland Holt led the Mavericks in scoring with eight points while
Cameron Kirksey tallied seven points and six rebounds.
As a team, Minnesota State shot 50.0% from the field compared to 26.9% from Bemidji State, but the eight turnovers kept the Beavers in the half.
Bemidji State opened the second half with an 8-3 run to cut the MSU lead to 33-30 going into the first media timeout with 14:49 to go. The Mavericks responded with a 4-0 run of their own as
Malik Willingham found
Kelby Kramer on back-to-back pick and rolls from the top of the key.
The teams traded hard-fought baskets and managed to get into the penalty early due to the physical nature of the game, and with 8:31 to go in regulation, the Mavericks held the 47-37 edge. Coming out of the timeout, the Beavers went on a 10-1 run to cut the MSU lead to 48-47 with 6:11 to go in regulation.
After Bemidji state cut the MSU lead to 50-48,
Kevin Krieger drilled a three pointer with a defender in his face to extend the lead.
Krieger made two more cold blooded threes and the Mavericks were put in a position to make free throws to close out the game which they did, earning the 71-61 win.
Krieger led all players with 20 points in the game while Holt finished with 15. As a team, the Mavericks shot 51.2% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc.
