SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --- It came down to the closing seconds Saturday evening, but it was Minnesota State that was able to come away with the 60-59 win over Sioux Falls in the second round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament.

With the win, the Mavericks improve to 16-14 on the season, while the Cougars drop to 22-8.

The scoring remained low halfway through the first half as the Cougars held an 18-12 lead with 9:06 to go. Both teams were tied 8-8 with 13:02 to go in the opening stanza but the Cougars were able to extend their lead to six behind a 10-4 run, that included two three pointers. Six different Mavericks reached the scoring column in the first 11 minutes.

The Cougars were able to build a 10 point lead at 25-15 with 5:47 to go in the first half, but the Mavericks outscored USF 17-7 in the final minutes of the half to send both teams into the locker room tied 32-32. Senior Cameron Kirksey tallied 10 points during that stretch, while freshman Ryland Holt notched five points.

Kirksey led all scorers in the first half with 12 points, while Holt added seven points. Freshman Corvon Seales passed out four helpers also. As a team, MSU shot 60.9% from the field, including a 3-of-5 showing from three point land.

Devin Green led the USF offense in the first half with 10 points, while Trevor Adams tallied six points. As a team, USF shot 48.1% from the field, including a 3-of-4 performance from long range.

The opening 10 minutes of the second half saw little offense as both teams were tied 41-41 with 9:41 to go. Seales tallied five points for the Mavericks in the opening minutes of the half, while senior Carter Asche and Holt each recorded two points.

MSU eventually built a seven point lead at 57-50 after a couple of free throws from sophomore Kelby Kramer with 1:30 to go. The Cougars would then go on a 9-1 run, including the go ahead layup by Adams, to take a 59-58 lead with 15 seconds to go. The Mavericks would not be denied though as a jump shot from Kirksey counted via goaltending with 4.9 seconds left. USF was unable to get the winning shot to fall as MSU locked down the 60-59 win.

Kirksey finished his evening with a game-high 18 on an 8-of-13 performance from the field. His 18 points also brought his career total to 1,505 points, making him the ninth Maverick in program history to pass the 1,500 point plateau.
 
Holt finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while Seales added eight points and matched his season-high with eight assists. As a team, MSU shot 52.3% from the field, including a 5-of-12 (.417) performance from three point range.

Green led the Cougar offense with 17 points, while Adams tallied 16 points. Teathloach Pal hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds also. As a team, USF shot 35.9% from the field and hauled in 39 rebounds.

Minnesota State will take Minnesota Duluth in the third round of the NSIC Tournament on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. 

 
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