MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team earned a split Sunday afternoon as it bested the Bemidji State Beavers 91-67.

With the win, MSU improves to 1-1 on the season, while the Beavers drop to 1-1.

Both teams would find themselves tied at 18-18 with 9:29 to go in the first half, but the Mavericks would take control from there as they would out score the Beavers 28-10 through the remainder of the half to take a 46-28 lead into the locker room.

Sophomore guard Quincy Anderson proved to be the player to watch as he tallied 16 points and eight rebounds in the opening stanza. Anderson shot 6-of-9 from the field in the first half. Sophomore Ryland Holt also made his presence felt as he tallied 12 points and four rebounds, while junior Devonte Thedford tallied 14 points.

As a unit the Mavericks shot 48.6% from the field in the first half. MSU also enjoyed a 22-14 advantage on the boards and forced six BSU turnovers.

Mohamed Kone, Nick Wagner and Dalton Albrecht each tallied five points in the first half for the Beavers. As a team, BSU shot 41.7% from the field.

Minnesota State continued to control the pace in the second half as it led by as many as 31 points, en route to a 91-67 victory. 

Anderson led all scorers with a career-high 24 points. Anderson also hauled in 11 rebounds for his second career double-double. Sophomore Malik Willingham also netted a career-high with 19 points, with 11 coming in the second half. Holt notched 15 points and five rebounds also.

As a unit, MSU shot 48.4% from the field, while owning a 43-30 advantage in rebounds. 

Derek Thompson led the Beaver offense with 14 points, while Wagner posted nine points. As a team, BSU shot 43.9% from the field.

Minnesota State returns to action on Friday as it hosts the Augustana Vikings in a weekend series at Taylor Center. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., with Saturday's contest slated to start at 2:00 p.m.


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