MANKATO, Minn. --- It was a hard fought game by both teams, but Minnesota State's second half surge got the job done for the Mavericks at home as they defeated the Minot State Beavers 70-66. 

With the win, MSU will improve to 14-8 overall, including a .500 NSIC conference record at 8-8. 

The Mavericks came out of the gate hot, starting the game 4-4 from the field and taking an 11-7 lead over the Beavers roughly four and a half minutes into the game. Minot State would keep it close early and eventually take a 15-14 lead over Minnesota State at the 12:48 mark of the first half following a Jalen Cook three point make for Minot. The Beavers' bench accounted for 13 of their first 20 points, however the Mavericks held a single digit lead at the 9:01 mark by a score of 21-20. 

The game would remain close following back-to-back scoring possessions and tough defensive efforts by both squads, as senior guard Trevor Moore and sophomore forward Tyrell Stuttley led the scoring charge for MSU in the closing minutes of the first half. The Beavers would take a 30-27 lead late in the half thanks to another Cook three point shot with 1:45 remaining. Minot would commit a technical foul following the possession and allow for the Mavericks and Moore to tie it back up at 30-30. A strong finish for the Beavers would allow them to close the first half with a 34-30 lead heading into halftime. 

Moore led the Mavericks with seven points in the first half while Stuttley added six points. As a team, MSU shot 40% from the field. Cook led all scorers in the first half with 13 points. The Beavers shot 51.9% from the field. 

Early mistakes for the Mavericks would assist in Minot State jumping to a 10 point lead with just over 17 minutes left in the second half. To kick in an offensive jump start, sophomore Kyreese Willingham would earn a defensive steal and bolt for a break away two-handed slam to cut the lead to just eight at the 15:36 mark of the second half. Freshman Malcolm Jones made a tough effort making a block on the defensive side of the floor which would slowly swing the momentum in favor of MSU.  Sophomore Harrison Braudis and Kyreese Willingham carried the offensive load to assist their second half scoring run. A three point make and an "and-1" opportunity transpired for the Mavericks following Jones' block and the Beavers' lead would be cut to only three, at 44-41.

Following a media time out with 9:36 to go in the game, Minot State would make a short rally to push and hold a seven point lead. Cook would continue his efficient shooting night for Minot, making it a tougher battle for Minnesota State to climb back in the second half. Moore nailed two free throws following a Minot State foul and would keep the Mavericks in close position, trailing 58-53 with just under seven minutes remaining. Defensive adjustments allowed for a hard fought closing stretch and intense back and forth possessions for each team, until junior Malik Willingham and Kyreese Willingham would take matters into their own hands and nail back-to-back three pointers to tie the game at 59-59 with 5:09 remaining. 

Malik Willingham would knock down another clutch three-point shot to boost the Mavericks in the lead 62-61 at the 3:21 mark and force Minot to take a time out. A technical foul by both teams would be assessed out of a time out as MSU would miss their first free throw attempt, followed by the Beavers making two attempts to cut the game to a score of 64-63. Sophomore Mason Muller would make a spinning layup off a defensive miscue by the Beavers to make it a 66-64 game with 1:12 remaining. A bank layup shot by MSU's Stuttley would make it that much more difficult for Minot as the lead grew to four with less than half a minute to go. The Mavericks second half efforts would be enough to rally back and defeat the Minot State Beavers with a final score of 70-66.

Moore would lead the way for the Mavericks posting a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Kyreese Willingham added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Malik Willingham earned 12. As a team, MSU shot 40.3% from the field to go along with nine steals on the defensive end. 

Jalen Cook would lead the Beavers with 19 points, while Jaxon Gunville, would add 15. As a team, Minot shot 44.4% from the field. 

Minnesota State awaits their third straight home matchup against Southwest Minnesota State next Friday with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. 

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