SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - #2 Minnesota State (21-2, 15-2 NSIC) pulls of the road win against the Sioux Falls Cougars (11-11, 8-8 NSIC) Saturday night, 70-65. The Willingham brother combined for 47 points for the Mavericks. MSU opened the second half on a huge 19-3 run that shifted the momentum of the game.

Noah Puetz put the Cougars up early with a three-pointer, giving USF a three-point lead, 7-4. After Kyrese Willingham responded with a layup on the other end, Sioux Falls went on a 9-0 run to give itself a 10-point cushion, 16-6. The Cougars doubled the Mavericks' score, 18-9, on a jumper from Kyle Ingwerson halfway through the half.

A three from Malik Willingham brought the Mavericks within six, but USF answered immediately, scoring a hook shot and a layup to make the score 24-14. Dylan Peeters scored four quick points to bring the score back within six. Ingwerson hit a three-pointer, only for M. Willingham to go down the court and match him. The Cougars pushed on a quick 7-2 run, but M. Willingham made four free throws in the last 40 seconds of the half. Minnesota State trailed USF heading into halftime, 34-27.

The Mavericks shot 35% from the field in the first half. The team made three of its seven three-point attempts and made eight of nine from the charity stripe. MSU had six steals in the first half and scored eight points off those turnovers.

M. Willingham had 10 points in the first half for Minnesota State. K. Willingham and Peeters each had six first half points.

Sioux Falls shot 48% from the field in the first half. The Cougars made 3-11 from three and made one of two free throws. Sioux Falls outrebounded MSU 22-10 in the first half and scored 10 second chance points. Ingwerson also had 10 points in the first half. Zane Alm had eight points in the first.

There were no scores for the first two and a half minutes of the second half, until M. Willingham hit a three-pointer. This score sparked a comeback for the Mavericks who went on a 19-3 run that gave Minnesota State a 46-37 lead with 13 minutes left in regulation. In that stretch, the Willingham brothers combined for 17 points.

Jack Thompson made a three-pointer to make the score 46-40. Minnesota State pushed back, going on an 8-2 run to make the score 54-42, Mavericks. The Cougars cut the lead back to single digits, with a floater from Thompson and a three from Jack Carwright. Brady Williams responded with his own three on the other end, giving the Mavericks a 57-47 lead.

The Cougars responded with a 15-1 run, led by Noah Puetz and Thompson, taking a 62-58 lead over Minnesota State. K. Willingham brought the Cougar lead back to two with a layup, but Alm score his own layup to negate it. After a couple costly turnovers for USF, M. Willingham tied the game with a floater with two minutes left to play and took the lead, 66-64, on a layup a minute later. The Cougars wouldn't score another field goal. Minnesota State closed out the game by a score of 70-65.

The Mavericks shot 44% from the field (24-54 FG). The team shot 31% from three (5-16 3PT) and 85% from the free throw line (17-20 FT). MSU outrebounded the Cougars 18-17 in the second half, collecting a total of 28.

M. Willingham scored 25 points for the Mavericks; he shot 8-14 from the field, 3-8 from deep and was a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. He also finished with three rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals. His brother, K. Willingham, scored 22 points, also shooting 8-14. He also led the team with seven rebounds and had one block and two steals.

Sioux Falls shot 42% from the floor (25-60 FG) against Minnesota State. The Cougars shot 23% from deep (6-26) and 75% from the free throw line (9-12 FT). The team ended with 39 rebounds and 13 assists. The Cougars turned the ball over 16 times, including some crucial turnovers down the stretch.

USF had four players in double figures. Thompson led the Cougars with 18 points and six assists. Ingwerson had 10 points and nine rebounds. Alm scored 12 points and had four blocks. Puetz had 11 points.

"I thought our guys really competed tonight at a high level and handled adversity as well as we have in a long time," said Mavericks head coach Matt Margenthaler. "It was a great road victory."

The Mavericks return home next weekend to take on the Wildcats of Wayne State (13-10, 6-10 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Taylor Center. On Saturday, Feb. 10, Minnesota State plays Augustana (14-8, 9-7 NSIC) at 5:30 p.m.