By Chad Courrier
Free Press Staff Writer
MANKATO — For one night, it was like old times for Andy Moeller. Record crowd, against South Dakota, big shots.
It was fun," the senior guard said. "I knew Mankato had it in them."
In front of the largest crowd in Bresnan Arena history, a sell-out of 4,876, Moeller nailed consecutive 3-pointers in the final 1:38 to lead Minnesota State to an 86-78 victory over South Dakota in North Central Conference men's basketball Saturday.
The victory, coupled with North Dakota's 84-80 loss at Augustana, gives the fourth-ranked Mavericks a one-game lead at the halfway point of the conference schedule.
"Andy has been there, done that," Minnesota State coach Matt Margenthaler said. "This environment is made for Andy, and he made some huge plays down the stretch. That's what veterans do."
For Moeller, who transferred from South Dakota State, the matchup with South Dakota was always the biggest of the season, especially pitted against South Dakota point guard Josh Mueller. The game was always close, always played in front of capacity crowds.
"For the last four years, this was such a huge rivalry game," Moeller said. "This game felt the same way, just without the 'Rabbits."
South Dakota had just scored five straight points, including Mueller's long 3-pointer, to tie the game at 78 with two minutes to play. The Mavericks worked the shot clock, and Moeller popped open at the top of the key, his 3-pointer swishing through at 1:38.
After the Mavericks made a stop, they again were patient, this time with Moeller dribbling left around Jamel Staten's screen and nailing an almost identical 3-pointer with 57 seconds to go. Tony Thomason's two free throws 10 seconds later made the final 86-78.
"I knew Andy could do it," Staten said. "I played against him last year, and he made those same shots. I'm awfully glad he's on our team now."
Moeller's late-game heroics overshadowed a near-historic night for Staten, who had 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, just missing the program's first-ever triple-double. It was his fourth 30-point game of his career and a career-high for assists.
"I wanted to be aggressive right from the beginning of the game," Staten said. "I didn't want this big crowd to get let down."
The Mavericks struggled to finish the first half, allowing the Coyotes to close with a 12-4 run to lead 47-40 at the break. But Staten scored 10 points in the first eight minutes of the second half, putting the Mavericks up 56-53 with a long jumper. He then added nine points in a four-minute stretch to keep Minnesota State up 72-69.
"That's the most focused I've seen Jamel all year, on both ends of the floor," Margenthaler said. "I don't think he forced anything, he just got good looks and made them."
Moeller finished with 16 points, and Thomason, Moeller's backup, scored 11. Chris Whitfield, coming off the bench for the first time this season, had seven points, making 5 of 5 free throws, and three blocked shots, including a key one in the final minute.
"Going into the game, I was hoping that our kids understood that just because we had a big crowd, South Dakota wasn't going to back down," Margenthaler said. "This is the environment I've always envisioned for Bresnan Arena. It was a great game."
The Mavericks now face a four-game stretch on the road, starting Saturday at St. Cloud State.
"This doesn't make our season, just like a loss wouldn't have ruined our season," Moeller said. "It was one game, and it was a good start, but we have a lot of work to do."
