By Brian Ojanpa
Free Press Staff Writer
MANKATO — There's no place like home, there's no place like home...
In this case that's Bresnan Arena, which Minnesota State turned into Bresnan Clinic on Saturday to remedy their recent ills.
The Mavericks ended their three-game losing skid with an 83-55 North Central Confer-ence men's basketball win over Augustana before a crowd of 2,885.
The Mavericks fell from a No. 1 national ranking to the No. 12 spot after its 0-for-3 road woes at St. Cloud, South Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha - and Augustana fell victim to their road rage.
It took only the first few minutes of the game for it to become evident that this was so-o-o not going to be Augustana's night.
"We needed to come out and basically play real hard the first five minutes, because we haven't had that the last three games," Mavericks forward Luke Anderson said.
"Coach always tells us the first five minutes are the most important minutes of the game."
Three-pointers by Andy Moeller, Jamel Staten and Anderson helped MSU to a 13-0 lead. Over the first 12 minutes, Anderson was 4 of 5 from 3-point range as the Mavericks made 8 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Augustana (8-18, 1-10 in the NCC) fell behind 45-21 at the half after shooting 27 percent from the field.
"Our guys knew this was a must-win for us and they came out with intensity," MSU coach Matt Margenthaler said. "We knew this was do-or-die, and from here on out, every game is a must-win."
The Mavericks (20-5, 6-4) are still in the hunt for a conference title, and Margenthaler said he's been trying to drive that point home with authority.
"I've been harder on them this week than I have been since the first week of practice."
That aura apparently agrees with Anderson, who scored a game-high 24 points, including 6 of 11 3-pointers.
Joe Williams and Reuben Trotter each added 12 points. Jamel Staten, the Mavericks' leading scorer, has been bothered by a bone spur in his ankle and finished with five points.
The Mavericks have embarked upon a three-game homestand to close out the conference season, with contests remaining against North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha.
Anderson reduced that scenario to its essence: "If we can get through next Thursday with a victory, we'll be playing for the conference championship next Saturday."
The Mavericks have a perfect record in Bresnan Arena this season. They're 11-0 overall and 4-0 in conference games. ... MSU was averaging 2,286 fans a game going into Saturday's contest. Last year the team averaged 1,868 per game
