Big Second Half Lifts Mavericks
Jefferson Mason Tallied A Double-Double In His First Game As A Maverick
11/15/2009 5:12:00 PM
Mankato, Minn. — The Minnesota State men's basketball team opened its 2009-10 campaign Sunday afternoon with a 90-57 victory over Monmouth (Ill.) in front of 732 fans in the Taylor Center in Bresnan Arena on the campus of Minnesota State University.
The win marked the sixth opening game victory for the Mavericks under head Coach Matt Margenthaler and the 115th win for the Mavericks in the Taylor Center.
The Mavericks opened the game a bit slow as it lead 20-18 with five minutes and five seconds remaining in the first half. Minnesota State used a 17-8 run to close out the first half to open a 37-26 halftime advantage. The run was keyed by six points from senior guard Jefferson Mason.
"It was great to get the first victory of the year under our belt," said Margenthaler. "We have a lot to learn from and we will need to get better before next weekend."
Monmouth cut the MSU lead to eight at 40-32 with 17:39 remaining in the game before MSU used a 6-0 run to open a a double-digit lead and never look back.
Mason led all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go with his game-high 12 rebounds. Senior center Travis Nelson added 14 points while senior guard Jermain Davis scored 11 points. Junior guard Marcus Hill added 11 points and passed out a game-high eight assists.
Minnesota State owned the battle of the boards, outrebounding Monmouth by a 51-32 margin, including 18-6 on the offensive end. The Mavericks shot 50 percent from the floor in the victory while limiting Monmouth to 37.9 percent from the floor.
Minnesota State (1-0) hosts the Pepsi Tip-Off next weekend. The Mavericks open the four-team, two-day event Friday evening against Maryville. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
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To view the box score, click HERE