SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Minnesota State men’s basketball team opened play in the 2009 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Holiday HoopsFest with a 78-58 victory over Northern State Saturday afternoon in front of 1,117 fans in the Sioux Falls Arena.
The win – which did not count toward the NSIC overall record but does affect regional rankings – pushed MSU’s record to 4-0 on the young season.
The Mavericks opened the game with a 9-0 run which started when senior guard Jermain Davis drained a three-point basket in transition. Senior center Travis Nelson and senior guard Jesse Clark added lay-ups before Davis connected on a jumper, forcing Northern State to call a timeout.
Northern State answered with a 8-0 run before junior guard Taylor Morrow tipped in a put-back to push MSU”s lead to 11-8.
The Wolves would outscore MSU 32-25 in the final 17 minutes of the first half; however the Mavericks led at the break, 36-32. Nine of the 10 Mavericks who played in the first half found the scoring ledger as Nelson led MSU with nine points in the first half to go with five rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
“I thought we let them control the tempo a bit in the first half,” said Minnesota State head coach Matt Margenthaler. “In the second half, we created offense with our defense and it resulted in good things for us.”
The Mavericks used a 12-2 run early in the second half to open a 58-44 advantage and never look back.
Nelson led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. The 6-11 post also connected on all seven of his free throw attempts and finished the game with 10 rebounds, six blocks and three steals. The six blocks by Nelson marked the second-best single-game tally by a Maverick and was the first time that a Maverick recorded at least six blocks in a game since Eric Mergen did so in 2006 against Winona State.
Davis added 14 points for Minnesota State while senior wing Jefferson Mason contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
Minnesota State – which shot an icy 39.3 percent in the first half – finished the game shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, thanks in part to a 51.5 percent clip in the final 20 minutes. The Mavericks – who committed just 12 fouls in the game – connected on 18-of-24 free throw attempts.
Minnesota State owned a 41-34 edge on the glass in the victory. All 10 Mavericks who played found their way into the scoring column.
The Mavericks conclude the two-day long NSIC HoopsFest Sunday with a 3 p.m., matinee against Winona State in the Sioux Falls Arena.
To view the game stats, click HERE
