Mankato, Minn.--- The Minnesota State men’s basketball team opened the 2010-11 season Saturday night with a convincing 122-45 victory against in-town rivals Bethany Lutheran College in exhibition action.
“I thought we played with a lot of energy tonight,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler. “It was nice to play against someone difference and see what our guys can do against someone other than themselves.”
The Mavericks held BLC without a field goal for the game’s first four minutes and 59 seconds, opening an 18-6 lead. Minnesota State – which came out aggressively, forcing 10 BLC turnovers in the first 10 minutes, opened a 29-10 advantage at the media break and never looked back.
The Mavericks continued to add the pressure late in the first half as it opened a 63-19 lead at the Break. Minnesota State, which shot 63.9 percent in the first half forced 23 Viking turnovers in the first half, turning them into 44 points.
Senior guard Cameron Hodges led MSU with 11 points in the first half, shooting 4-of-7 from the floor to go with five steals. Senior wing Jefferson Mason stuffed the stat sheet in the first 20 minutes, recording nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
The Mavericks used another solid shooting performance in the second half – they hit on 60 percent of their opportunities – to put the game away.
Mason and junior transfer Anthony Brant paced MSU with 14 points while senior post AJ Wilson and redshirt freshman Connor O'Brien each added 13. Hodges poured in 11 points and freshman Alex Hanks added 10 in his Maverick debut. Wilson and Mason each had six rebounds and Brant added eight helpers to pace MSU.
The Mavericks finished the game connecting on 62 percent of their opportunities (41-of-66), while BLC hit on just 25.5 percent (14-of-55).
The Mavericks outscored Bethany 64-8 in the paint and 67-6 off turnovers.
The win against Bethany Lutheran marks the first of two exhibition contests for the Mavericks. The Mavericks travel to Madison, Wis. to take on the University of Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday to finish off their preseason schedule. The game is slated to start at 7 p.m. central time, in the Kohl Center.
To view the game stats, click HERE
Senior guard Jefferson Mason discusses the win:
