Box Score Springfield, Mass. --- Minnesota State senior wing Jefferson Mason blocked a three-pointer by Alabama-Huntsville’s Tyler Hanbeck to secure a 95-91 overtime victory over Alabama-Huntsville in the quarterfinals of the 2011 NCAA Division II Elite Eight being played in Springfield, Mass.

Senior guard Marcus Hill hauled in the rebound following Mason’s block and converted a pair of free throws with four seconds in overtime to ice the win for Minnesota State.

“I thought we were resilient tonight,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler. “Our guys fought through some diversity and made plays when they had too.”

The game started off on a torrid pace as Alabama Huntsville opened a 16-10 lead at the first media timeout. The two teams combined to hit six three-pointers in the first four minutes and nine seconds of the game.

The Chargers – who made their first nine field goals – opened a lead as large as 27-13 before senior guard Joe Drapcho drained a three from the right wing to cut the deficit to 11 with 13:11 remaining in the first half.

Minnesota State would use an 11-5 run – a spurt keyed by five points from junior guard Stephen Kirschbaum to cut the UAH lead from 27-17 to 33-28 at the under-eight media timeout. Kirschbaum sandwiched a three and a jumper with a steal on the defensive end that led to a traditional three-point play by Mason.

The run extended to 25-10 when Hill hit a jumper from the right elbow giving MSU its first lead at 38-37. Alabama Huntsville’s Jaime Smith would drain a three from the top of the key to allow the Chargers to regain the lead before redshirt freshman forward #Connor O’Brien# drained a three-pointer to give MSU a 41-40 lead with 3:13 remaining in the half.

Coming out of the timeout, UAH hit a pair of free throws to continue the back-and-fourth advantage before Kirschbaum drained a three from the right baseline giving MSU a 44-42 lead.

Elliot Jones tied the game at 44 before senior guard Cameron Hodges - who was forced to sit for a good portion of the first half with foul trouble – knocked down a jumper. On MSU’s ensuing possession, Hodges sank a pair of free throws pushing the Maverick advantage to 48-44.

After UAH hit a pair of free throws Hill sank a NBA-distance three to give the Mavericks a 51-46 Maverick advantage before Smith drained three free throws to close out the first half, cutting the MSU lead to 51-49.

Smith led all scorers in the first half with 19 points while Hill had 15 and Kirschbaum added ten.

Both teams shot the lights out in the first half as Alabama-Huntsville hit on 60.9 percent of its chances while MSU hit on 59.4, including, 56.3 (9-of-16) from the three-point line.

The second half started as a back-and-forth affair as MSU maintained its halftime advantage – two points – throughout the first 4:12 as it opened a 57-55 lead at the first media timeout of the second half.

The Chargers would use an 11-5 run, thanks in part to a pair of three-point baskets by Srdan Boskovic, to open its largest lead of the second half at 68-62 with 12:53 remaining, forcing a Maverick timeout.

Minnesota State weathered the storm and tied the lead at 73 with 7:27 remaining as senior guard Joe Drapcho drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key.

The Mavericks then regained the lead when O’Brien converted a putback, giving the Mavericks a 75-73 edge. UAH was quick to answer as Smith drilled a three – his sixth of the game – in front of his own bench, flinging the lead back into the Charger advantage at 76-75 with 5:33 remaining.

Both teams traded baskets over the next three minutes as the Chargers owned an 80-79 advantage with 2:27 remaining in the game.

Following the timeout, Xavier Baldwin converted a traditional three-point play to give the Chargers an 83-79 lead with 2:36 remaining in the game.

Minnesota State got a pair of those points back thanks to Mason sinking two free throws. After forcing a turnover, Hodges converted a putback – MSU’s 16th offensive rebound of the night – tying the game at 83.
After both teams missed a pair of free throws, the game entered the final minute tied at 84 which is where regulation ended.

Baldwin opened overtime with a jumper before both teams traded missed field goals. MSU then regained the lead on a traditional three-point play at 87-86

Baldwin answered on the other end with a layup – and then missed the free throw – giving the Chargers an 88-87 lead before Kirschbaum found Mason in the paint for a layup with 2:17 remaining.

Zane Campbell would hit 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 89 before Kirschbaum drilled a three from the top of the key with 1:40 remaining.
Smith would cut the lead to one with a jumper off the glass as the game entered the final minute with a 92-91 lead in favor of MSU.

Drapcho would convert the front end of a two-shot bonus to extend the Maverick lead to 93-91 with 17.2 seconds remaining leading to Mason’s blocked shot.

Hill led Minnesota State in scoring with 26 points and six assists while Mason added 19 and Hodges added 18. Kirschbaum came off the bench and finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 3-of-6 from the three-point line.

The Mavericks finished the night shooting 50.8 percent from the floor while UAH hit on 55.8 percent. MSU won the battle of the boards, 38-25, including 16-7 on the offensive end of the boards. MSU converted the 16 offensive boards into 17 points.

The Mavericks (28-4) advance to the National Semifinals tomorrow evening where they will face Belleramine (31-2) at 6 p.m. The game will pit the #2 team in the national (Bellarmine) against the #8 team (MSU). The game will air on CBS College Sports.

To view the game stats, click HERE

Press conference following win with head coach Matt Margenthaler, Marcus Hill, Stephen Kirschbaum and Jefferson Mason: