Tournament Website
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --- The 15th-rated Minnesota State men's basketball team had things working Saturday evening as it defeated Augustana 78-63 for the third time this season in the second round of the NSIC Tournament.
With the win, the Mavericks improved to 27-4 on the season, while the Vikings fell to 16-14.
The MSU offense was led by senior
Gage Wooten who posted a career-high 32 points, while shooting 13-of-18 from the field. His 32 points are the most by a Maverick in a single game since Jake Morrow tallied 32 points against Minnesota Duluth back in the 2007-08 season.
Junior
Assem Marei added 18 points and eight rebounds, while junior
Zach Monaghan netted 16 points and passed out eight assists.
As a team, MSU shot 30-of-56 (.536) from the field, to go along with 15 assists and nine steals.
Daniel Jansen led the Vikings in scoring with 22 points.
MSU controlled the tempo of the first half throughout as it led the entire 20 minutes. MSU led 20-13 through the first 10 minutes and added on to its lead as it outscored the Vikings 23-15 in the final 10 minutes of the first half to take a 43-28 lead into the locker room.
Wooten was nearly perfect in the first half as he notched 19 points, on an 8-of-10 showing from the field, including a 3-of-3 performance from behind the arc. Marei netted 10 points, while Monaghan added nine points.
As a unit, the Mavericks shot 54.5% (18-of-33) from the field in the first half, including a 5-of-10 performance from long range. MSU also passed out nine assists and forced eight Augustana turnovers.
Jansen led the Vikings with nine points in the first half.
The second half saw Augustana cut into the Mavericks lead quickly as it pulled within six points of MSU at 47-41 with just under 15 minutes to play. That was as close as the Vikings would get as MSU outscored Augustana 31-22 through the final 15 minutes, en route to a 78-63 win.
The Mavericks continue play in the NSIC Tournament Monday as they take on the winner of the game between Wayne State and Southwest Minnesota State. The opening tip is set for 8:30 p.m.
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