Box Score
Updated NSIC Tournament Bracket
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- A 15-0 run midway through the second half proved to be decisive as the Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team topped Southwest Minnesota State, 87-78, in the first-round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health tournament Wednesday night at Alex Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, Minn.
MSUM (19-10) will face Minnesota State, Mankato in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Quarterfinals on at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Mankato, Minn. SMSU ended the season at 16-14.
In addition to the second-half run, balance proved crucial for MSUM as five Dragon players scored in double figures, led by sophomore
Jordan Riewer, who had 21 points and a game-high seven assists. Senior
Alex Novak had a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds, while freshman
Tyler Vaughan had 18 points. Senior
Eric Olson had a career-high 13 points, while senior
Anthony Tucker had 11 points.
MSUM shot 50 percent (26-of-52) for the game, compared to 42.6 percent (29-of-68) for SMSU. The Dragons also had a 41-31 edge in rebounds. MSUM's biggest advantage came at the free-throw line, where it hit 29-of-33 free throws (87.9 percent), compared to 16-of-20 for MSUM.
The Dragons faced a 59-53 deficit with 9:53 left before going on the 15-0 run to surge into the lead. The run was sparked by defense -- MSUM held the Mustangs without a point for 5:43 -- and by several key plays on the offensive end. Olson was the key during the run with five points, while Riewer converted a three-point play and Vaughan drained a three.
The run gave the Dragons a 68-59 lead that they never relinquished. SMSU came back to within 74-70 with 2:15 left, but got no closer MSUM put the game away at the free-throw line. Riewer was 8-of-8 from the line in the final 1:24 and the Dragons were 13-of-14 from the line as a team over the final 1:50 to ice the game.
MSUM opened the game on a 5-0 run but a 13-2 Mustang run vaulted SMSU into a 13-7 lead with 12:56 left in the first half. The Mustangs led by as many as eight (18-10) before MSUM turned the tables with a 13-2 run to take a 23-20 lead with 6:32 to go into the half. Olson led the way with six points, with Novak accounting for three. The Dragons went into halftime facing a 36-33 deficit.
The Dragons shot 51.9 percent in the first half, compared to 43.8 for MSUM.
Saturday's game at Minnesota State begins at 2 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn.
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Tonight's win over Southwest Minnesota State marked the first time that all five Dragon starters finished in double figures in points since the Dragons 79-78 overtime win over Bemidji State in the semi-finals on March 8, 2003 (Kyle Staloch 16, Marlon Samuel 15, Jake Kruse 14, Jared Bledsoe 13, Eric Prchal 12).
