MANKATO, Minn. – MSU Moorhead men's basketball saw its season come to close as the Dragons fell to Minnesota State, 78-55.
The two teams would trade blows in the first five minutes of competition as Minnesota State held a 10-8 lead early on. The Dragons got good looks at shots from the perimeter in that stretch but began the game missing their first five long range shots.
Dane Zimmer would get the Dragon offense rolling thanks to a nifty pick and roll with
Ja'Kair Sanchez. The Mavericks would net two of their first four three-point attempts in the half.
MSUM would continue to struggle at the rim as time wore on in the first half. With 12 minutes to play in the first half, the Dragons had made just five of 16 shot attempts. However, MSUM's defense would stand tall against the potent Mavericks to keep the Dragons within earshot (13-10). Zimmer would break a Dragon scoring drought with MSUM's first three of the game with just over 11 minutes to go in the half. The senior would score nine of MSUM's first 15 points to even the count shortly thereafter.
JaMir Price would hit a needed three with nine minute to play to give the Dragons a 20-18 advantage. Minnesota State would jump out on an 8-0 run with under five minutes to go to lead 30-22. The home team would stretch that lead to 11 points before the break as the Dragons trailed 39-28. Zimmer led MSUM with a first half double double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. MSUM shot a dismal 28.9 percent from the field in the first half with a two of nine clip from long range. Minnesota State connected on 48.5 percent of their attempts including five made threes.
To begin the second half, Minnesota State would continue to enhance the lead, putting the score at 50-32 with 15 minutes to go. MSUM began the second half making just two of nine attempts from the field. By the midway point of the half, the Mavericks led 59-39.
With just under four minutes left in the contest, Minnesota State continued to lead, 72-48. The Mavericks would hold on to the game by a final score of 78-55. The Dragons shot 35.5 percent in the second half and 31.9 percent for the game overall. This included a 15 percent mark from three-point range (3-20).
The Dragons conclude the season with a 25-6 record.
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