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Men's hoops sweeps Pepsi Tip-Off...again

Santos named hardest worker, Jones MVP

by Chris Jagerson

If the Minnesota State men's basketball team learned anything over its season-opening weekend, it's that they're going to have to really earn every win it gets this season.

The annual Tip-Off Tournament has seen the Mavericks lose only twice in their history and in the past three years the Mavericks have won each game in the tournament by an average of 30 points.

This past weekend wasn't what fans were used to, as the Mavericks escaped with a 66-59 victory Friday over Truman State and an even-tighter 81-79 win Saturday over Pace.

"This was a huge program win for us that can propel us and help us gain confidence," said MSU coach Matt Margenthaler. "We're a young team and this will help us get where we want and get us confidence so we know how to win games."

The Mavericks trailed Pace by as many as seven points midway through the second half and as late as 1:19 remaining. A Jake Morrow free throw tied the game at that point and a pair of free throws from Atila Santos with 16.1 seconds remaining proved to be the difference.

"Throughout the game you cannot think about the score," newcomer Jadee Jones said. "We were never really out of it; we were just out of our rhythm."

Jones won the tournament's Most Valuable Player award thanks to a two-game total of 39 points in his debut with the Mavericks.

He scored 14 points in the first half against Pace as Morrow sat on the bench with three fouls.

"In my head I thought I should maybe take a couple more shots and be more aggressive," Jones said. "(Pace's) defense was playing lazily on me until I started hitting shots and then they extended out a little more."

Santos earned the tournament's Best Hustle award. He had 15 points against Truman State and 16 points and 11 rebounds against Pace.

"When we were struggling, he wanted the basketball," Margenthaler said. "He started finishing around the basket and that made all the difference in the world."

A year ago in his MSU debut, Santos earned the MVP and Top Rebounder awards.

"I try and stay positive, like my coach always tells me," Santos said. "I'm going to try and be aggressive every time that I can. If I get doubled, I got confidence in my teammates they get knock down the shot. We play as a group."

The Mavericks struggled offensively in the first half against Truman State as they scored just 22 points on 30 percent shooting from the floor and held a slim one-point lead. The second half was a complete turnaround that saw the Mavericks shoot 50 percent from the field and double their first-half point total with 44.

The Tip-Off Tournament also saw two players set career-highs for points. Curt Greeley scored 15 against Pace and Jesse Clark came off the bench to score 15 against Truman State.

"We really needed some leadership coming off the bench - a spark," Margenthaler said. "Jesse gave that to us. … One of the better nights he has had. He was key to our victory."

The Mavericks (2-0) look to stay unbeaten with a game at 7 p.m. tonight at home against Concordia-St. Paul. The Golden Bears handed MSU its lone nonconference loss last season.

Chris Jagerson is a Reporter staff writer