Article

Mavs drop heartbreaker to Adams State, beat Fort Lewis

by Chris Jagerson

Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Men's Sports

MSU 78 vs. Adams State 80 - November 30th, Friday @ Skyhawk Classic in Durango, Colorado
MSU 79 vs. Fort Lewis 74 - December 1st, Saturday @ Skyhawk Classic in Durango, Colorado

With the help of a freshman, the Minnesota State men's basketball team managed a split Saturday after a devastating loss Friday at the Skyhawk Classic in Durango, Colo.

Preston Whitaker scored a career­- and team-high -19 points to lead the Mavericks to a 79-74 victory Saturday over Fort Lewis.

"That was the best freshman performance I've seen in seven year," said Mavericks coach Matt Margenthaler. "He's a special player. He has a chance to go down in history if he continues to improve and keep his head and that's the biggest thing for a freshman."

Whitaker scored the first basket of the second half, which gave his team a 39-31 lead. Fort Lewis responded with an 18-7 run to open a 49-46 lead with 15 minutes remaining, but a layup from Mitch Gosson and a fastbreak layup from Jake Morrow in the next minute gave the Mavericks a lead they wouldn't lose.

Whitaker scored 12 of his 19 in the second half. He shot 6 of 9 from the floor and 7 of 9 from the free throw line and also grabbed six rebounds.

"I was trying to be aggressive and get to the basket," Whitaker said. "I think my strength is getting to the basket and trying to get to the foul line to get some easy buckets."

The freshman, who has started all seven games this season, is fourth on the team with an average of 10.9 points per game.

"So far it's going a lot better than I thought it would," Whitaker said of his first year. "Starting helps with the confidence and getting minutes and knowing that coach has that trust in me to put me out there against some of the other teams' best offensive players. He sees that I can be a defensive key for this team."

Atila Santos added 17 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. He was 13 of 14 from the free throw line. Jadee Jones and Jake Morrow each scored 15 points.

"If there was ever a must-win game in December, Saturday was it," Margenthaler said. "We were at a pivotal point in our season."

Friday's game against Adams State wasn't so good, though.

The Mavericks held a 59-42 lead with 7:29 remaining, but a 17-1 run over a 3:54 span let the Grizzlies back into the game. A pair of free throws from Jadee Jones put MSU up by three with nine seconds left, but Larry Jones' 3-pointer with five seconds remaining sent the game into overtime, where the Grizzlies went on to victory by the score of 80-78.

"This is a new deal and these guys need to understand when you get a team down you need to put them out of their misery," Margenthaler said. "You need to grab them by the throat and make sure they're dead. We didn't do that, we gave them life."

Jones led the team in the loss with 19 points. Santos had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Mitch Gosson had 14 points and eight rebounds and Curt Greeley added eight points and nine rebounds.

"Friday we let one slip. There's really no excuse for what happened," Whitaker said. "Saturday we felt we had something to prove, especially with them being at home."

Santos was named the Co-North Central Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in the two games.

The Mavericks (5-2) play again Wednesday at home against Bethany Lutheran. MSU won the last year's matchup 93-77.

"They gave us a scare last year," Margenthaler said. "It's the biggest game of the year for them."

Chris Jagerson is a Reporter staff writer