Article

Margenthaler Looks for First Win At South Dakota

by Dax Larson

Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: Mens Sports

Men's basketball coach Matt Margenthaler has never won at South Dakota. The last time No. 9 Minnesota State won at USD was Jan. 27, 2000. This year, the Mavericks (21-2 overall, 7-1 NCC) will need to win tonight when they play in the Dakota Dome. A win would get them a big step closer to the conference title for the second consecutive season.

"It's time for that streak to end," Margenthaler said. "(A win) would be one more step forward towards a conference championship."

The Coyotes are (16-5 overall, 5-1 NCC) second in the North Central Conference and a victory for the Mavericks would give them some separation going into their final three games of the season. MSU needed overtime to defeat the Coyotes on Jan. 27 at the Taylor Center. The Mavericks didn't play well in the first half and needed a 13-point second-half comeback to send the game to overtime. In overtime, veteran senior guards Luke Anderson, Tony Thomason and Paris Kyles took over and won the game for MSU. The Mavericks will need these three players to lead the team when they travel to South Dakota tonight.

"We need to make sure we are focused when we go there," Margenthaler said. "We will get shots against their zone defense, so we need to remain aggressive against their zone."

"It's another big game," Kyles said. "We got to forget about (the victory over St. Cloud Saturday) and move on."

There is a lot of basketball yet to be played, but the Mavericks have a slightly easier schedule than South Dakota and St. Cloud. Although the Mavericks have three of their final four games on the road, they face Nebraska-Omaha (11-10 overall, 2-5 NCC) twice and Augustana (16-7 overall, 3-5 NCC) once. The Coyotes and Huskies have yet to face each other, so anything can happen in those two games. Anything can happen in the NCC. Take Feb. 1 for example, the Mavericks went to Minnesota-Duluth who were 0-6 in the conference and suffered their first and only conference loss.

"With Duluth we learned anybody can beat you on any night," Margenthaler said. "It will be one of those games where we will have to do everything right for the entire 40 minutes."

Saturday the Mavericks face Nebraska-Omaha for the first time this season. In the past, the two teams have been rivals. The last three years the two teams have owned the No. 1 ranking going into the conference tournament. Two years ago a scuffle ensued after the game at the Taylor Center when Nebraska-Omaha defeated MSU 90-88. Saturday could be just as intense as Nebraska-Omaha will look to ruin MSU's bid for the conference title.

"The rivalry we had a couple years ago was when they were very good and conference champions," Margenthaler said. "We were trying to knock them off, but now it is a totally different situation."

Dax Larson is a Reporter staff writer