Article

Movin' On

Mavericks cruise to win over Augustana in first game of NCC Tourney; Match-up with St. Cloud State in Wells Fargo Finals at Dakota Dome next.

by Dax Larson

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Mens Sports

No. 7 Minnesota State took its first step towards a second consecutive North Central Conference postseason title Wednesday. The Mavericks (25-3 overall, 10-2 NCC) used a 16-6 run over a five minute span to pull away from Augustana (16-12 overall, 3-9 NCC) and gain a 10 point lead with seven minutes to go. MSU never looked back en route to an 80-63 win in its final home game of the season.

"We knew we couldn't look past teams and needed to take it one game at a time," said senior Luke Anderson. "But, we knew we were going to roll through Augustana, we knew we were going to win. It was just a matter of doing it."

The Mavericks' 25th win is the most in school history, passing the last two teams' mark of 24. The win also ensured the Mavericks would stay undefeated at home this season with a 15-0 mark. This was the final home game for seniors Anderson, Tony Thomason, Paris Kyles and Terrence Wynder. Kyles dropped in a game-high 25 points and Anderson added 22 with seven rebounds.

"It's great for our seniors," said Mavericks head coach Matt Margenthaler. "They have been so imperative to what we have done here with this program. It's really a tribute to them."

After gaining the 10-point lead with seven minutes to go, MSU let the lead drop to six at 66-60 with just four minutes left. The Mavericks had been playing solid defense inconsistently during the game, but with four minutes to go they put the clamps down on the Vikings. The Mavericks created their offense with their defense by gaining turnovers and pushing the ball up the court after defensive rebounds. MSU played defense to close out the game and held Augustana to just three points over the final four minutes. The Mavericks went on to score 14 more points, eight of which were from the free throw line.

"It took us a while to get in the flow, but once we did in the second half we took it to them," said sophomore Jake Morrow. "Me, Paris, Tony and Luke can really shoot the three and when we get into a flow no one can stop us."

Morrow and junior Atila Santos both finish with double digits in points with 12 and 11, respectively. Thomason and freshman Jesse Clark dished out three assists apiece.

Next Up: The St. Cloud State Huskies

After an 80-63 win over Augustana Wednesday, No. 7 Minnesota State will play St. Cloud Saturday in a rematch of last year's Wells Fargo Finals championship game. The Mavericks and Huskies will play at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. in the semi-finals of the North Central Conference post-season tournament.

"I think we match-up well against St. Cloud," said Mavericks head coach Matt Margenthaler. "Obviously we have played well against them, but they are going to be extremely hard to beat three times."

MSU has been in the championship of the NCC post-season tournament for the past two years. Two years ago the Mavericks were downed by South Dakota 87-72 in Omaha, Neb. Last season, the Mavericks earned the regular season conference title and hosted the Wells Fargo Finals. Home court advantage helped the Mavericks earn their first post-season conference title with a victory over St. Cloud 78-69. This time around, MSU will face St. Cloud to go to the championship and could end-up facing South Dakota in the finals. The Mavericks haven't won at USD since Margenthaler took the head coaching job in the 2001-02 season.

"We tied as conference champs and they won the coin toss, which hurts a little bit, because we would love to host the tournament," said senior Luke Anderson. "Maybe it's time to go down there and get a couple of wins."

Unlike years past, the Mavericks dominated the season series with St. Cloud. The Mavericks swept the Huskies winning 96-68 at home and 83-73 on the road. MSU hasn't swept the Huskies since the 1994-95 season. The two games were no contests when it came to the first half. MSU outscored St. Cloud 89-65 in the first half of the two games. The Huskies couldn't muster any comebacks against MSU in those games, but when it's the post-season anything can happen.

"We can't go in there thinking we are going to crush them like last time," said sophomore Jake Morrow. "We have to in there and take care of business. It will be a game of runs, hopefully we can come out on top."

If the Mavericks can get by St. Cloud, they will go on to face the winner of the South Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth game. South Dakota has the No. 1-seed, but Minnesota-Duluth is the hottest team in the league. The Bulldogs are on a seven game winning streak that includes a win at the DakotaDome against USD. The win over USD broke a 15-game home winnings streak for the Coyotes. The Bulldogs' streak started with a win over the Mavericks in Duluth, Minn. on Feb.1.

"I honestly don't care who we play, I just want to be playing on Sunday," Margenthaler said. "This team knows how to win. There are not three better guards than what we got and it makes my job easier because they are going to get things done."

Dax Larson is a Reporter staff writer