Basketball split two in first games of homestand
Aaron Young
Staff Writer
The Maverick men’s basketball team split their first two games of a four-game homestand, losing to the Sioux Falls Cougars Jan. 11, and then defeating the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs Jan 13.
The Mavs had their poorest performance of the year against Sioux Falls Cougars when they lost 74-46 to the Sioux Falls Cougars.
The Mavericks couldn’t garner any momentum all game long. Despite good scoring chances, especially from beyond the arc, the Mavericks failed to capitalize.
At the half, the team only had 20 points, and were led by junior forward Cameron Kirksey who had 8 points and 3 rebounds.
A similar story happened throughout the second half, as the Cougars responded every time the Mavericks scored.
It was more lopsided as Sioux Falls outscored MSU almost by 20, crashing any chance of the Mavs coming back as they picked up the victory.
Freshman guard Quincy Anderson led the team with 9 points, followed by Kirksey’s 8 points. Kevin Krieger had 7 points and 8 boards on the night.
In the next game, the Mavericks spun a complete 180 and avenged their loss of Friday night. This time through, it was a matchup against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs.
Right from the tipoff, it was a back and forth affair as neither team could get the upper hand. It wasn’t until a few three pointers from Kirksey and guard Carlos Anderson did business pickup for the Mavericks.
To cap off the barrage, the Mavericks ended the half with a buzzer beater from Krieger in transition, putting the Mavs up 48-38.
In the second half, the Mavericks stomped all over the Mustangs.
Beginning with an 8-1 run, the squad continued their beatdown and getting to a 20-point lead. The team was firing on all cylinders and a slam dunk from Anderson almost blew the roof off the place.
With a commanding lead over the Mustangs, the Mavericks bench came out and got the chance to shine. After scoring more than 50 points in the second half, the Mavs picked up a huge 101-72 win over the Mustangs.
Kirksey led the team with 23 points and added 10 rebounds. Juwan McCloud had 15 points and 4 assists in the victory.
After this weekend, the Mavericks are now 12-4 overall, and 8-2 in the conference. Up next, the Mavs take on the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth this Friday. Then, they take on Huskies of St. Cloud State Saturday, a team which the Mavs hung on the to win, 80-77, in overtime last game in November. It looks to be another weekend of tough matchups for the Mavs going into the weekend.