Basketball splits first homestand of the season
The Mavericks defeated Lindenwood, and lost to Missouri Southern State this past weekend
Aaron Young
Staff Writer
The Mavericks basketball team had two difficult matchups this weekend and split their home game stand.
The first was against Lindenwood, where they won by the skin of their teeth, 88-85.
Following that win, the Mavs faced Missouri Southern State in a game that couldn’t be finished in regulation. This time though, they lost 100-98 and couldn’t contain the Tigers.
In their first matchup, Lindenwood controlled the pace in the first half, as they were crashing the boards and getting early rebounds.
The Mavs had their moments but the Lions just had their way ending, ending the first half with a 9-point lead, 49-40.
Coming out of the second half, the Mavericks were relentless and got off to a 9-2 run to start off the half.
However, Lindenwood came storming back and that led to a back and forth contest. Maverick fans were brought back to life with a monstrous dunk and, at one point, a three-pointer.
The only problem was the inconsistency on the Mavericks part. The team had a hard time getting into a groove.
Lindenwood kept playing at their pace and they almost won because of it.
However, with one possession left in the game, the Lions couldn’t capitalize. They were down by three and one of their players shot a three and airballed it. The buzzer went off and that was game, 88-85 was the final score.
Four Mavericks scored in double digits against the Lions.
Juniors Cameron Kirksey and Kevin Krieger scored a combined 34 points, while senior Carlos Anderson put up 16 points and junior guard Juwan McCloud scored 15.
In the second game, the squad to put everything that had in the tank on the court but fell just shy of a victory.
Going into the half, the Mavs had a 6-point lead on Missouri Southern State 43-37.
The second half was more aggressive and emotional. There were 11 fouls in the first five minutes and the Mavericks had the bulk of those fouls.
Despite this, they managed to keep the lead but the Tigers just wouldn’t hold up.
On the final possession of the game, senior guard Carlos Anderson had the chance to win the game for the Mavericks on a three but the basketball didn’t go in, resulting in overtime.
For the Tigers, it was Jamal Nixon who lit up the stat sheet, with 49 points and 10 rebounds on the day. That came to an end, as he was fouled out, meaning the Tigers had to find another person to step up.
Lucky for them, it was the Mavericks who once again couldn’t capitalize on a last second effort to win the game, as Juwan McCloud missed the potential game-tying shot that would have forced overtime, losing the game, 100-98.
After this two-game home-stand, Minnesota State hope to get back in the win column, facing off against St. Cloud State on the road, beginning on Saturday. The team looks to redeem themselves at St. Cloud.
Feature photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.