Men and women’s basketball comes away victorious
Mel Stramm
Staff Writer
The Minnesota State men’s Mavericks basketball opened their home season Saturday, Nov. 16, with a win against the St. Cloud Huskies.
This 73-61 non-conference victory has MSU improving to 1-2. The score was close throughout the first half, but the Mavericks managed to stay in the lead with a score of 39-35 going into halftime.
MSU came into the second half with strong offensive play, extending and securing the lead.
Freshman Ryland Holt scored a game-high 23 points, netting 8-of-10 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
It was a great game for sophomore Kelby Kramer, who scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Senior Cameron Kirksey scored 12 points throughout the game.
MSU shot 44.1% from the field and were efficient from the line, making 18 of the 22 shots they took.
The Mavericks proved themselves defensively, allowing only 26 points for SCSU in the second half and blocking eight shots, and held a 41-34 advantage in rebounds.
MSU will host Crown College this Saturday at the Taylor Center.
The Mavericks women’s basketball team opened its regular season at home with a win. The Mavericks defeated the Northern Michigan Wildcats 83-57 on Nov. 14.
The Mavericks leading scorer was sophomore Kristi Fett, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
Next in line was senior Kirstin Klitzke, performing at an efficient rate of 5-for-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range. She added four assists to go along with her 13 points.
Junior Tayla Stuttley and sophomore Maddy Olson both ended the game with 11 points. Stuttley was two assists shy of a double-double and Olson collected two rebounds.
It was a dominating victory for the Mavericks, never surrendering the lead after being down 6-4 early in the game. This was because of the efficiency MSU had shooting the ball, going 45.6% from the field and 42.3% from 3-point range. However, they will need to correct their free throw shooting woes, going 10-of-18 (55.6%) from the line.
The defense kept the Wildcats in check, causing them to shoot 32.3% from the field and 20% from the 3-point line. The Mavericks also adde 23 assists in the game compared to NMU’s nine.
Header photo: Minnesota State forward Ryland Holt (0) goes for a lay up during the first half of a basketball game against St. Cloud State at the Taylor Center Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)