Men’s Basketball Hits the Road to Take On Wayne State

Daniel McElroy ® Sports Editor |
Photo by Mansoor Ahmad ® Photo Editor |

The Minnesota State men’s basketball team is getting ready to travel to Nebraska where they will take on Wayne State for their first road series of the season. 

MSU (3-1) is coming off three straight wins, including a sweep last weekend against Augustana University, with their only loss coming from their first game of the season against Bemidji State University in a non-conference matchup.

Wayne State College (2-2) looks to continue their win streak after sweeping Concordia-St. Paul on the road last weekend. 

Both teams start conference play with a record of 2-0. “It’s big time,” head coach Matt Magenthaler answered how important that start was.

The Mavericks are 26-4 all-time against the Wildcats, only dropping one in the last 15 meetings between the teams.

Minnesota State leads the NSIC in offensive rebounds with 172, averaging 43 per game.

Maverick leading point scorer Quincy Anderson looks to continue his hot streak, as he led the team in points in 3 of 4 games played this season. Anderson leads the team in total points scored with 64, averaging 16 points per game 

Junior guard Devonte Thedford has come into his own in his first season as a Maverick. Thedford played two seasons at Kirkwood Community College,where he held a 55-10 record and won a Division II National Championship. 

Thedford was also named to the National all-tournament team as a freshman. Thedford sits just behind Anderson in total points scored on the Mavericks with 51, averaging 12.8 per game. 

Freshman forward Brady Williams also had a breakout series for himself against the Vikings, scoring 9 on Friday, and 17 on Saturday, setting his career high in his short time at Mankato. 

Williams sets the team high for 3-pointers made in a single game, making 5-7 in Saturday’s win at home. Williams is looking to continue to cement his spot on the roster in the upcoming series against Wayne State. 

Wayne State College holds the second spot in the NSIC in defensive rebounds at 120 in 4 games, averaging at 30 per game, sitting just behind the Mavericks at 140 total, averaging 35 per game. 

The winner of this series will potentially hold the number one spot in the standings, leading the southern division of the NSIC.

Tip-off will be on Friday at 6:30 PM, and Saturday at 2:30 PM