Mavs come up Short against Huskies

The Minnesota State women’s basketball season came to a close last weekend in a close NSIC playoff battle with St. Cloud State University.

The Mavericks had control for the majority and fought down to the final seconds of the game, but came up empty-handed and lost 70-68.

The Mavericks led for the entirety of the game, extending their lead by as many as 16 points, until St. Cloud managed to take a two-point lead in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. With just over a minute left, Tayla Stuttley made a layup to tie the game at 68 and score her 17th point of the game. On the inbound, Rylee Menster fought for the ball and made a diving play out of bounds as she flung the ball over her head and got it to Maddy Olson. The extra possession could’ve been the game winner for the Mavericks, as Joey Batt drained a 3-pointer, but was called off due to an offensive foul from Stuttley, injuring herself on the same play.

The Huskies started their possession in the offensive zone and found a rebound under the basket and took the two point lead with 17 seconds remaining. MSU made one last effort to push the game into overtime, but didn’t end up successful.

Stuttley led the team in scoring with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and five fouls. Shumski was second in scoring for the Mavs with 13 of her own, six rebounds, and two assists.

The Mavericks and Huskies shot the same percentage in field goals at .400, and while MSU had the edge in 3-pointers at .304 to SCSU’s .167, St. Cloud beat out Mankato in rebounds, 45-31.

The Mavs finished the season with a 9-7 record, while St. Cloud went on to lose in the finals against the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

The selection show to find out if the team made it to the NCAA Division II tournament will take place on Sunday, March 7 at 10 p.m., in one final hope to continue their season.

Header photo courtesy of Maverick Athletics.