Mustangs too much for Beavers in NSIC Quarterfinals

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (SMSU) – The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team played with tenacious defense and near-flawless offense in the second half to secure a confident 85-68 win over the No. 4 seed Minot State in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament on Sunday afternoon inside the Sanford Pentagon, in Sioux Falls, S.D.

SMSU moves to 19-11 overall and advances to the NSIC semifinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season, while MISU drops to 20-9 overall. Both the Mustangs (No. 7) and Beavers (No. 6) are ranked in the NCAA Central Region and await the NCAA Selection Show on March 10, at 11 p.m. Eastern.

Dunwa Omot and Jake Phipps led the Mustangs with 20 points apiece. Phipps went 9 of 12 from the field and collected four rebounds and two blocks on defense. Omot drained a team-high four 3-pointers and snatched four steals. Cliff Cofield totaled 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting, grabbed a team-high five rebounds, and dished out five assists. Kyle Luedtke chipped in 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting including two 3-pointers.

Connor Hollenbeck led Minot State in the loss scoring 16 points on 5 of 12 shooting with seven rebounds and two assists.

SMSU kicked off the first half of play on a hot defensive streak, forcing four turnovers in the first five minutes of play. The Mustangs pursued an 11-2 run that utilized four different scorers leading into the first media timeout. Following the media, the Beavers got going with a layup in the lane from Dylan Gichaba, followed by a 3-pointer and mid-range jump shot by Ben Bohl to cut the lead to 15-9 midway through the first half.

Bohl again hit back-to-back 3-pointers to keep the margin within six points and spark a 16-10 run that lasted nearly five minutes to push the score to 30-25, SMSU. The Beavers applied pressure in the final minutes of the first half, making four of eight shots while limiting the Mustangs to two of four shooting to close the gap to 37-35 going into the final 20 minutes.

Dunwa Omot caught fire in the second half, making three 3-pointers and a layup to total 11 points in the first five minutes of the frame. Both teams traded points in the first five minutes of the second half before Aeron Stevens was sent to the foul line and the first media timeout was taken. After the media timeout, the Mustangs kicked it into second gear, holding MISU to one bucket in the next five minutes in building an 11-point lead with 10:56 left in the game.

The Mustangs would not back down going into the final stretch, as they garnered an 11-6 run backed by scores from Jakob Braaten and Jake Phipps to stretch the lead back 73-59, forcing a Minot State timeout with just over six minutes to play. SMSU held MISU scoreless for six of the final ten minutes of the second half. A layup by Jake Phipps at 1:13 was eventually the dagger.

The Mustangs shot 59 percent from the field (34 of 58), including 9 of 18 from beyond the arc. Minot State shot 45 percent from the field (25 of 56) with eight makes from deep.

MISU won the battle on the glass 35-26, but the Mustangs forced the Beavers into 14 turnovers generating 22 points of offense for SMSU.

UP NEXT

SMSU continues its journey in the NSIC Tournament, facing off with the No. 1 seed Minnesota State (27-2) in the semifinals tomorrow, March 4, with tip-off scheduled for 11 a.m., inside the Sanford Pentagon.

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