Box Score
MARSHALL, MINN.: Southwest Minnesota State shot a blistering 63 percent in the second half to rally from an eight-point halftime deficit to earn a key 84-74 Northern Sun Conference victory over Wayne State on Saturday night in Marshall.
SMSU, ranked 10th in the latest NCAA regional rankings, trailed by 15 points in the first half as the Wildcats connected on 16 of 27 shots in the opening half including nine three-pointers.
The victory moves SMSU into sole possession of third place in the conference at 10-6 and is now 15-10 overall. WSC falls to fourth place at 9-7 and is 14-11 on the season.
SMSU scored the game's first two points before WSC answered with an 11-2 run to take an 11-4 lead with 16:30 left in the opening half. Wayne State would continue to build the lead taking its largest advantage at 28-13 with 9:49 remaining in the opening half. SMSU would cut into the lead late in the first half trimming the Wildcat lead to 41-35 with 52 seconds left before WSC's David Walters drained a field goal with 28 seconds left to give WSC a 43-35 halftime lead.
Wayne State scored the first points of the second half before Southwest Minnesota State was able to cut into the lead with solid shooting and eventually tied the game at 52-52 on a three-pointer by Matt Fletcher with 15:31 left in the game. WSC would regain the lead one minute later before a Fletcher jumper with 12:46 remaining tied the game once again at 54-54. Travis Krenske would then give SMSU its first lead of the second half drilling a three-pointer with 12:36 remaining in the contest.
On “Senior Night” at the R/A Facility it was SMSU's two starting seniors that sparked the victory in the final 10 minutes. With the score tied at 59-59 with 10:23 on the clock, Krenske hit a jumper to give SMSU the lead and Fletcher followed 24 seconds later with two free throws to push the lead to 63-59. Fletcher then capped the key run with another three-pointer to give SMSU a 66-59 lead with 9:10 left in the game.
SMSU would hold a pair of nine-point leads in the next two minutes before WSC answered with its own run to pull within 72-70 at the 3:52 mark. SMSU still held a two-point lead with just under three minutes left before Ryan Krome hit a jumper in the lane to spark a game deciding 7-0 run to put the game away. Following a missed three-pointer by Wayne State, Fletcher hit one of the biggest shots of the game as he drilled his final three-pointer of the night with 1:48 remaining in the game to extend the lead to 79-72.
Fletcher finished the evening with 19 points and six rebounds while connecting on a team-high five three-pointers. Krenske scored a game-high 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting. It was Krenske's third 20-plus point scoring game of the season. The game also marked the first time Fletcher and Krenske, SMSU's top two scorers, had scored in double figures in the same game since Jan. 5 at Upper Iowa, a span of 10 games.
Taylor Huseby added a career-high 10 points off the bench on 5 of 6 shooting while also grabbing five rebounds. Krome rounded out the double figure scoring for SMSU with 10 points.
SMSU finished the game shooting 53.4 percent from the field (31 of 58) including 11 of 21 from three-point range (52.4). The Mustangs earned the victory despite making just 11 of 23 free throw attempts for a season-low 47.8 percent.
Bryce Caldwell led Wayne State with 20 points.
SMSU will conclude the regular season next weekend with a pair of road games at Concordia and MSU Moorhead. SMSU needs one victory to secure a home game in the upcoming NSIC tournament starting on Mar. 1.
