BOX SCORE

MARSHALL, Minn. – No. 21 Minnesota State, Mankato rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final 1:46 to steal an 85-84 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Friday night.

Jarvis Williams scored a season-high 27 points with nine rebounds to lead MSU (7-1, 3-1 NSIC).  Williams was 7 of 15 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line. 

MSU finished the game making 27 of 39 free throws and held a 23-10 advantage in second chance points.  SMSU (5-6, 2-2 NSIC) was just 11 of 16 from the free throw line.

Jordan Miller scored a season-high 25 points for the Mustangs with three assists and three steals.  Nick Smith added a season-high 20 points with seven rebounds.

SMSU held its largest lead of the night at 61-48 with 9:53 remaining and still maintained an 81-73 lead with 1:46 left, before MSU rallied with 12 straight points to pull off the stunning victory.

The Mavericks were held to just seven points and two field goals in the first nine and half minutes of the second half, but closed the game scoring 36 points in the final 9:08.

MSU took the lead for good with 27 seconds remaining on a pair of Gage Wooten free throws to make the score 82-81.  On SMSU's next possession, Matt Zager missed a reverse layup with MSU coming down with the rebound with nine seconds left. 

Following two more MSU free throws to make the score 84-81, SMSU's Vinard Birch was fouled with six second remaining, but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and MSU grabbed the rebound to seal the win. 

SMSU started the game strong, jumping to an early 14-6 lead following a 3-pointer by Jordan Miller with 15:25 remaining and forcing an MSU timeout.

MSU slowly cut into the lead and tied the score at 22 with 8:09 remaining, before finally taking its first lead of the half with 6:45 left after a 3-pointer by Jaymeson Moten to make the score 27-26.

SMSU answered with an 8-2 run, capped by a jumper from Matt Zager, to take a 34-29 lead at the 3:53 mark, but MSU countered in the final minutes to regain the lead and take a 41-38 halftime lead.

MSU connected on five 3-pointers in the opening half and made 12 of 15 free throws.  SMSU made just one 3-pointer in the half and was 3 of 6 from the free throw line.

SMSU finished the game shooting 52 percent (35 of 68) from the field, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range.

Tramel Barnes grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while adding eight points and four assists, while Lavione West and Zager each added eight points.

Southwest Minnesota State concludes play in the month of December tomorrow night hosting Concordia-St. Paul with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.