BOX SCORE

MARSHALL, Minn. - Vinard Birch scored a game-high 18 points and dished out six assists to lead Southwest Minnesota State to a 72-50 victory over Northwest Missouri State on Sunday at the SMSU Classic in Marshall.

SMSU improves to 1-1 on the season, while NWMSU drops to 1-1.

Nick Smith added 13 points with eight rebounds and five blocked shots, while William Giddings chipped in with 14 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the Mustangs to their first victory of the season.

SMSU shot a blistering 61 percent (30 of 49) from the field and held a 34-19 rebound advantage. NWMSU, which shot just 34 percent from the field (16 of 47), was led by Bryston Williams, who scored a team-high 14 points.

The Bearcats built an early 15-10 lead in the game's opening eight minutes, but SMSU rallied with an 8-0 run capped by a William Giddings layup to take an 18-15 lead with 7:48 remaining.

Northwest regained the lead at 21-20 following a 3-pointer by Connor Croker, but again Southwest had an answer with a Joey Bartlett 3-pointer, followed by a Giddings three-point play, a layup by Giddings and a dunk by Nick Smith to give SMSU a 30-21 lead at the 2:18 mark. Vinard Birch closed the half with a pair of free throws to give the Mustangs a 33-23 halftime advantage.

SMSU shot 52 percent in the first half and held a 17-9 rebound advantage. NWMSU committed 10 first half turnovers, while SMSU committed nine turnovers.

NWMSU cut the SMSU lead to 38-30 with 14:33 left in the game, but an 8-0 run by the Mustangs built the lead to 44-30 and the margin never dipped below double digits the remainder of the contest.

Shaun Condon added seven points and four assists off the bench for SMSU, while Joey Bartlett poured in eight points connecting on a pair of 3-pointers.

Southwest Minnesota State will now have eight days off before returning to action on Monday, Nov. 18, with a non-conference game at Division I South Dakota State starting at 7 p.m.