BOX SCORE

MINOT, N.D. – William Giddings connected on a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift Southwest Minnesota State to a 75-72 victory over Minot State on Saturday night at the MSU Dome.

SMSU (16-10, 13-7 NSIC) was in complete control for much of the game – including leading by 19 points in the second half - only to see MISU (8-16, 4-16 NSIC) rally back and take the lead at 72-70 with just over a minute remaining in the game. Giddings then tied the game with two free throws with 43 seconds left before the SMSU defense forced a shot clock violation with 5.5 seconds remaining.

Giddings took the inbounds pass from midcourt and drove to the top of the key before stopping and connecting on the game-winning field goal.

The victory kept SMSU in sole possession of third place in the NSIC South Division standings and holding a two-game lead over three teams. SMSU is in fourth place in the NSIC overall standings.

Giddings finished the game with a team-high 20 points on 5 of 8 shooting, including a perfect 3 of 3 from 3-point range. Shaun Condon scored 14 points off the bench, while Mitch Weg added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

SMSU shot 52 percent (25 of 48) from the field, including 7 of 13 3-point attempts and connected on 18 of 20 from the free throw line. SMSU held a 30-20 rebound advantage and outscored MISU 11-4 in second chance points.

The Beavers were led by E.J. Williams' 26 points on 6 of 12 shooting with five 3-pointers. MISU closed the game shooting 47 percent (22 of 47) from the field, but shot 56 percent in the second half. MISU made 20 of 23 free throws.

MISU scored the game's first two points, but SMSU quickly took the lead and built a 12-5 lead five minutes into the game. SMSU held a nine-point cushion several times in the half before mounting a late 5-0 run to close the half and build a 42-29 halftime lead.

The Mustangs maintained the double-digit lead in the early stages of the second half, including 50-40 with 14:46 remaining, until SMSU reeled off nine straight points to push the lead to 59-40 at the 11-minute mark.

SMSU still held a comfortable 63-48 lead following a Condon field goal with 8:27 left, but MISU started its rally and outscored SMSU 24-7 over the next seven minutes, with Williams completing the comeback with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 70 with 2:11 remaining. Following a missed SMSU shot for the lead, Williams gave MISU the lead for the first time in the second half with two free throws with 1:06 left in the game.

On SMSU's next possession, Vinard Birch missed two field goals, but Giddings secured an offensive rebound on the second miss and was fouled. Giddings then tied the game with two free throws with 43 seconds remaining.

MISU called a timeout with 18 seconds remaining, but following the timeout SMSU forced MISU into a shot-clock violation turning the ball back to the Mustangs for the final shot.

Southwest Minnesota State concludes the regular season next weekend with two big home games at the R/A Facility. SMSU will take on Concordia-St. Paul on Friday starting at 6 p.m., before facing NSIC-leading Minnesota State on Saturday at 5 p.m.