Box Score

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – KJ Davis poured in a team-high 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting with three 3-pointers to lead Southwest Minnesota State to a 77-74 victory over Emporia State (Kan.) at the NSIC/MIAA Challenge held at the Stewart Center on the campus of the University of Sioux Falls on Sunday afternoon.
 
SMSU improves to 2-0 for the second time in three seasons and the third time since 2009-10.
 
Joey Bartlett and Mitch Weg each scored 12 points for the Mustangs, while Carter Kirk also reached double figures with 11 points. Bartlett reached a major milestone during the second half becoming the 20^th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.
 
SMSU finished the game shooting 48 percent (25 of 52) from the field, including 6 of 14 from 3-point range. SMSU held onto the victory despite committing 16 turnovers in the game and making just 9 of 18 free throws in the second half.  
 
ESU (1-1), which defeated Sioux Falls on Saturday night, shot 51 percent (29 of 57) from the field, but was just 1 of 10 from 3-point range. The Hornets held a 33-30 rebound advantage.
 
SMSU held a 69-57 lead with less than six minutes left in the game, but ESU (1-1) rallied to tie the game at 70-70 with two minutes remaining. Weg hit one of two free throws to give SMSU the lead back with 1:42 remaining. Following a missed field goal by ESU, Weg answered with a huge basket to push the lead to 73-70 with 1:06 left in the game. After another ESU missed jumper, Ryan Bruggeman pushed the Mustang lead to 75-70 with a pair of free throws with 20 seconds on the clock.
 
ESU would later cut the deficit to 77-74 with four seconds left and after two missed free throws by SMSU, the Hornets' Brandon Hall had one last chance to tie the game, but his desperation 3-pointer was off the mark sealing the Mustang victory.
 
ESU held a seven-point lead in the opening six minutes, before SMSU slowly cut into the lead. Davis gave SMSU its first lead of the game at 25-24 with a jumper at the 6:54 mark. The Mustangs would later build a its largest lead of the half at 37-28 following a field goal by Taylor Schafer with 3:19 remaining, before settling for a 39-36 halftime advantage.
 
ESU opened the second half with a field goal, but SMSU answered with a 10-0 run capped by a Bartlett basket to push the lead to 49-38.
 
SMSU held a 12-point lead on five different occasions later in the half, with the last coming at the 5:30 mark following a Schafer 3-pointer. ESU countered with a 13-1 run over the next three and a half minutes, taking advantage of three SMSU missed shots and a pair of turnovers, to tie the game with two minutes remaining.
 
Bruggeman dished out a game-high six assists and chipped in with eight points, while Schafer finished with nine points.
 
Southwest Minnesota State continues non-conference play on Tuesday night with a road game versus Northern State (1-1) at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, S.D., starting at 8 p.m.