Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team closed its exhibition season on Thursday night with a 74-66 victory over Division III St. Olaf College at Bob Gelle Court at Skoglund Center.
 
SMSU, which lost at the University of Minnesota on Monday night, opens the 2019-20 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 9, taking on the University of Central Missouri at the two-day Central Region Tip-off Classic in Warrensburg, Mo. The Mustangs will also face Arkansas-Monticello on Sunday, Nov. 10.
 
On Thursday night, Kenny Byers led all scorers with a game-high 16 points on 5 of 11 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. He also grabbed six rebounds and was a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line.
 
Grant Kramer had a solid game for the Mustangs as he scored 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting, including 3 for 3 from 3-point range. Braedan Hanson also reached double figure scoring for SMSU with 10 points with a pair of 3-pointer, while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists.
 
The Mustangs used a balanced scoring in the victory as Nick Dufault and Cliff McCray each scored nine points, Jake Phipps added eight points, while Weston Baker Magrath chipped in with seven points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
 
SMSU finished the game shooting 52 percent (26 of 50) from the field, including 9 of 16 from 3-point range.
 
St. Olaf closed the game shooting 39 percent (27 of 69), while making 10 of 25 from 3-point land. Noah Beck led the Oles with 14 points with teammate Dom Bledsoe adding 13 points.
 
SMSU held a 36-35 rebound advantage, but St. Olaf grabbed 15 offensive rebounds leading to 11 second chance points.
 
SMSU, which led for nearly 34 minutes in the game, used a pair of Phipps lay-ups to build a 28-23 advantage with 3:43 remaining in the opening half. Hanson would later hit a 3-pointer and Byers scored on a layup to give the Mustangs a 33-27 lead late in the half, but the Oles mounted a quick 6-0 run in the final 40 seconds to tie the game at 33-33 into the halftime break.
 
St. Olaf regained the lead at 40-39 five minutes into the second half, but a Dufault jumper, followed by lay-ups by McCray and Baker Magrath put SMSU back in the lead at 45-40 with just under 13 minutes remaining.
 
The Mustangs wouldn't trail again and eventually built a 57-47 lead at the seven-minute mark following a pair of 3-pointers by Kramer and two more 3-pointers from Dufault.
 
McCray would give SMSU its largest lead of the game at 64-52 with 4:25 left, but the Oles wouldn't go away and cut the deficit to 69-64 in the final minute. SMSU would answer and seal the victory connecting on five free throws in the final 40 seconds.