Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State scored a season-low 46 points and shot a season-low 27 percent in suffering a 53-46 loss to Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball on Saturday night inside the R/A Facility.
 
SMSU, which dropped its second straight game to fall to 5-11 overall, 2-8 NSIC, previously shot a season-low 31 percent, also versus Minnesota State on Dec. 6. It was also the first time SMSU shot less than 30 percent in a game since Feb. 26, 2011, in Marshall versus Minnesota State.
 
MSU, which lost at Sioux Falls on Friday night, improves to 8-8 overall, 6-4 NSIC. The Mavericks were led by Cameron Kirskey, who scored a team-high 15 points with five rebounds.
 
SMSU's Kenny Byers scored a game-high 23 points on 8 of 18 shooting for his seventh straight 20-point game. Cliff McCray added nine points and five steals for the Mustangs, while Brian Dayman pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds.
 
The Mustangs made just 15 of 55 field goals, including 2 of 12 from 3-point range. SMSU shot just 24 percent in the second on 6 of 25 shooting.
 
MSU held the lead for much of the first half, including holding an 18-12 advantage with 6:15 remaining. Byers started an 8-2 run for the Mustangs with a three-point play and a jumper and was capped off by a McCray 3-poitner to tie the score at 20 at the 4:12 mark.
 
SMSU then went ice-cold for the remainder of the half as MSU scored eight straight points to take its largest lead of the half at 28-20, before Byers ended the run with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 28-23 at halftime.
 
SMSU shot just 30 percent in the first half with a pair of 3-pointers. MSU ended the first half shooting 39 percent and held a 21-15 edge. The Mustangs forced nine first half turnover which led to an 11-2 scoring edge in points off of turnovers.
 
SMSU trimmed the deficit to 33-32 following a three-point play with 16:41 left in the second half, but MSU scored seven straight points to push the lead to 40-32.
 
The Mavericks would later extend the margin to 44-34, but the Mustangs continued to fight back and later made the score 44-41 at the 4:19 mark after a pair of McCray free throws.
 
Byers would hit a jumper to cut the MSU advantage to 47-44 with 2:12 on the clock and would later have two chances to cut the lead to one point, but the Mustangs missed a pair of field goals. Kirksey then made the big play of the game scoring on a jumper with 1:31 remaining to push the lead to 49-44 and the lead never dipped below five points the remainder of the game.
 
Southwest Minnesota State returns action play next Friday, Jan. 17, taking on Minot State in Minot, N.D., at 7:30 p.m.