Box Score

MINOT, N.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team jumped out to a big first half advantage, before having to rally in the final minutes of the game, to pick up a big 67-65 road victory over Minot State on Sunday afternoon at the MSU Dome.
 
The victory gave SMSU a split of its season-opening non-conference road trip to Minot. MISU rallied in the final minute on Saturday night to earn a 66-61 victory.
 
Jake Phipps scored a game-high 18 points (tying a career-high) on 8 of 11 shooting to pace the Mustangs, while he also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Nick Dufault, who hit a pair of free throws to win the game, added 17 points with three 3-pointers and was a perfect 6 for 6 from the foul line.
 
Dufault hit a pair of free throws with 36 seconds remaining to snap a 65-all tie and give the Mustangs the lead. MISU missed a 3-pointer on its next possession and Phipps came down with the rebound with 9.1 seconds remaining. Phipps missed both free throws, setting up the Beavers for a chance to tie or win the game. MISU's Max Cody drove in the lane in the final seconds, but solid defense by SMSU's Cliff McCray forced an errant shot and SMSU secured the victory.
 
It was all SMSU for most of the opening half as the Mustangs scored the game's first six points and eventually built a 32-13 lead with just under seven minutes left in the half. SMSU would hold a 38-20 lead following a Sam Schwartz jumper at the 3:36 mark, but SMSU would see MISU rally with nine straight points to close the half and cut the deficit to 38-29 at halftime.
 
SMSU shot 59 percent in the first 20 minutes with five 3-pointers and held MISU to just 33 percent and one 3-pointer.
 
SMSU put together a solid opening three minutes to start the second half with Dufault drilling a 3-pointer to extend the Mustang advantage to 46-33 at the 17-minute mark. The offensive struggles would then take over for the Mustangs as the Beavers rallied with a 17-4 run over the next eight minutes to tie the game at 50 with nine minutes left in the contest.
 
The clubs would exchange the lead several times over the next few minutes before MISU would take a 59-56 cushion with five minutes on the clock. SMSU true freshman Issac Soumis countered with a field goal to cut the deficit to one point, before teammate Kaden Evans put SMSU back in front at 60-59 with a jumper at the 3:33 mark.
 
MISU would go back in front at 64-63 with 2:22, but on the ensuing SMSU possession, Dufault was fouled and the senior made both free throws to put the Mustangs back in the lead.
 
MISU would tie the game moments later with a free throw and the game would stay tied until Dufault was fouled in the final minute and hit the clutch free throws to win the game.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will now return home to face Winona State in its NSIC South Division opener on Friday, Jan. 8, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.