Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team opened its 2021-22 season shooting just 32 percent and Rogers State (Okla.) used a key 10-0 run midway through the second half to earn a 63-54 victory on Friday afternoon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Roseville Minneapolis Classic hosted by Concordia-St. Paul.
 
Rogers State, members of the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA), shot 57 percent from the field in the second half and made seven 3-pointers in the victory. Devin Pullum led the Hillcats with 14 points.
 
SMSU had three players reach double figures in scoring Cliff McCray leading the charge with 14 points. He also had six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Jake Phipps scored 12 points, while Anthony Costello added 11 points for the Mustangs. Kenny Byers, playing his first game after sitting out last season, scored nine points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Both teams opened the game struggling shooting with SMSU holding a 4-0 lead five minutes into the game. RSU connected on its first field goal of the game at the 12:52 mark which came during a 9-0 run as the Hillcats built a 9-4 advantage near the midway mark of the first half.
 
SMSU trailed 15-8 with 6:49 left in the half, but a jumper from Grant Kramer started a 10-3 run for the Mustangs which was capped by a Byers jumper to tie the game at 18 with 2:47 left in the half.
 
The Hillcats answered with six straight points to build a 24-19 lead at halftime.
 
SMSU shot 24 percent (8 of 33) from the field, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
 
Byers would open the second half with a field goal, while McCray connected on a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 28-24 with 18 minutes left in the game, but RSU once again had an answer and scored six straight points to build a 10-point lead with 15 minutes on the clock.
 
SMSU would later cut the RSU advantage to 41-37 midway through the half following a layup by McCray, but the Hillcats used the decisive 10-0 run over a three-and-a-half minute stretch to build a 51-37 lead with 6:30 remaining.
 
The Mustangs wouldn't go away and answered with eight straight points capped off by a Byers layup with four minutes left to make the score 51-45. The Hillcats however countered with their own run and was able to hold off the Mustangs to secure the victory.
 
Southwest Minnesota State continues play in the classic on Saturday with a 12 p.m. tip-off versus Newman University (Kan.).