MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State used a 14-0 run midway through the second half to pull away and earn an 83-60 victory over Minnesota Morris in non-conference men's college basketball on Monday night inside the R/A Facility.
 
SMSU, playing its first home game of the season, earned its fifth straight victory and is now 5-1 overall. UMM had now lost three in a row and is 3-5 on the season.
 
Cliff McCray led five Mustangs in double figure scoring tying a career-high with 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. Jake Phipps, Grant Kramer, Kenny Byers and Anthony Costello all finished with 12 points, while Sam Schwartz pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists.
 
SMSU held a 50-38 rebound advantage and outscored UMM, 17-3, on second chance points. The Mustangs closed the game shooting 45 percent (33 of 73) from the field, while making 7 of 22 from 3-point range. SMSU rebounded from a tough first half shooting to make 19 of 33 shots in the final 20 minutes.
 
UMM, which was led by Dillon Haider and Noah Kannegiesser, who both scored 12 points, finished the game shooting 35 percent (23 of 65) from the field, including 6 of 21 from 3-point range.
 
SMSU jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening four and a half minutes and never trailed in the half. SMSU would later hold a 12-11 advantage before Phipps scored on a layup and was followed a minute later by a 3-pointer by McCray to make the score 17-11 at the 10:40 mark.
 
The lead would build to eight points following a jumper from Phipps with 2:39 remaining before the Mustangs would eventually take a 35-29 lead into halftime. The Mustangs shot just 35 percent in the first half, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range.
 
SMSU, which never trailed in the game, pushed the lead to 51-41 at the 13:51 mark of the second half following a 3-pointer by McCray. UMM wouldn't go away and answered with a 9-2 run over the next 2-plus minutes to pull within 53-50.
 
SMSU would counter in a big way with Byers making two free throws and moments later was followed by a 3-pointer by Grant Kramer to start the string of 17 straight points. The lead would grow to 67-50 with seven minutes left before the Cougars ended the run on a Jaret Johnson 3-pointer.
 
SMSU and UMM, longtime conference rivals from 1969-2003, met for 80^th time tonight. SMSU has now won 19 straight games in the series since the 1997-98 season.
 
Southwest Minnesota State returns to conference play on Thursday night with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off at Wayne State College.