CROOKSTON, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team dropped its second consecutive road game, falling 71-63 to Minnesota Crookston on Saturday afternoon inside Lysaker Gymnasium.
After leading 56-43 with 13:40 to play, the Mustangs would shoot just 2 of 19 from the field, 1 of 11 from three, and 2 of 7 from the free throw line, getting outscored 28-7 to close the game.
Transition attack elevated the Golden Eagles, as UMC outscored SMSU 8-0 on fast break points in the second half, while the Mustangs went away from the paint, scoring just 6 points inside in the second half after scoring 26 first half points in the paint.
The win was just the second on the season for UMC, moving them to 2-20 overall and 1-15 in NSIC play, while the loss brings SMSU to 13-8 overall, 9-7 NSIC.
The Mustangs shot 42.4 percent (25 of 59) from the field and 7 of 24 from three, while the Golden Eagles shot 45.3 percent (24 of 53) from the field and 8 of 26 from three.
Dunwa Omot led SMSU with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Jake Phipps and
Anthony Costello added 12 points, while
Cliff McCray scored 11 points and
Majok Majouk scored 10 points. McCray added six rebounds and three assists, while Majouk pulled down five rebounds.
Chandler Meeks had a career day for UMC, scoring 27 points on 9 of 15 shooting to drive the Golden Eagles to victory.
The Mustangs took control early, opening on a 12-4 run before taking a 10-point lead at 19-9. They wouldn't lead by less than six the rest of the first half, pushing it to as many as 13 with a 34-21 lead at the 6:36 mark.
After an Omot three pointer with 1:36 put the Mustangs ahead 44-34, UMC closed the first half with a layup to trail 44-36 into the locker room.
The Golden Eagles remained stingy in the second half, scoring first to trail 44-38, and although they would again go down by 13 at 51-38, wouldn't allow the Mustangs to put them away.
With 13:40 left in the game, Phipps made a hook shot to give SMSU a 56-43 lead. That would be the final moment of control for the Mustangs, as the UMC run to close the game put the finishing touches on their first conference win.
The Mustangs return to action on Friday, Feb. 3, on the road against Minnesota State at 5:30 p.m.
