MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State used a key 14-2 run midway through the second half to pull away and earn an 86-75 victory over St. Cloud State in NSIC men's basketball on Saturday afternoon inside the R/A Facility.
 
SMSU's Cliff Cofield, who was held to a pair of points in the first half, started the run with a 3-pointer to snap a 56-56 tie and finished the run with nine points. During the game deciding run, Cofield reached 1,000 career points, becoming the 27^th player in team history to reach the milestone.
 
Jake Phipps led the Mustangs with a season-high 24 points on 10 of 13 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Dunwa Omot poured in 20 points with three 3-pointers, while Aeron Stevens came off the bench to score 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Cofield finished the game chipping in with 15 points with five assists and three steals.
 
SMSU improves to 9-6 overall, 6-3 NSIC, and has now won five straight conference games. SCSU drops to 6-8 overall, 2-6 NSIC.
 
Lucas Morgan led the Huskies with 15 points with teammate Matt Willert adding 14 points.
 
SMSU shot 55 percent (31 of 56) from the field and made 6 of 17 from 3-point range. SCSU closed the game making 26 of 68 field goals (38 percent) with nine 3-pointers.
 
SCSU held a 39-37 rebound edge, which included 18 offensive rebounds. Mason Lund led the Mustangs with a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
SCSU held a 15-12 advantage seven minutes into the game before SMSU answered with a big run to hold the lead for the remainder of the half. Phipps started the run with a layup before Omot drilled a 3-pointer to put the Mustangs in the lead. Stevens would later follow with back-to-back field goals to close a 9-0 run and give the Mustangs a 21-15 lead midway through the half.
 
The lead would expand to 27-20 with 7:40 remaining after an Omot 3-pointer giving the Mustangs their largest lead of the half. SMSU would hold a seven-point lead three more times in the half including 38-31 at the break following a Mason Lund field goal with just over a minute left.
 
Stevens led the Mustangs in the opening half with 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting, while Omot scored 12 points.
 
SCSU started the second half strong with four points in the opening minute and eventually regained the lead at 46-44 with 16 minutes left in the game. SCSU would later build its largest lead of the game at 52-48 with 13 minutes remaining, before Kyle Luedtke converted a three-point play to spark an 8-2 run, capped by a Phipps three-pointer and layup to put the Mustangs back in front at 56-54.
 
SCSU would tie the score moments later before SMSU answered with the huge run to pull away and earn the victory.
 
SMSU returns to the road next weekend taking on No. 2 MSU Moorhead on Friday, Jan. 12, with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m.