MARSHALL, Minn. – Strong defense and a lengthy scoring run propelled SMSU to a 72-53 victory over No. 24 Minot State on Friday night in NSIC men's college basketball inside the R/A Facility.
 
With the win, SMSU moves to 17-10 overall and ties Minot State in the NSIC standings for fourth place at 14-7 in NSIC play. MISU drops to 19-8 overall and 14-7 in the NSIC. The win for SMSU extends its winning streak to a season-high four straight games.
 
SMSU used a balanced attack between five different players on the offensive end. Dunwa Omot and Kyle Luedtke led the Mustangs with 13 points apiece, with Luedtke knocking down a team-high four 3-pointers. Jake Phipps chipped in 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists. Mason Lund and Aeron Stevens notched 11 points each in the win, with both pulling down four rebounds.

SMSU closed the night shooting 47 percent (24 of 51) from the field including 9 of 20 from 3-point range. 
 
MISU finished the game shooting 29 percent (16 of 56) shooting while making 7 of 23 from 3-point range.
 
Michael Jok led the MISU offense with 15 points on 4 of 8 shooting and went a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line.
 
The Beavers opened the game strong using a 3-pointer and layup to take the early lead at 5-1 with 18 minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the opening half. MISU continued to pour on the pressure by holding the Mustangs to 2 of 7 shooting for just over six minutes of play in tacking on 14 more points to lead 19-12 with 11:23 left in half one.
 
The next few scores went the way of the Mustangs, eventually giving SMSU the lead for the first time in the game at 8:13 in the first half off an Aeron Stevens 3-pointer. The Mustangs extended the run after the media timeout, using a 3-pointer from Kyle Luedtke to sustain momentum into the next media timeout. 
 
The Mustangs continued to hold the Beavers scoreless after the final media timeout of the first half and closed out the first 20 minutes up 32-19.
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SMSU picked up right where they left off in the early minutes of the second half using a 7-0 run that lasted just over two minutes to extend the lead to 20 points with just over 18 minutes remaining in the game. Minot State started building a comeback thanks to numerous fouls on the defensive end by SMSU. 

MISU pursued an 11-2 run for three minutes using two 3-pointers from Jalen Cook to cut the deficit to 43-32 with 13:40 remaining. The Mustangs strung together back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead back to 49-32 with just under 12 minutes left. SMSU controlled the later minutes of the second half using a balanced attack between four players to keep itself afloat. 
  
SMSU shot 46 percent in the second half with five 3-pointers, while MISU was limited to 33 percent shooting.
  
SMSU continues play at home tomorrow against MSU Moorhead with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The Mustangs have their eyes set on a first-round bye in the NSIC Tournament beginning on Feb 28.