Saturday, January 30, 2010

MSU men take care of business

It wasn't pretty, but Minnesota State defeated Minnesota Duluth 79-65 in a Northern Sun men's basketball game at Bresnan Arena on Saturday. The Mavericks never seemed threatened but had a tough time pulling away from the methodical Bulldogs until the final 13 minutes.
Jefferson Mason again proved that he is the best athlete in the conference, and Travis Nelson, who didn't start because he was late to a team meeting Saturday, provided 23 points in the post.
The Mavericks have a two-game lead plus the tiebreaker over St. Cloud State in the conference with seven games to play so it looks like the conference tournament is destined for Bresnan Arena. However, the Mavericks' main goal is to get the No. 1 seed in the region and the right to host the region tournament.

Friday, January 29, 2010

MSU runs past Bemidji State

The Minnesota State men's basketball team put a 108-66 whipping on Bemidji State, hitting 11 3-pointers and a handful of dunks Friday. It should have been an easy victory, and it was. All 14 Mavericks scored at least two points.
The biggest news to come out of Bresnan Arena was Concordia-St. Paul's 82-79 victory over Augustana, which had just handed the Mavericks their only loss on Saturday. Now, with eight games to go in the regular season, Minnesota State has a two-game lead in the Northern Sun, and Augustana and St. Cloud State, who are tied for second, play each other at St. Cloud on Saturday.
The Mavericks have a game at St. Cloud State and a home game against Augustana remaining on the schedule so Minnesota State controls its fate in the conference race.

Mason gets another season

Minnesota State forward Jefferson Mason has been granted another season of eligibility with the men's basketball team. The 6-6 Mason is averaging 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds, with seven double-doubles this season. He joined the starting lineup eight games ago.
The appeal is based on his stepfather's health problems. Mason left Division I Northern Colorado after six games last season and transferred to Minnesota State at semester break to be closer to his Crystal home.
With Mason returning, the lineup for next season looks pretty solid. Guards Joe Drapcho and Taylor Morrow have had a lot of playing time, and point guard Marcus Hill will move into a starting role. Coach Matt Margenthaler doesn't have much experience at center so you might look for a transfer at that position, ala Travis Nelson and Atila Santos.