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SMSU MEN’S BASKETBALL: Mustangs snap losing streak with 83-77 victory over Minot State

Photo by Sam Thiel SMSU’s Ryan Bruggeman brings the ball upcourt during their game against Minot State University on Friday.

MARSHALL – After a disappointing four-game start to the new year for the Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team, the Mustangs look to have gotten things back on track on Friday thanks to an 83-77 victory over the visiting Minot State University Beavers.

The win, according to SMSU coach Brad Bigler, was crucial in rebuilding the team’s confidence after their four-game losing skid and went on to identify the tempo-setting start by the seniors as a key component in the victory.

“I think we were at a point where we needed something like this,” said Bigler. “When you start losing some games sometimes that confidence piece comes into play. “I thought our seniors in that first five minutes really set the tone and did a great job of playing with energy and got us off to a great start.”

Two of the aforementioned seniors in Taylor Schafer and Ryan Bruggeman came out on fire to begin the game as the pair accounted for the team’s first 10 points. Guided by the red-hot start from the field, the Mustangs took an early 10-4 lead.

Following a slow start offensively, the Beavers climbed back from their largest deficit of the game at 16-6 with a 15-4 scoring run that gave them their first lead of the game at 21-20. Unable to respond with shots no longer falling, the Mustangs fell behind 36-28 and called a timeout to regroup.

In the huddle, Bigler implored his team to be smarter with their shot selections.

“A lot of it comes back to just our ability to take good shots,” said Bigler. “We kind of go stretches where we put a lot of pressure on ourselves with the shots that we take which are long, contested shots, which then turn into transition defense on the other end. (I) just reminded them to create easy shots for teammates and have each other’s back on the defensive end.”

Putting the coach’s advice to good use, the Mustangs came all the way back to cut the deficit to one heading into halftime with the Beavers up 40-39.

Out of the half, the two teams showed off their range with Minot State’s Cody Max opening up the scoring with a 3-point shot, only to be answered by Schafer with a long-range jumper of his own.

Over the course of the next 10 minutes of play, the Beavers had the Mustangs on the ropes with a key scoring run that gave them their largest lead of the game with the score 71-60, and SMSU in desperate need of an answer.

Guided by their go-to scorer in Bruggeman with 21 second half points, the Mustangs climbed all the way into the lead at 75-71 via a 15-0 scoring run. SMSU would not look back the rest of the way, outscoring Minot State 8-6 in the final minutes of play to win 83-77.

Reflecting on the special performance by Bruggeman, Bigler points to the senior’s ability to shift the outcome of games as one of the special attributes that makes him one of the best to ever don a Mustang jersey.

“I just think it’s something that we kind of take for granted,” said Bigler. “His ability to affect a game and to finish a game is what makes him one of the best players to ever play here as a Mustang.”

With the win, the Mustangs move to 9-8 overall and 4-7 in the NSIC. They will look to carry over the momentum from Friday night’s win into today’s matchup with UMary at 6 p.m.

For Bigler, the matchup will require his team to dig deep after leaving it all on the floor on Friday night.

“I think it’s going to be about what we have left in the tank,” said Bigler. “We used a lot of energy (Friday). We’re going to see how tough we are today when we come back-to-back nights, and we’re going to need a valiant effort to come out with a win.”

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