Photo by Sam Thiel SMSU’s Turner Moen goes up for the layup during the Mustangs’ game against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Friday night.

MARSHALL – The Southwest Minnesota State men’s basketball team used a 50-point second half to take control of the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as the Mustangs earned a 94-76 victory Friday night.

The Bulldogs took control in the first half to start, going up 5-0 before extending their lead to 13-4. SMSU answered with a 6-0 run of its own to cut it to 13-10, a margin that remained for the next few possessions.

Both teams traded scores until UMD scored five consecutive points to take a 26-21 lead. The Mustangs once again answered with a run, going on a 9-0 spurt to reclaim the lead at 30-26.

SMSU later extended its lead to 39-33 late in the half before the Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to one, 39-38. The Mustangs ended the half on a 5-0 run of their own to take a 44-38 advantage heading into the locker rooms.

The second half started much like the first, with UMD coming out of the gate fast. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to one, but a pair of 3-pointers from SMSU put the Mustangs in front 53-46 with 17 minutes left.

The Mustangs later extended their lead to 16 before reaching the 20-point advantage margin, a margin they maintained throughout the rest of the game before claiming the 18-point victory.

SMSU coach Brad Bigler said he was pleased with the offensive effort in the second half after a poor start shooting.

“I think when we were able to get some tempo, we got some good runs in there. We shared the basketball well tonight with 21 assists; that’s what we need to do,” said Bigler. “In the first half we weren’t sharing the basketball well and tried to take some tough shots.”

Joey Bartlett led the way for the Mustangs with a season-high 26 points while Taylor Schafer and Carter Kirk each had 16 points. Kirk also led the defensive effort with six blocks, tying a school record.

Bartlett said the defensive intensity picked up in the second half, allowing SMSU to pull away.

“Defensively, our communication was a lot better in the second half,” said Bartlett. “We really sat down and guarded but we gave up a lot of threes. Carter did a great job of protecting the rim and altering those shots late.”

Bigler said their biggest takeaways came in the first half, but they corrected them in the second half.

“There were a lot of takeaways from that first half. We really allowed some of those missed shots affect us and our body language wasn’t great in the first half,” said Bigler. “We changed those little things and our vibe in the second half, and we played with a lot more energy.”

SMSU (8-1, 3-1 NSIC) will face St. Cloud State today at 7 p.m.

UMD     38   38  –   76

SMSU   44   50  –   94

SMSU: Bartlett, Joey 7-12 7-8 26; Kirk, Carter 6-9 4-4 16; Schafer, Taylor 6-14 0-0 16; Lee, Michael 3-5 3-4 10; Davis, KJ 3-10 1-1 8; Moen, Turner 1-2 3-4

6; Osmundson, Drew 2-2 0-0 5; Weg, Mitch 1-4 2-2 4; Bruggeman, Ryan 1-6 1-1

3. Totals 30-64 21-24 94.

3-point goals: SMSU 13-23 (Bartlett, Joey 5-8; Schafer, Taylor 4-7; Lee, Michael 1-3; Davis, KJ 1-1; Moen, Turner 1-1; Osmundson, Drew 1-1; Bruggeman, Ryan 0-2).

Rebounds: SMSU 21 (Bruggeman, Ryan 8).

Assists: SMSU 21 (Bruggeman 8; Moen 7; Davis 3; Osmundson 2; Lee 1).

Blocks: SMSU 8 (Kirk 6; Bartlett, Osmundson 1).

Steals: SMSU 10 (Lee 3; Davis 2; Five with 1).

Total fouls: UMD 15; SMSU 13.

Turnovers: UMD 14; SMSU 8.