Herald Staff Writer
Minutes before tip-off, UND senior Brady Larson sensed his teammates weren't ready to play.
"In the locker room, we were real loose," Larson said. "We were joking around like we didn't even have a game. I didn't know if we'd be ready."
Larson, however, was ready. So were the rest of the Sioux.
In its best shooting display of the season, UND downed Minnesota State-Mankato 87-72 on Friday night at Hyslop Sports Center, taking another step closer toward the NCAA Division II postseason men's basketball tournament.
UND improved to 8-5 in the North Central Conference and 19-5 overall. The Sioux can reach the 20-win plateau tonight by beating St. Cloud State. However, 20 wins don't guarantee a postseason berth.
"It will be just another big game," UND coach Rich Glas said.
UND had one of its biggest games of the season against Mankato. The Sioux shot a season-high 61.7 percent and made their first nine three-pointers. UND's 10th three-point try by Hunter Reinke was off the mark, but Brandon Badding's offensive rebound and basket gave the Sioux a 48-33 halftime lead.
"We couldn't miss for a while," said Larson, who was 5-for-5 on three-pointers in the first half. "It was one of those games in which everyone was making their shots."
UND shot 66 percent in the first half. Besides Larson, Marcus Travis made his two three-point attempts as did Tom Jacobson. Jacobson, however, played a bigger role with his defense, holding Mankato scoring threat Blaine Joerger to just two points.
UND needed its 15-point halftime cushion because Mankato did get within five points (74-69) on Eric Siebrands' three-pointer with 3:31 to play. Travis, however, replied with a three-pointer from the left wing, UND's biggest basket of the night.
"We needed a basket at that point," said Travis, who led UND with 20 points. "I just took the opportunity that was there. I felt confident with that shot, because I've had pretty good luck from that spot."
Reinke followed with a basket on an inbounds play 38 seconds later. The Sioux, up 79-69, finally were out of danger.
"It's all about guys making plays at critical times of the game," said Larson, who finished with 19 points.
While Travis and Larson took care of the perimeter shooting, Chad Mustard (15 points) and Reinke (12) had success inside.
"If (the Sioux) shoot that well, they probably beat South Dakota," Mankato coach Dan McCarrell said, referring to the league-leading Coyotes. "They're so big and physical that when they shoot well from the perimeter, they're even tougher inside."
Siebrands led the Mavericks (7-7, 14-9) with 22 points, while Josh Ziemke (14), Dontae Johnson (13) and Nick Ellenberger (10) also were in double figures. Mankato, however, couldn't match UND's shooting, finishing at 35 percent.
About the only thing to stop UND's offense were three power surges that hit the arena. One of the surges caused the buzzer to sound a split second before Mustard scored on a fast-break basket. Play was stopped and Mustard's basket was not allowed.
Everything else was in UND's control.
"Right now, we decide what happens to us," Travis said.
| UND (87) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| Mustard | 7-11 | 1-3 | 15 |
| Travis | 5-8 | 5-7 | 20 |
| Behrens | 2-2 | 2-2 | 6 |
| Munlin | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Larson | 6-9 | 2-2 | 19 |
| Jacobson | 2-3 | 3-3 | 9 |
| Ristvedt | 0-1 | 3-3 | 3 |
| Badding | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Reinke | 5-10 | 2-3 | 12 |
| Totals | 29-47 | 17-22 | 87 |
| Minnesota State (72) | |||
| Ziemke | 4-13 | 6-8 | 14 |
| Siebrands | 7-13 | 4-4 | 22 |
| Elleberger | 3-10 | 4-6 | 10 |
| Carlson | 1-6 | 1-2 | 3 |
| Joerger | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Larson | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Staloch | 1-4 | 1-2 | 3 |
| Johnson | 5-12 | 1-1 | 13 |
| Beaudette | 1-3 | 0-0 | 3 |
| Totals | 24-69 | 17-23 | 72 |