KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Western outscored Minnesota State 40-36 in the second half on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to overcome a dismal first-half shooting performance by the Griffons, as they dropped a 77-64 result to the Mavericks. JaQuaylon Mays led all scorers with 27 points, but Missouri Western mustered just a 33.3-percent pace (19-57) from the floor and 15.8 percent from distance.

The Griffons found themselves in a big hole after hitting just eight field goals in 28 attempts, trailing 41-27 at halftime. Missouri Western finally found its range in the second half, shooting 11-of-28, but despite outscoring the Mavericks 40-36, the Griffons weren't able to recover from the 14-point deficit.

Missouri Western takes on Henderson State at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, closing out the Central Region Challenge with a game against Henderson State.