ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The MoWest men's basketball team erased an 11-point second-half deficit to secure a 78-73 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Saturday afternoon inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. With the win, the Griffons improve to 3-0 on the season, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-2.
Gavin Hershberger led the Griffons with a team-high 18 points off the bench, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Cole Marsh added 12 points and six rebounds, while Trey McKowen finished with 11 points and three assists. Bode Goodman and Crew Gibson each contributed 10 points, with Gibson dishing out a team-high six assists.
Minnesota Duluth opened the contest with an early advantage before MoWest took a 14-11 lead with 14:34 remaining in the first half. The Bulldogs responded with an 11-2 run to build a 22-16 advantage midway through the period.
The Griffons battled back, tying the game at 24-24 before taking a 25-24 lead on a three-point play by Goodman. Both teams continued trading baskets down the stretch, with William Kiburis converting a three-point play in the final two minutes to help MoWest carry a 39-38 lead into halftime.
Minnesota Duluth came out strong to begin the second half, opening with a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon at 52-41 with 16:30 remaining.
MoWest responded with a 15-5 stretch, highlighted by three-pointers from Hershberger and Marsh, to trim the deficit to 57-56 with 12 minutes remaining.
After the Bulldogs extended their advantage to 62-56, the Griffons answered with a 12-0 run. Gibson connected on a three-pointer to give MoWest a 63-62 lead with 6:50 remaining before Hershberger added a fast-break layup and Drew Kingery knocked down another three to push the advantage to 68-62.
Gibson connected on another three-pointer with 4:31 remaining to extend the lead to 71-63. Minnesota Duluth continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 75-73 with 32 seconds remaining, but Goodman delivered a three-pointer with four seconds left to seal the 78-73 victory.
MoWest finished the afternoon shooting 42.0% (29-of-69) from the field, 36.4% (8-of-22) from beyond the arc and 85.7% (12-of-14) from the free-throw line. The Griffons also held a 34-12 advantage in bench points, recorded 16 assists and committed just six turnovers.
What's Next
The Griffons will travel to Maryville, Mo., for the MIAA/NSIC Challenge, hosted by Northwest Missouri State at Bearcat Arena. MoWest will face Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. before closing out the weekend against Mary on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m.
