MANKATO - Jefferson Mason had 26 points and 17 rebounds, fellow senior Marcus Hill recorded 13 assists and the Minnesota State Mankato men's basketball team won the NCAA Central Regional Final, beating Fort Lewis College 81-63 on Tuesday night.
Cameron Hodges added 23 points for the Mavericks (27-4), the region's top seed and host school, who advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II tournament, where they face Alabama Huntsville next Wednesday in Springfield, Mass.
"I couldn't be more happy for this team," Mavericks coach Matt Margenthaler said.
Mason claimed tournament MVP honors after recording his ninth double-double of the season.
Minnesota State led 2-0 before a single second ticked off the clock. An administrative technical foul on No. 2 seed Fort Lewis (24-8) sent Hill to the foul line prior to tip-off; he made both tries.
With the teams tied 25-25, a dunk by Mason started a Mavericks run that helped them take a 44-34 lead into halftime, the final points of the half coming when freshman Connor O'Brien tipped in a missed layup by Hill at the buzzer. Minnesota State maintained a 10-plus point lead throughout the second half.
• Hill, Mason and Margenthaler were honored by the National Basketball Coaches Association as members of the All-Central District squad. Hill and Mason were named first-team all-district; Margenthaler was named Coach of the Year in the Central District.
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