MARYVILLE, MO. – Charlie Brown scored all 23 of his points in the second half, and the Minnesota State Mankato men's basketball team beat top-seeded Northwest Missouri State 60-50 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional on Saturday.
It was a big day for the Mavericks' conference. All four NSIC teams in Maryville won, with the eighth-seeded Mavericks (23-9) knocking off the 2017 NCAA champion Bearcats (27-4) on their home floor.
Minnesota State plays Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday, after St. Cloud State faces Northern State in the other semifinal.
Up 22-21 at halftime, Minnesota State shot 13-for-20 in the second half, compared to 10-for-30 for Northwest Missouri State. Brown shot 8-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the foul line in the half.
Chanhassen's Joey Witthus, a transfer from Minnesota State, scored 19 points for the Bearcats.
Southwest Minnesota State 81, Missouri Southern State 77: Ryan Bruggeman scored 22 points and the fourth-seeded Mustangs (25-8) built a big early lead before holding on vs. the Lions (20-10).
The Mustangs led 31-10, and the Lions never made it a one-possession game until C.J. Carr's three-pointer with 19 seconds left made it 79-77. A turnover gave them the ball back, but Carr, who finished with 31 points, missed a three with 10 seconds left.
St. Cloud State 81, Southern Nazarene 68: Gage Davis scored 27 points and the sixth-seeded Huskies (24-8) beat the third-seeded Crimson Storm (27-3).
