MANKATO, Minn.--It was an all too familiar story for the Sioux men's basketball team tonight against Minnesota State at Bresnan Arena.
Last season in the North Central Conference opener, UND let a 13-point second-half lead slip away in a 71-65 loss to the Mavericks.
Tonight, UND led by as many as 16 points but still came out on the wrong end of a 71-66 score in front of 2,135 fans.
The Sioux had controlled the entire first half, racing out to an 11-3 lead and building a 35-21 halftime cushion. For the stunned Mavericks, it was their lowest first-half point total ever under seventh-year head coach Matt Margenthaler.
A balanced UND scoring attack hit 13 of 20 first-half field goals. Meanwhile, the Mavericks shot 27.6 percent in the first half, including just 4-of-14 three pointers, only two nights after shooting a school-record 78.6 percent from behind the arc.
And when UND freshman Derek Benter (Crosby, N.D.) knocked down a bucket in the paint 18 seconds into the second half, the Sioux found themselves in control with a 37-21 lead, their biggest margin of the night.
But that's when Minnesota State center Atila Santos took over.
After being held off the scoresheet in the first half, the Mavericks' scoring leader awoke to score 18 second-half points, going 7-for-10 from the floor.
With MSU trailing 58-56 with four minutes remaining, Santos scored the Mavericks' next eight points in a two-minute stretch, the final two coming on a pair of free throws that gave MSU a 62-60 lead, their first lead since scoring the first basket of the game.
UND center Tyler Koenig (Sr., Fargo, N.D.) tied the game with a pair of free throws 26 seconds later, but MSU's Jake Morrow quickly put the Mavericks back on top with two of his 15 points, then after a failed UND possession, Santos found himself all alone under the Sioux basket and provided the decisive blow, powering down a thunderous, two-handed slam that gave MSU a 66-62 lead with one minute remaining.
Santos' big second half overshadowed an inspired performance by Sioux senior forward Emmanuel Little (Chicago, Ill.). Two nights after a forgettable seven-point, nine-turnover performance at St. Cloud State, Little responded with a memorable 23-point, 12 rebound outing, scoring 10 straight UND points at one point in the second half.
UND also received a nice performance from senior forward Jimmy Hoy (West Fargo, N.D.), who scored a season-high 13 points.
Sophomore guard Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.) came off the bench to score 12 points for the second time in three games.
The Sioux again struggled in the assist/turnover ratio, committing 15 turnovers against just six assists. UND did shoot 54.6 percent from the field and outrebound the Mavericks by a 29-26 count.
UND, now 10-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play, will look to snap a three-game losing skid on Saturday when the Sioux host South Dakota at 4 p.m. That game will be televised on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network.
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