SAN ANTONIO -- Midwestern State pulled more second half magic in its sixth straight road game Thursday night at McDermott Center.
 
The Mustangs overcame a 16-point first half deficit to claim a 74-69 win over Incarnate Word in the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams.
 
"What a tough road victory for us in our first conference game," MSU coach Nelson Haggerty said. "Those guys came out on fire in the first half. They made 3s and layups and their offense was moving."
 
Lyn'Dale Brown fired in 17 of his game-high 23 points in the opening half to help the Cardinals out to a 43-27 lead after he connected on a pair of free throws 1:20 before halftime.
 
But the Mustangs turned up the heat and crashed the boards to make a turnaround in the second half.
 
Incarnate Word shot 62.5 percent from the field in the opening half then were limited to 9-of-24 shooting (37.5 percent) in the second half. The Mustangs also controlled a 24-13 edge on the glass in the second half as they turned a 10-point halftime deficit into a 72-62 lead when Monzaigo Williams hit a runner in the lane with 3:30 to play.
 
"We did a better job in the second of not letting those guys make plays for each other," Haggerty said. "We stepped up and made big plays when we needed to. We did a great job of retaining the glass and hitting the boards in the second half. That was big time for us."
 
Incarnate Word whittled the lead back to three before MSU senior forward Corbin Thomas canned a pair of free throws to seal the win with 5 seconds remaining.
 
Sophomore guard Keith Spellman paced the Mustangs with 19 points. Williams added 13 points and seven assists while Thomas notched a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Midwestern State continues on the road Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Tipoff at Steinke Center is set for 3 p.m.