SAN ANTONIO -- Matija Svetozarevic took one shot in the first half in Midwestern State's Monday matinee at Bill Greehey Arena.
But the 6-7 senior forward was perfect in the second half, hitting all three of his shots from the field including a pair of 3-pointers, while going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line to finish with a game-high with 14 points to lead the Mustangs to a 74-61 non-conference win over St. Mary's.
Svetozarevic's performance led a 47-31 second-half surge as the Mustangs improved to a 7-2 on the season, while completing a home-and-home sweep of the Rattlers, who dropped to 5-3.
Svetozarevic led a group of four starters in double figures for the Mustangs, including Mason Gibson with 13 points, Will Shepherd with 12, and Pierre Sanders with 10.
Midwestern State closes its fall slate with a non-conference match-up against Arlington Baptist Friday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
How It Happened
Midwestern State shot nearly 70 percent from the field, going 16-of-23 with three triples while knocking down 12-of-14 shots from the charity stripe to outscore St. Mary's 47-31 in the second half.
The Mustangs put the game with a 9-2 run late in the second half, fueled by a Jonathan Jackson 3-pointer, transition layups by Will Shepherd and Pierre Sanders and a pair of free throws by Matija Svetozarevic on the way to pulling away for a 61-52 lead with 4:47 to play.
MSU led by as many as 14 points down the stretch, while frustrating St. Mary's into 11 turnovers in the second half.
After falling behind 7-2, Midwestern State went on an 8-0 run with 16:07 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jonathan Jackson, to take a 10-7 lead. The Mustangs then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 30-27.
The Rattlers led by as many as five points in the opening half.
Game Notes
» Midwestern State shot a team season-best 59.1 percent from the field, making 26 of 44 shots.
» The Mustangs made seven 3-pointers on a season low 13 attempts. MSU's 13 3-point attempts are the fewest of the
Justin Leslie era and the fewest taken by an MSU squad since the Mustangs made 2-of-13 triples at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Jan. 24, 2019.
» Midwestern State made 16 total assists on 26 made field goals, led by
Pierre Sanders and
Reggie Hill with four each.
» Senior
Matija Svetozarevic matched a season-high with 14 points.
» Senior guard
Jonathan Jackson knocked down three 3-pointers for the fifth time in seven games this season. He connected on 3-of-4 attempts against St. Mary's to raise is season 3-point shootout percentage to 42.9 (18-of-42).
» The Mustangs held the Rattlers to only 39.3 percent shooting from the field. It was just the third time in eight games that St. Mary's has been held to less the 40-percent shooting from the field and the second time MSU performed the task.
» Senior forward Lachlan Bofinger finished with a season-high 18 points to lead the Rattlers, while junior guard Damani Claxton finished in double figures for the fourth-straight game with 16 points.
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This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
