Missouri Western erased an 11-point second-half deficit on Saturday afternoon inside the MWSU Fieldhouse to secure a 78-73 victory over Minnesota Duluth and remain unbeaten.
Missouri Western State University Athletics reported the win improves the Griffons to 3-0 on the season, while the Bulldogs drop to 1-2. Gavin Hershberger led the charge off the bench with a team-high 18 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and converting a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
The contest saw early lead changes before Minnesota Duluth constructed an 11-2 run midway through the first period to build a 22-16 advantage. Missouri Western battled back to tie the game at 24-24, eventually grabbing a 38-39 edge at halftime after William Kiburis converted a three-point play in the final two minutes.
Minnesota Duluth seized momentum at the start of the second half with a 14-2 run, claiming its largest lead of the afternoon at 52-41 with 16:30 remaining. The Griffons responded immediately with a 15-5 stretch featuring three-pointers from Hershberger and Cole Marsh to narrow the margin to 57-56.
After the Bulldogs pushed their advantage back to 62-56, Missouri Western engineered a decisive 12-0 run. Crew Gibson connected from beyond the arc to put the Griffons ahead 63-62 with 6:50 remaining, and subsequent baskets from Hershberger and Drew Kingery extended the margin to 68-62.
Minnesota Duluth fought back to cut the deficit to 75-73 with 32 seconds left on the clock. Bode Goodman secured the outcome by hitting a critical three-pointer with four seconds remaining.
Cole Marsh contributed 12 points and six rebounds for the Griffons, while Trey McKowen finished with 11 points and three assists. Bode Goodman and Crew Gibson each tallied 10 points, with Gibson also recording a team-high six assists.
Missouri Western finished the afternoon shooting 42.0% from the field on 29-of-69 shooting, 36.4% from beyond the arc on 8-of-22 attempts, and 85.7% from the free-throw line hitting 12-of-14 shots. The Griffons also held a 34-12 advantage in bench points, distributed 16 assists, and committed just six turnovers.
The Griffons travel to Maryville, Missouri, for the MIAA/NSIC Challenge hosted by Northwest Missouri State at Bearcat Arena. Missouri Western will face Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m., before closing out the weekend against Mary on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m.
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