Minn. St. caps double D-II titles with guys’s triumph

Mar 30, 2024, 06:55 PM ET EVANSVILLE, Ind.– Kyreese Willingham buried a 3-pointer with a 2nd remaining, and Minnesota State beat Nova Southeastern 88-85 to win its very first Department II champion at the Ford Center on Saturday.Minnesota State(35-2)became just the 3rd school in any department to win both the men’s and females’s champions in the same season. The women beat Texas Women’s University 89-73 on Friday. Connecticut accomplished the accomplishment twice at the Department I level, doing so in 2004 and 2014. Central Missouri State won both D-II titles in 1984. Willingham’s winning shot followed the Mavericks blew a 13-point lead in the

final 10 minutes.”Incredible,” Minnesota State guys’s coach Matt Margenthaler stated.” Basketball capital

of the world? Mankato, Minnesota.”Editor’s Picks Dylan Peeters had 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting to lead the Mavericks, who won their last 16 games of the season.

Justin Eagins totaled 17 points and six rebounds. Kyreese and older sibling Malik Willingham as well as reserve Harrison Braudis each scored 12. Kyreese added five rebounds and 3 takes, while Malik ended up with five helps and five steals. Elijah Hazekamp pitched in with 9 points and 8 rebounds.MJ Iraldi scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half for defending-champion Nova Southeastern (32-3 ), which won its very first champion last season with a 111-101 triumph over West Liberty. Shane Hunter amounted to 19 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Fuller scored 12 and Ryker Cisarik included 11 points and six rebounds. The loss snapped a 20-game win streak for the Sharks.Iraldi and Fuller had three-point plays as Nova Southeastern leapt out to 12-2 lead. Minnesota State battled back and two straight baskets from Kyreese Willingham and Peeters turned a 19-9 deficit into a 26-25 lead for the Mavericks with 7:10 staying in the very first half.There were 7 lead changes and 3 ties from there up until Trey Doomes struck a turn-around jumper in the paint to offer the Sharks a 40-38 benefit at halftime.Minnesota State came out shooting in the second half, utilizing 3-pointers from Hazekamp and Eagins to forge a 10-0 run

that took 76 seconds. Another Hazekamp 3-pointer offered the Mavericks their biggest lead at 56-43 with 16:43 remaining.Iraldi and Hunter had two baskets apiece in a 13-0 run and the Sharks pulled even at 71 with 6:55 to go. A Malik Willingham layup off a steal by his bro ended the run but another Iraldi layup knotted ball game. Peeters scored for the Mavericks, but Iraldi addressed with a 3-pointer, and the Sharks took their first lead of the second half 76-75 with 4:50 left.Nova Southeastern took its last lead at 81-80 on an Iraldi 3-pointer with 2:37 remaining. Eagins hit a 3-pointer and Kyreese Willingham had a layup off a take and assist from his brother and Minnesota State led 85-81. Hunter and Iraldi had back-to-back layups to tie the game with 1:15 to go.The Associated Press added to this report.