Dakota State University @ Mayville State

January 28, 2010

Mayville States defense came out ready to play in the first half holding the Trojans to just 24 points in the opening frame. The offense hadn’t come around just yet shooting just 35% in the first half and the men were down by a score of 24-23 at half.

The second half saw some better ball movement and more drives to the basket to get our guys open for easier shots. The second half shooting was much better as the men went 13/24 in the second half for a 54% clip.

The biggest play of the game was made by Davon Miller. With just over 1 minute to go in the game Davon got the ball on the wing and shot a three with the Comets down 2. The gym was silent with the ball in the air until it swished through the net sending the crowd into a frenzy. Miller’s three seemed to lift up the rest of the players and give them some confidence.

After a missed free throw by Santino Clay the Comets came down looking to extend the lead. Alfonzo McNeal’s shot was off but Anton Coleman was right there to grab the offensive rebound and get the put in giving us a three point lead with 25 seconds left.

Another missed free throw from Santino Clay on the front end of a bonus gave the Comets the ball, the lead, and seemingly the momentum. Davon Miller stepped up to the free throw line after a foul and hit first bonus three throw to give us a four point lead. The second shot was off and as soon as Derek Kreutzfeldt grabbed the ball he sprinted down the floor and got a quick lay-up to bring the Trojans within 2.

The Comets got the ball to Alfonzo McNeal for the last set of bonus free throws. McNeal didn’t let us down as he calmly drained both shots to push the lead back up to four. After a block by McNeal on the next possession DSU got the ball to Bryce Snyder who made a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky hook from the baseline to pull them within 2.

Mayville State missed both free throws and Everette Smith grabbed the ball with 3 seconds left and let go of a desperation half court heave that was just off the mark giving Mayville State the close 59-57 victory.

Pacing the Comet offense was Junior Ross Aman. Ross had another strong game finishing with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals. Ross played excellent defense in the contest helping the Comet defense for 16 Trojan turnovers. Ross was part of the good Comet shooting in the second half going 8-11 from the field in the game.

Anton Coleman and Micah Berge finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Berge played hard all night long with not much of a break playing over 38 minutes. Anton went out of the game briefly with an injury but returned and played strong down the stretch including the put back in the last minute to extend our lead. Dominic Kringlen had some nice plays in the game including a perfect swish on a three in the first half. Kringlen had 9 points and 3 rebounds.

Alfonzo McNeal had a good game for the Comets as well. His only scoring was done at the free throw line, but was done at a crucial moment in the game. McNeal finished with 4 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.

The Comets (9-13, 1-7) got a good hard fought win that they needed tonight. With a week off before they play again they’ll have plenty of time to prepare for the weekend set with Minot and Dickinson State University.

- Marcus Hagness