The annual Hawaiian Night basketball game was held on Feb. 6. The Southwest Minnesota State (SMSU) men’s team played University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC).

The Mustangs came storming out of the gates, taking the lead early and never looking back. It was obvious early on that SMSU came to play. By the 15 minute mark, SMSU led 16-5 and continued to pour it on for the rest of the game.

SMSU seemed to have surprised UMC with a trapping 1-3-1 defense, which forced turnovers and bad shots all game. On the other end of the court, it looked as though the Mustangs couldn’t miss as four players scored over 10 points by halftime.

SMSU built on their early lead, going into halftime with a 58-24 point lead. The second half turned out to be more of the same for the Mustangs. By midway through the second half, SMSU had put in their younger players to get them some game time experience with the game well in-hand.

The final score was 100-68 in favor of the Mustangs. The crowd had a huge impact on the game, and the UMC bench and coaching staff had a hard time communicating with the players on the court because of the noise.