Both the men’s and the women’s basketball teams earned a win on Hawaiian night. At the RA facility on campus, both teams faced the Marauders from University of Mary.

  The women’s team ended their four-game losing streak with a 73-58 win against UM. The Mustang’s took the lead early, finishing the first period with a 16-point lead.

  Caleigh Rodning led the team in scoring with 22 points, 12 of those points were scored in the first quarter. Abuk Akoi tied an SMSU record with 7 blocked shots.

  SMSU had its largest halftime lead with 14 points going into the break. By the third quarter, the Marauders managed to lower SMSU’s lead to nine points. SMSU scored 23 points in the final quarter to finish with 15-point win against UM.

The men’s team pulled away in the second half to earn a 83-61 win against UM.  The Mustangs held an 11-6 lead early in the half. The Marauder’s scored 13 points in a 4-minute run and took the lead with 10:42 remaining in the first half.

  The game stayed close for the rest of the half with neither team getting more than a 3-point lead. With less than a minute left in the half, UM held the lead 32-30. Ryan Bruggeman scored a 3-pointer and a jumper, giving SMSU a narrow 35-32 lead by the first buzzer.

Turner Moen and Ryan Bruggeman each scored 14 points on Hawaiian night. Carter Kirk scored 22 points and had a game-high of 8 rebounds.

  Early in the second half, the Mustangs widened the lead to 41-34. The Marauders cut that lead to 46-43 at the 15:51 mark. A three-point opportunity to tie the game by Matthew Kreklow missed the mark.

  SMSU player, Kolin Bartlett sparked a 9-0 run and SMSU widened their lead to 55-43 with 11:14 remaining. The Mustang’s lead never dropped below double digits for the remainder of the game.

The men’s team improved to 17-7 overall and 13-5 NSIC with their Hawaiian night win. The women’s team ended their four-game losing streak with Saturday night’s victory.

The men’s team faces their final game of the regular season next Friday, taking on Wayne State. SMSU will conclude the weekend in Sioux Falls, SD facing Augustana. The women’s team will also face off against Wayne State and Augustana next weekend.