EVANSVILLE, IND. — Minnesota State was off to a nice start, leading by 6 midway through the first half, when Malik Willingham picked up his second foul.
He’d scored 13 of the Mavericks’ 19 points to start the game, but he was about to sit for an extended time.
But a strange thing happened with the Mavericks’ senior leader on the bench. The lead grew.
“When Malik is on the bench, we still have five dudes on the court that can play at a high level,” Kyreese Willingham said. “Our bench players just bring high energy when they get out there.”
The Mavericks started strong and didn’t let up, rolling past Ferris State 98-70 at the NCAA II Elite Eight men’s basketball tournament Tuesday. Minnesota State, the No. 1 seed, also reached the national semifinals in 2011, the last time the Mavericks advanced to the Elite Eight.
“That was probably the best half of basketball we’ve played in a long time,” coach Matt Margenthaler said. “We did a good job of building on our success and doing what we needed to do. It was businesslike tonight. We came here to win a championship, not just one game.”
Malik Willingham, who was named a first-team All-American on Tuesday, got off to a quick start, making his first 3-pointer. His third 3-pointer put the Mavericks ahead 19-13 with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
Malik Willingham then picked up his second foul and spent the next 5 minutes of the half on the bench. However, while he was out, Elijah Hazekamp hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 21-5 run.
The Mavericks cruised into halftime with a 51-32 lead, shooting 56.3% from the field, with 12 assists and six steals. Ferris State shot just 37.5%, making 3 of 10 from 3-point range.
Kyreese Willingham had 16 points at the break, and Malik Willingham had 13 points. Justin Eagins had five assists, and Dylan Peeters made four steals.
“When your leader is on the bench, guys have to step up and that’s what we did,” Margenthaler said. “We had 21 assists tonight. We were very selfless with the ball, and when we’re moving, we’re tough to guard.”
Ferris State got the lead down to 9 in the first 3 minutes of the second half before Kyreese Willingham’s 3-pointer and Malik Willingham’s layup pushed the lead back to 16.
“We did a good job of handling some adversity in the second half,” Kyreese Willingham said. “It was so exciting being out there with my brothers and having fun and competing. It was an unbelievable environment.”
The Mavericks bumped the lead back up to 30 and cruised into Thursday’s national semifinals.
“The officials started calling the game differently in the second half,” Margenthaler said. “The guys did a good job of adjusting to that.”
Kyreese Willingham led Minnesota State with 25 points, and Malik Willingham had 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Willinghams combined to make 6 of 9 3-pointers.
Hazekamp was 4 of 5 from 3-point range and had 14 points, while Brady Williams had six points, six rebounds and six assists. Peeters finished with five steals.
The Mavericks shot 58.5% from the field, including 14 of 23 from the 3-point line, with 21 assists. Ferris State shot only 38.5% and made just 5 of 20 3-pointers.
Minnesota State (33-2) plays either West Texas A&M or North Georgia at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
“I don’t think I could have asked for a better opening-round game,” Margenthaler said. “But we know it’s going to get tougher each round, and we’re going to have to play at a high level to advance.”
Please follow Chad Courrier on X @ChadCourrier.