Box Score DENVER – With the Jets down only one point, 39-38, with 16:16 left in the half, Midwestern State went on a 31-8 run to pull away for an 81-60 win in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (March 16) at Auraria Event Center. With the loss in their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Jets end the season 20-8, their most wins since joining Division II.
 
Marquis Cuyler started strong in the second half, hitting a 3 and following with a two-handed slam. A Ryan Mesh layup at 18:08 cut the deficit to three points at 34-31. After the Mustangs pushed it back to six points, Bobby Wesley hit a triple to pull to within three at 39-26 at the 16:45 mark. The lead was just one point at 39-38 after a Shamar Acuay layup with 16:16 remaining.
 
From there, it was all Midwestern State as the Mustangs went on a 31-8 run to go up 70-46 with 5:55 remaining in the game. MSU made four straight free throws at the end of the run. The Jets fought back but couldn't close the gap, falling 81-60.
 
It was a slow start for both teams as the first points of the game didn't come until the 18:28 mark on an Eddie D'Haiti jumper from Midwestern State. The Jets first basket came at 17:23 on a jumper from Darrell Traylor. The Mustangs were up 4-2 at the first media timeout at the 15:48 mark.
 
The Jets took their first lead of the game on a Bobby Wesley layup with 13:50 left in the half to make it 8-6.
 
A quick 11-0 run by the Mustangs pushed the score to 17-8 in favor of MSU at the 7:30 mark. A Josh Pleasant basket 11 seconds later ended the run, and Shamar Acuay's three-point play pulled the Jets to within four at 17-13 with 6:38 left in the half.
 
The Mustangs scored four quick points for a 23-15 advantage, but Traylor drove the lane and dunked over a MSU defender to put the Jets back in it. Traylor was fouled on the play and he completed the three-point play for a 23-18 score at 4:34 of the first half.
 
Six straight MSU points upped their advantage to 29-18, but a 8-3 run to end the half put the Jets down only six at 32-26.
 
Acuay led the Jets with 13 points in his final game. He was the only Jet in double figures.
 
The Jets end the season at 20-8, their most wins since joining Division II. It was the first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Jets.