Kearney, Neb. – The 23rd-ranked Metro State men's basketball team used a very strong first half to beat Nebraska-Kearney, 73-63, Thursday night at the Health & Sports Center.

Metro State improves to 17-3 (10-2 RMAC) while the Lopers fall to 9-11 (4-7 RMAC). The Roadrunners now lead the all-time series, 26-25, thanks to four straight wins over UNK.

Moment of the Game
UNK grabbed a quick 2-0 lead, then Metro State went on 22-5 scoring run with 9:02 left in the first half to make the score 22-7.

In grabbing a 41-17 halftime lead, Metro State shot 52.9% (18-34) from the floor and outscored the Lopers 28-4 in the paint. The always tough Metro defense also forced 12 turnovers and held Kearney to 17.9 percent (5 of 28) shooting.

Led by its bench, UNK bounced back to shoot 44.7% (17-38) from the floor in the 2nd half and had just three turnovers. Reserve players Dexter Higgins and Jordan Harris provided a late spark of the bench by scoring nine and twelve points, respectively. After going on a bit of a run to start the half, UNK finished the game on 20-4 scoring run.

For the game, Nebraska-Kearney scored 20 points off of 19 Metro turnovers and had a plus six advantage in bench points (30-24).

Lopers of the Game
Max Froehlich (Jr., G, Pierce) - scored 20 points on 7 of 13 FG shooting, 6 rebounds
Harris (Jr., F, Westminster, CO) - scored a career-high 12 points on 5 of 7 FG in 11 minutes, 4 rebounds
Higgins (Fr., F, Bennington) - scored a career-high 9 points on 3 of 7 FG shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, steal, 1 block

Opponent Notes
Donte Nicholas scored 22 points on 8 of 15 FG shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots
Glenn Miller scored 8 points on 3 of 6 FG shooting, 7 rebounds
Jonathan Morse scored 8 points on 4 of 7 FG shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot

Up Next
Nebraska Kearney plays Regis University on Saturday night.