Box Score ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Mayville State University Comets opened North Star Athletic Association play Saturday, taking on the Presentation College Saints at the Strode Center in Aberdeen, S.D. The Comets used a 50-point first half to leave Aberdeen with a 96-61 win over the Saints.
 
"We played a great first half of defense," Comets head coach Darren Tighe said. "We were really connected and fed off each other's energy."
 
The Comets pulled out to an early 18-0 lead, largely behind the sharp shooting of Simon Ramirez. The junior from Fremont, Calif., had back-to-back three-pointers, following a pair of successful free throws in a matter of 38 seconds, capping off the run that had four players etch their name into the scoring column in the first eight minutes of the contest. In all, the first eight minutes saw three three-pointers, with the other coming from the hand of Temecula, Calif., junior Latrelle Franklin.
 
Damien Luna pulled the Saints to within 14 points a short time later, but the Comets responded as Jalen Valverde hit back-to-back threes, giving the Comets a 24-4 lead near the halfway point of the first half.
 
Jackson Becker pulled the Saints to within 15 points with a free-throw and back-to-back buckets
 
Late in the first half, Jackson Becker and Ange-Michael Kuo hit free-throws, which closed the margin to 13 points, the closest the remainder of the first half got. Mayville State held Presentation scoreless for the last minute-46, while closing on a 14-4 run over the last three minutes and 45 seconds of the first half.
 
The Comets started the second half on an 8-0 run, as Valverde and Iker Cruz hit threes, with a pair of Franklin free-throws in between, pulling the Comets ahead 58-27 in the first 90 seconds of the second half. Presentation fought back to pull within 23 points, but the Comets were eager and ready—building the lead back up to 30 points, as they went on a 8-0 run, with Ramirez scoring four points in a matter of seconds near the midway point of the half.
 
Lawrence Chery stopped the Comet run only momentarily, as freshman Christian Kuntz nailed a pair of free-throws with 10:13 left, followed by a three-pointer by Ramirez with 9:44 to go in the contest. Another Ramirez three made it a 35-point contest with 9:17 to go in the second half.
 
Later another 7-0 run by the Comets, sparked by freshman Dominic Schuster's three-pointer with 4:07 to go, gave the Comets a comfortable 88-55 lead after Thomas Gieske hit a pair of free-throws with just under three minutes left in the contest.
 
The Comets closed on a 7-4 run, as Boen Moawad wrapped up the scoring with 11 seconds left in the contest.
 
Five Comets were in double-figures—led by Ramirez with 23 points. Valverde added 14, while Max Cooper had 12, Cruz had 11 and Franklin had 10 points.
 
"On offense, we shot it much more like we are capable of," Tighe said. "We have a group of great shooters that can really fill it up and we showed that tonight."
 
Mayville State shot 51 percent from the field, while Presentation College shot 33 percent.