Mayville, N.D. - The Comets Men's Basketball faced off against the Viterbo V-Hawks Friday evening at the Lewy Lee. Mayville State dominated the last seven minutes of the ball game and pulled away for an 88-71 victory.

The first half was a back and forth affair, with numerous lead changes and ties. The first significant move was made by the V-Hawks at the eight minute mark, as they outscored the Comets 12-6 to open a seven point lead at 39-32.

Mayville State immediately responded with a 10-2 rally and reclaimed the lead after a Darren Jones jumper. The Comets were able to hold onto that one point lead at halftime by the score of 44-43. Juan Carlos Canahaute and John White Jr. paced the Comets with eight points apiece.

Viterbo came out strong early in the second half and rattled off an 11-5 stretch to take a 54-49 lead. Nine straight points by Thomas Gieske carried the Comets back to a slim 60-58 advantage.

The lead changed hands multiple times and a Viterbo layup made the score 70-68 Comets with 6:41 remaining in the game. Mayville State ripped off a decisive 13-1 run to boost the lead to 83-69 and the Comets cruised to the 88-71 win.

The Comets defense came through in the second half, as they held Viterbo to 32% shooting and outrebounded the V-Hawks 23-12.

"We played lackadaisical at times guarding shooters tonight and we didn't have much urgency defensively. I think we played really well in spurts and our bench gave us really good minutes," said head coach Brandon McGruder.

Darren Jones came off the bench to lead the Comets with 20 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds. Gieske added 18, Jamison Kramer finished with 12 points and eight boards, and Canahuate reached double figures with 10 and also racked up seven assists.

"We'll need to play hard for a full 40 minutes if we want to have a chance to win [tomorrow]. We have to do a better job executing on both ends and play with some desire," added McGruder.

The win bumps the Comets record to 13-3. Mayville State hosts the Waldorf Warriors on Saturday, tip off is scheduled for 5:30pm.