MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragon basketball teams start the NSIC play-offs this coming Wednesday, February, 29. The No. 7 MSUM women take on the No. 2 Augustana College Vikings in Sioux Falls, S.D. at 7 p.m. The No. 4 MSUM men take on the No. 5 Augustana Vikings at home in Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

DRAGON WOMEN
The Dragons women finished their regular season over .500 (14-12, 11-11 NSIC) after getting off to a slow start. But after making a 10-4 run in the last 14 games, the team was able to clinch a play-off spot.

The Dragons are on a two-game losing streak after falling 73-77, to No. 3 Wayne State College at home on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The Dragons came out strong in the game, leading by as much as 12 in the first couple minutes. But the Wildcats were able to pull within four of the Dragons, making for a 33-29 score at the half. The Dragons maintained their lead for the first half of the second period. The Wildcats had the hot hand, shooting 4-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc, giving them the four-point victory, 73-77.

Senior Angie Jetvig posted a double double in her final home appearance with 22 points and 11 rebounds. She added four assists and one blocked shot. Sophomore forward Megan Strese added 14 points for the team, followed by junior guard Marisa Yernatich with 10 total points.

DRAGON MEN
The Dragon men (18-8, 14-8 NSIC) finished the season in the No. 4 spot in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and will be facing off with No. 5 Augustana.

In the Dragons last outing, they fell to No. 10 Wayne State College, 50-64, on Saturday Feb. 25.

The Wildcats jumped to a early lead after a made jumper and a slam dunk. Building a 15-point lead by the end of the first half, 16-31, the Wildcats held the Dragons to 35.7 percent shooting in the first half.

In the second half, the Dragons trailed by as much as 23 points half way through the period. But after a run sparked by DJ Hamilton's made free-throws, the team only trailed by nine with only five minutes of play remaining. However, the Wildcats were able to hold off the Dragons for the 14-point victory, 50-64.

Hamilton led the Dragons with 13 total points and three assists. Junior forward Alex Novak followed behind Hamilton with 10 points and seven rebounds, shooting 5-of-8 from the field.

AUGIE WOMEN
The Augustana women (21-5, 18-4 NSIC) finished the season No. 2 in the conference and No. 25 in the nation. The Vikings picked up their final win of the season on the road on Saturday, Feb. 25 against the University of Minnesota Crookston in Crookston.

The Vikings took control of the game from the start, and built a five-point lead by half time, on top of the Golden Eagles, 44-39. In the second half, the teams played even, scoring 42 points apiece. However, the Golden Eagles were not able to overcome their previous deficient and lost the game by five, 86-81.

Four players scored in double digits for the Vikings, led by the pair of Alex Feeney and Molly Hayes, each with 19 points. Feeney added 11 rebounds to make a double double and Hayes contributed four assists and one steal. Lydia Nelson shot 7-of-10 from the field for 18 points and Shaunteva Ashley chipped in 12 points and five rebounds.

AUGIE MEN
The Augustana men finished the season in the No. 5 spot in the NSIC with a record of (17-9, 14-8 NSIC). The team is on a two-game win streak after defeating the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, Feb 25, 70-61.

The Vikings led the Golden Eagles by six at the half, 35-29, after starting the game with a 3-pointer by Leif Nomeland. In the second half, UMC put on a small run and took the lead for a small time, leading by as much as 2 points. But making clutch free-throws put Augie back on top for the nine-point, 70-61 victory.

Cameron McCaffery led the Vikings going 7-of-11 from the field, 3-of-4 from the 3-point line and 7-of-7 from the free throw line for 24 total points. He pulled down five rebounds to go along with three assists and one steal. Leif Nomeland with 5-of-9 from the field for 13 points and Cody Schilling and Drae Murray had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

THE WOMEN'S MATCHUP
The Dragon and Viking women are meeting for the 17th time in school history. The last meeting between the two teams was Friday, Feb. 24 in Moorhead, Minn. The Vikings won the game, 67-57. The game remained close in the first half, with the Vikings leading by only three, 29-26.

 In the second period the Vikings were able to pull away, out scoring the Dragons 38-31, taking the game with a 10-point victory. Megan Strese led the team with 16 points, followed by Angie Jetvig with a double double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Augustana leads the series over MSUM 12-4.

THE MEN'S MATCHUP
The Augie and MSUM men are coming together for the 16th meeting. The close series is led by the Dragons, 8-7. The teams last met on Friday, Feb. 24. where the Vikings defeated the Dragons, 75-61.

Poor shooting in the first half gave the Vikings the advantage over the Dragons, leading 42-26 at the half. In the second period, the Dragons made a run, cutting the lead from 16 to 10. But after a 7-0 run by the Vikings, they solidified the lead, and won the game, 75-61.

Alex Novak led the Dragons with 13 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the field, along with five rebounds. Senior guards Charlie Chapman and DJ Hamilton were in double figures adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Visit the Northern Sun website for a full tournament men's schedule and women's schedule.

NSIC Weekly Release No. 15: M / W
Augustana Game Notes: M / W
Augustana Game Preview: M / W

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