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WHAT'S AHEAD
MOORHEAD, Minn.--After a hard fought loss in the team's first top 10 matchup as a member of Division II, the Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (25-2, 16-2 NSIC) looks to rebound on its second loss of the season with its final two regular season home games this weekend. The Dragons will host Minnesota Duluth on Friday and St. Cloud State on Saturday at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games.
After defeating Wayne State on Friday and falling to Augustana on Saturday, the Dragons dropped to No. 9 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll. MSUM was ranked No. 6 in the previous poll. The Dragons hold a three-game lead over Northern State (13-5 NSIC) in the NSIC North Division and are one game behind Augustana (17-1 NSIC) for the best record in the conference. In addition, MSUM is ranked No. 7 in the latest edition of the Bennett Rankings.Â
Both games will be televised live on WDAY'Z Xtra, which is channel 6.3 over the air. The channel can be found on Midcontinent Communications cable channel 596 and Cable One Channel 29. Live stats, live online video stream, and audio can be found at msumdragons.com. Dragon broadcaster Steve d'Eustachio will have the call for both games.
First off, the Dragons will look to avenge its first loss of the season when it hosts Minnesota Duluth at 8 p.m. Friday following the completion of the women's game. Friday will be the 110th matchup between the two programs, with UMD holding a significant advantage at 75-34. MSUM has won six of the last 10 games dating back to Feb. 2010. Last season, the Dragons and Bulldogs split road victories over each other. On Dec. 13, 2014, UMD handed the Dragons its first loss of the season after MSUM shot a season-low .136 (3-of-22) from the three-point arc.
UMD has won six games in January and February to claw its way back to .500 at 12-12 on the season, 9-9 in the NSIC. The Bulldogs have won six of their last 10 games dating back to Jan. 9. Last week, the Bulldogs split a home series, falling to Upper Iowa on Friday before defeating Winona State on Saturday. Senior center Brett Ervin is fifth in the NSIC, leading the Bulldogs in scoring at 18.3 points per game.Â
Next, MSUM will host St. Cloud State for senior night on Saturday at 6 p.m., following the completion of the women's contest. Saturday will the 121st meeting between MSUM and SCSU, with the Huskies holding an 80-40 advantage in the series. The Dragons have won three of the last four matchups dating back to Dec. 2012. In the earlier meeting this year, MSUM cruised past St. Cloud State 98-85 on Dec. 12. The Dragons began the game on a 12-0 run and were 11-of-12 from three free-throw line in the final two minutes to secure the victory.Â
SCSU enters the weekend of competition on a four game winning streak, and has won eight of their last 10 games dating back to Jan. 9. The Huskies are 11-7 in the conference, currently sitting at third place in the NSIC North Division, two games behind Northern State. Senior guard Jordan Poydras won his third NSIC North Division player of the week honor last week and leads the team in scoring (19.0 points per game), assists (4.2 per game), and steals (1.8 per game).
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
MSUM split two road games last week, losing for the first time since Dec. 13. The Dragons defeated Wayne State on Friday night before Augustana snapped MSUM's 13 game winning streak on Saturday.
On Friday, the Dragons set a school record for most wins in a season after taking down Wayne State 86-65. The win gave the Dragons win number 25 on the season, one better than the 1970-71 and 1981-82 marks of 24. A layup from sophomore forward Matt Nelson with 8:48 left in the first half gave the Dragons a lead at 22-20. The Dragons would not relinquish that lead for the rest of their game, as they lead by as much as 32 is the second half. All 10 Dragons who saw action in the game also got into the scorebook, with senior guard Jordan Riewer leading the way with 18 points.
On Saturday, No. 4 Augustana won a hard fought contest over MSUM, 97-80. Augustana's lead was never more than seven in the second half until they pulled away with just under six minutes to play. The heavyweight matchup was the first time in school history the Dragons played a game where both teams were ranked in the top ten since its move to Division II in 1995.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
•Senior guard Jordan Riewer has put together an impressive senior season so far. The Dragon point guard has already reached two milestones cementing his place in Dragon history, reaching 1,000 career points and becoming the school's all-time assist leader. Riewer has been named NSIC North Division Player of the Week three times this season and now only needs three more three-pointers to become the all-time leader in three-point field goals made.
•The Dragon point guard surpassed 1,000 points in his career on Jan. 2 in the win over Upper Iowa. Riewer is the 27th player in Dragon history to reach the 1,000-point club and the first since Alex Novak entered the exclusive club in 2013 with 1,219 points. Through Saturday, Riewer now has 1,208 career points.
•The 6-2 guard passed Ralph Western's school record of 339 assists on Jan. 3 in the win over Winona State. Riewer dished out a career high nine assists on Jan. 2 and followed it up with eight on Jan. 3. Riewer now has 396 career assists.
•With three-more three pointers, Riewer will hold the school record for most three-pointers made. Riewer has made 203 threes in his career, and is two away from Jake Driscoll, who made 205 three-pointers in 110 games between 2008 and 2012.
•Riewer scored a career-high 37 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the three-point line in a win over Concordia-St. Paul on Jan. 30. Riewer hit seven straight three-pointers in the final 11 minutes of the first half as he bested his previous career high (26) with 28 points in the first half. The nine three-pointers in the game tied a school record for most three-pointers in a single game.
BINGHAM OFF THE BENCH
•Senior forward Urbane Bingham has given the Dragons solid minutes off the bench this season for head coach Chad Walthall. Bingham is playing in 17.9 minutes a game this season, averaging 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
•The Farmington Hills, Mich. native has scored in double digits in nine games for the Dragons, scoring a season high 16 points in a Nov. 21 win over Black Hill State.
•Bingham has improved his shooting from the field this season, up to .497 from .472 last season, as well as his shooting from the free throw line, up to .759 from .729 last season.
•Bingham scored 11 points, had three rebounds, and two blocks in the win over Wayne State on Friday. Bingham also shot 5-of-6 from the field in the game.
VAUGHAN EYES MILESTONES
•Junior guard Tyler Vaughan has been a solid contributor for the Dragons since his freshman season. Vaughan has played in every game for the Dragons the past three seasons, starting 71 of 86 games. Through almost three full seasons, Vaughan is now getting close to reaching milestones that will etch his name in the Dragon record book.
•The slick shooting guard is 97 points away from becoming the 28th member of the 1,000-point club in Dragon history. Vaughan currently has 903 points for his career. With four regular season games, plus the conference and NCAA tournament left to go, there is an outside shot Vaughan will reach that plateau this season.
•The Braham, Minn. native is also eyeing down the Dragon record for most three-point field goals made in a career. To date, Vaughan has made 191 threes in his career. Jake Driscoll currently holds the record with 205. Senior guard Jordan Riewer (203 career three-pointers) will most likely break that record, leaving Vaughan to chase the record down next season.
FIRST IN FIVE NSIC CATEGORIES
•Scoring defense: 65.6. MSUM has held its opponents to 60 points or under in 11 games. The Dragons held Presenatation to 40 points on Dec. 2 and Minnesota Crookston to 42 points on Jan. 23.
•Three-point field goal percentage: .421. Five Dragons have shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc this season, led by Jordan Riewer at 52.0 percent (78-of-150) and Ngijol Songolo at 41.9 percent (39-of-93).
•Three-point field goals made per game: 10.2. Four Dragons players have hit at least 39 three-pointers. Jordan Riewer leads the way with 78, followed by Tyler Vaughan (51), Aaron Lien (47), and Ngijol Songolo (39).
•Free-throw percentage: .772. Five players are better than .800 and seven players are better than .600 from the line, highlighted by Jordan Riewer at .953 (82-of-86) and Isaac Sevlie at .827 (110-of-133).
•Assists to turnover ratio: 1.9. The Dragons have recorded 426 assists this season compared to only 224 turnovers. Jordan Riewer leads the NSIC individually with an assist to turnover ratio of 3.5 (147:42). Three other Dragons have ratios over 2.0, Tanner Kretchman (3.33, 40:12), Tyler Vaughan (3.08, (71:23), and Aaron Lien (2.0, 28:14).
SCHOOL RECORD 25 WINS
•With an 86-65 win over Wayne State on Friday night, the team broke a record for most wins in a season with 25. The previous mark of 24 wins happened twice before, in 1970-71 and 1981-82.Â
•In '70-71, head coach Marv Skaar led the Dragons to 24-2 record, falling in the first round of the NAIA playoffs to Augsburg. In '81-82, head coach Dave Schellhase led the Dragons to a 24-7 record.
•The Dragons reached 20 wins for the ninth time in school history and the third time in the last four seasons. Head Coach Chad Walthall has guided MSUM to three 20-win seasons during his tenure at the helm of MSUM, trailing only Dave Schellhase for most 20-win seasons in school history with four. In 2011-12, Walthall led the Dragons to a 21-10 record on the way to an appearance in the NCAA Regional. Last season, the Dragons went 21-8 and won the NSIC North Division.
10 IN 10
•The Dragons rank in the top-10 in the nation as a team in 10 different categories:
•1st in Turnovers per game: 8.3. The Dragons have turned the ball over eight or fewer times 12 times this season.
•1st in Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.9. Jordan Riewer ranks third in the nation with a mark of 3.5.
•2nd in Total Three-Point Field Goals Made: 276. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 78 while Tyler Vaughan has 51.
•3rd in Total Rebounds: 977. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 131 rebounds, Isaac Sevlie has 111.
•4th in Total Assists: 426. Jordan Riewer has 147 assists this season, ranked seventh in the nation.
•6th in Scoring Margin: 18.1. MSUM has won 22 games by 11 or more points and 12 by 20 or more points.
•6th in Total Three-Point Field Goal Attempts: 656. On average, the Dragons shoot 24.3 three-pointers per game.
•6th in Fewest Turnovers: 224. No Dragon has committed more than 42 turnovers this season.
•8th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage: .421. Jordan Riewer is ranked second in the nation at 52.0 percent (78-of-150).
•8th in Free Throw Percentage: .772. The Dragons have shot better than 70 percent from the free throw line in 20 of 27 games this season.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... MINNESOTA DULUTH
Record: 12-12, 9-9 NSIC
Last Game: Defeated Winona State 76-63
Notes: After a stretch of nine losses in 12 games between Nov. 23 and Jan. 3, the Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team has won six games in January and February to increase its record to 12-12 on the season and 9-9 in conference play. The Bulldogs' two biggest victories of the season include home victories over MSUM on Dec. 23 60-58 and a 76-63 over Winona State on Feb. 7. UMD is currently in fourth place in the NSIC North at 9-9, two games behind St. Cloud State at 11-7.
•As a team, the Bulldogs rank in the top five in the NSIC in two statistical categories. UMD is second in free throw percentage at .770 and third in scoring defense, allowing 68.8 points per game.
•Senior center Brett Ervin leads the team in scoring with 18.3 points per game, which is ranked fifth in the NSIC individually. Ervin is shooting 46.0 percent (155-of-337) from the field and 80.2 percent (101-of-126) from the free throw line this season while grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game (19th in NSIC).
•Junior guard Pierre Newton leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game (7th in the NSIC) while scoring 13.7 points per game (16th in NSIC).
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... ST. CLOUD STATE HUSKIES
Record: 15-9, 11-7 NSIC
Last Game: Defeated Upper Iowa 91-82
Notes: The St. Cloud State men's basketball team enters competition this weekend with a four game winning streak, defeating Southwest Minnesota State, Sioux Falls, Winona State, and Upper Iowa in the last two weeks. The Huskies have won eight of their last 10 games dating back to Jan. 9. St. Cloud State is currently in third place in the NSIC North with a conference record of 11-7, two games behind Northern State and four games behind MSUM.Â
•As a team, SCSU is ranked first in the conference in three-point field goal defense at .330, second in steals per game at 7.6, second in turnover margin at +3.08, and third in offensive rebounds per game at 11.7.
•Senior guard Jordan Poydras has had a very successful 2014-15 campaign so far, leading the team in scoring, assists, and steals. Poydras is averaging 19.0 points (3rd in the NSIC), 4.2 assists (tied-7th in NSIC), and 1.8 steals per game (tied-1st in NSIC). Poydras has won NSIC North Division Player of the week three times this season, including this past week after scoring 31 points in a win over Upper Iowa.
•Senior center James Fort has started 19 games for the Huskies this season and leads the conference in field goal percentage at .729. Fort is also fifth in the NSIC in blocks per game at 1.4.
