MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead basketball teams will open 2010 play hosting tough NSIC competition in Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State, Mankato on Jan. 2 and 3, respectively. The games will be held in the Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse and will be played at 4 and 6 p.m. each day.

WOMEN
The Dragons women's team will play both teams at 4 p.m. each day. MSUM goes into the competition with a 9-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the NSIC. The Dragons have suffered two losses in their last three games, the first coming to the top-NSIC ranked Concordia, St. Paul in mid-December before the team split games at the Cruizin' Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Dragons took a 73-71 win in their lasts contest, against Nova Southeastern (Fla.) as Angie Jetvig scored a career high 22 points. Jetvig is second on the team in points per game (13.8) and one of three Dragons that is averaging double figures in scoring. Meghan Rettke is averaging a double-double for the team with 12.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Alison Nash-Gerlach leads the team in scoring as she has 160 points on the year, averaging 14.5 per game. She also grabs an averaged of over eight rebounds per contest.

The Mustangs have won two straight in conference play after suffering a league opening loss to Minnesota State Mankato in early December. They have an 8-2 overall record and with wins against Northern State (S.D.) and Mary (N.D.) they have a 2-1 league record. The team has won five straight, including a 96-50 win over Clarke (Iowa) on Dec. 29.

The Mavericks, with an 8-2 overall and 3-0 conference record, will face the Dragons on Sunday after going head-to-head with Minnesota Crookston on Saturday. Most recently, the Mavericks suffered a 80-72 loss to Bemidji State in a non-conference game on Dec. 19.

MEN
The Dragons men's team goes back into league play after splitting their games at the Wendy's Classic in Dickinson, N.D. The Dragons are 1-3 in the conference and 4-7 overall.

Head Coach Stu Engen tallied his 300th career win as the Dragons took down Jamestown (N.D.) 79-59 on Dec. 18. In his eighth season with the Dragons, Engen has posted a record of 106-110 and in his 19 year career, has a record of 300-220.

Jake Driscoll scored a career-high 25 points in the win over Jamestown while Alex Novak chipped in 11 and Dennis Williamson had nine points. The Dragons most recently lost to Dickinson State (N.D.), 77-71 in the team's final game of 2009.

Driscoll leads the team averaging 15.5 points per game and has also tallied 45 assists this season. Andrew VanHavermaet has been hot from behind the arc as he has hit 32 of 63 attempts (.508), that has aiding him being the team's second leading scorer averaging 11.7 points per game. Novak is leading the team on rebounding with 6.9 per game.

The Mustang men come into the contest with a 2-1 conference mark after suffering a 83-64 loss to MSU Mankato to open league play but have rebounded with two wins over Northern State (S.D.) and Mary (N.D.).

The Mavericks go into the first weekend of 2010 with a perfect 10-0 record (3-0 NSIC). All three of the conference wins have come by more than 15 points. They will play Minnesota Crookston on Saturday before facing the Dragons on Sunday.

LIVE STREAMING
MSUM Dragons basketball games can be viewed for FREE on the internet, live on the Penn Atlantic Network through the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference LiveStreaming. Visit Free NSIC Web Streaming under the Dragons Sports Media tab on the Dragons homepage, www.msumdragons.com or www.northernsun.tv

LIVE RADIO
All Dragons basketball games are broadcast live by Steve d'Eustachio, the voice of the Dragons, on Dragons Sports Radio broadcast on AM 1600 ESPN. The pre-game show begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off and can also be heard on www.dragonradio.com