MOORHEAD, Minn. – The MSU Moorhead women's and men's basketball teams continue Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play at home this weekend against Upper Iowa University and Winona State University. The women tip off at 6 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday. The men will start 20 minutes after the completion of the women's game on both days.
On Friday, Jan. 13 both the Dragon women and men's game will be broadcast live at 6 and 8 p.m. on the Midco Sports Network. Midco Sports airs on channel 26 in Moorhead.
DRAGON WOMEN
The Dragon women (5-8, 2-7 NSIC) were able to break their 6-game losing streak on Jan. 8 against Northern State University. This 10-point victory was the teams first win in over a month.
The game started out fairly even with the Wolves keeping a steady 2-point lead. After only five minutes of play the score sat tied at 15.
After a full media time out the Dragons kicked off a 28-10 run fueled by a three-pointer by junior guard
Marisa Yernatich. A jumper by senior
Angie Jetvig with only four seconds left in the half the Dragons made the score 43-25 as they made their way to the locker rooms.
In the second half the Wolves came out with hot shooting. Chipping away with every play NSU was able to cut a once 19-point Dragon lead to a one-point led.
However, with no choice but the foul, the Wolves sent a trio of Dragon players to the free throw line. Going 12-of-14 from the charity stripe with only two minutes left of play, the Dragons lifted themselves once again and came away with a 72-62 victory.
The Dragons were led by junior guard
Kaycee Charette who scored a career high 25 points in the game along with two rebounds and two assists. Senior forward
Angie Jetvig followed behind Charette with a double double of 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Last season MSUM met with both Upper Iowa and Winona state on two occasions. The Dragons defeated the Peacocks in both outings, but spilt with Winona losing at home and hailing victorious on the road.
Head Coach
Karla Nelson is well on her way to making history as part of the Dragon coaching staff. Currently in her 12th season as head coach she boasts a record of 199-132.
Coach Nelson's next win will make her the first coach in Dragon women's basketball history to reach the 200-win plateau. Dave Schellhase is the only other coach in Dragon Athletics history to pass that mark. Schellhase coached the men's basketball team to 298 wins in 18 total seasons from 1975-1982 and 1987-1998.
UIU WOMEN
The Peacocks of Upper Iowa (1-12, 1-8 NSIC) came across their first victory of the season on Jan. 8 against Concordia – St. Paul, winning by almost 20 points, 62-44.
The Peacocks led the Golden Bears throughout the whole first half. They led by as much as 10 points a the mid point of the half but Concordia would pull within only five points in the next couple of minutes. However, strong defense and an and-one situation layup for the Peacocks regained them a 10-point lead as time expired in the half.
Upper Iowa picked up where they left off with strong play as the second half started. They continued the build their lead, outscoring the Golden Bears by eight points. A key factor for the team's success was their strong free throw shooting.
Only making 4-of-10 free throws in the first period the team's percentage was not looking promising. In the second half Upper Iowa was sent to the charity stripe 30 times. The team hit 25-of-30 for 83.3%.
Senior guard Jeri Jacobson led the team just shy of a double double with 20 points and nine rebounds. Freshman forward Whitney Kieffer was next with 14 points and eight rebounds and junior center Lyndsay Westgaard chipped in nine total points.
Kieffer leads the team in points per game with 13.8, rebounds per game with 6.2 and steals per game with 2.2. Jacobson leads the team in assists with two per game.
WINONA WOMEN
The Winona State women (9-6, 4-5) sit right in the middle of the NSIC at No. 7 and are on a two game win streak. They won both games at home on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 against Concordia – St. Paul and St. Cloud State University.
The Warriors led the entire game against the Huskies, having a 17-point lead built by the end of the first period. Their success continued throughout the rest of the game and took the victory 58-40.
Senior forward Michelle McDonald led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Katie Wolff and sophomore guard Kelsey Andrsit followed behind McDonald with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
McDonald leads the team in points per game with 14.8 and rebounds per game with 7.1. Wolff is a team leader with four assists and 1.4 steals per game.
DRAGON MEN
The Dragon men (12-1, 8-1 NSIC) continue to hold their No. 1 spot in the NSIC and have moved up yet again in the NABC coaches' poll from No. 19 to the No. 16 team in the nation.
The team found themselves receiving their first loss of the season on Friday, Jan. 7 to the University of Mary Marauders. However, after a night of off shooting the Dragons got back in it and defeated the Wolves of Northern State University, 81-74, on Saturday, Jan. 8.
Senior guard
Charlie Chapman started out strong for the Dragons and scored the teams first nine points of the game. Matched with strong shooting from the rest of the Dragon squad the team held a comfortable led throughout the first half, leading by as much as nine points with five minutes left in the first half.
Throughout the second half played remained consistent with the first half for almost the entire period. However, the Wolves made two runs at the Dragons where they pulled within one point.
MSU Moorhead was able to fend off the attacks by NSU and held strong to the end to take a 7-point victory, 81-74.
Senior guards
DJ Hamilton and
Charlie Chapman with 24 and 18 points, respectively led the team. Freshman Jordan Riewers was behind the senior leaders with 13 total points and three assists.
This weekend marks one of the biggest weekends for the Dragon men's basketball team. On Friday, Jan. 13 the team faces the No. 14 team in the NSIC followed by the No. 2 team in the NSIC and No. 13 in the nation on Saturday, Jan. 14. If the Dragons can defeat the Winona State Warriors they will take sole position of the No. 1 spot in the NSIC.
Last season the Dragons spilt their meetings with both Upper Iowa and Winona State. They defeated the Peacocks at home but lost when they traveled to Fayette, Iowa and lost to the Warriors in Moorhead but came away with a road victory early in the season.
UIU MEN
The Upper Iowa men (4-9, 1-8 NSIC) are currently ranked No. 14 in the NSIC and are on a two game losing streak. Their last loss came on Jan. 8 against the Concordia – St. Paul Golden Bears. The Peacocks fell 73-84.
During the first period of play, the Golden Bears had control of the game for the first five minutes, capitalizing on poor shooting by the Peacocks. Then a jumper by Mike Lafrenz sparked a run for Upper Iowa and they ended the half with a seven-point edge.
In the first ten minutes of the second half the Peacocks looked good. They had built their lead up to 10; however, they were unable to hold off the charging Golden Bears. Concordia went on a huge 35-10 run and took the lead by 15 points. It was too late for the Peacocks and they lost the game by 11.
Freshman guard Po Pagel lead the Peacocks with 14 points and five assists. Junior forward Tucker Wentizien also posted big numbers with 10 points and nine rebounds. Wentizien leads the team with 13.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game.
WINONA MEN
The Warrior men (13-2, 8-1 NSIC) will be one of the biggest battles all season for the Dragon men. They sit right behind MSUM in the conference at No. 2, but at three spots ahead of the Dragons in the national polls at No. 13.
The Warriors are on a two game win streak after taking only their second loss of the season from Northern State University on Jan. 3. Their last victory came on Jan. 8 against another strong team in the NSIC, St. Cloud State University.
Winona solidified their lead early in the game having a nine-point lead at the end of the first period. Out scoring the Huskies by only one in a evenly played second half gave them a 10-point victory, 87-77.
Junior guard Grant Johnson led the Warriors and all scorers with 28 points. Junior center Clayton Vette had 11 points and junior guard Zander Culver chipped in 10 points and four assists.
Vette and Johnson lead the team in points per game with 15.9 and 15 points, respectively. Vette is the leader in rebounds with 7.4 per game; junior guard Xavier Humphrey leads the team with 2.5 assists per game and senior forward CJ Erickson leads the team with 1.7 steals per game.
