Box Score Moorhead, MN – Strong second-half three-point shooting helped the 19th-ranked Dragons secure a 75-65 win over the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs. The Dragons' win moves them to 11-0 overall, 7-0 in the NSIC, while the Mustangs fall to 6-6 overall, 5-3 in the NSIC.
The Dragons played from behind most of the first half, taking their first lead of the game at 13-12 with 14 minutes remaining in the half off an
Alex Novak made free throw. This would be the only lead the Dragons had during the opening half, as the Mustangs led by as many as 7 points.
The Dragons were outrebounded 27-13 in the first half, with
Jake Lindfors getting the only offensive rebound of the half.
Both teams struggled during the first half with their three-point shooting, as the Dragons shot 4-for-16, 25%, and the Mustangs were only 1-for-8, 12.5%.
The Dragons took back the lead 37-36, two minutes into the second half on a Novak put-back shot. This would spark a 13-6 Dragon scoring run, highlighted by three-pointers by
Charlie Chapman and
Jake Driscoll. The Dragons, who are now ranked third in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage, went 6-for-9, 66.7%, from the three-point line in the second half.
The Mustangs would go on an 11-5 run of their own to tie the score 55-55 with over six minutes remaining. But Chapman followed up an important defensive rebound with an even bigger three-pointer in front of the Dragon's bench to move MSUM 66-61 with 2:30 remaining.
“We just needed to settle down and play some defense,” Chapman said about the second half. “I'd rather win by 20, but we keep pulling these games out. Once we got some stops, the shots started going down. We will continue to improve.”
MSUM finished the game 22-for-53, 41.5%, from the field, 10-for-25, 40%, from three, and 21-for-30, 70%, from the free throw line. The Dragons had four players score in double digits: Chapman (20), Driscoll (14), Novak (11), and Hamilton (10).
SMSU shot 25-for-60, 41.7%, from the field, 2-for-19, 26.3%, from three, and 10-for-11, 90.9%, from the free throw line. The Mustangs were led in scoring by Matt Zager (19), and Nick Smith (12).
The Dragons have two games on the road this upcoming weekend, playing the University of Mary Marauders in Bismarck, ND, Saturday at 4:00, and the Northern State Wolves in Aberdeen, SD, Sunday at 4:00.
Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game: Before this year's 11-0 start, the Dragon men had not won more than two games in a row during a season, since winning seven consecutive games in 2007-08. The Dragon men remain one of eight undefeated men's Division-II teams in the country.
