Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Senior Anthony Tucker had career-highs of 31 points and 12 rebounds to help the Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team earn a 79-66 win over Valley City State in nonconference action Tuesday night at Alex Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, Minn.

The Dragons improved to 5-0 on the year -- the second straight year they have done so.

Tucker finished 11-of-20 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also had a game-high 15 assists. Senior forward Alex Novak also had a strong game with 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, while sophomore Jordan Riewer had 10 points and three assists.

MSUM shot 48.3 percent for the game, but shot a blistering 61.5 percent in the second half.

The Dragons faced a 16-15 deficit with 8:06 left in the first half but closed the half on a 17-7 run to take a 32-23 lead into halftime.  Tucker had seven points, including a three-point play, while Novak converted a three-point play and Riewer drained a three.

After VCSU scored the first two points of the second half, MSUM answered with a 13-2 run to push the lead to 45-27. The catalyst for the Dragons was junior Taylor Filipek, who scored all eight of his pounds in a span of 3:38 of the second half.

MSUM led by as many as 20 points in the second half on its way to a double-digit win.

Filipek finished with eight points, while freshman Brady Wohler led with two steals.

The Dragons open conference play on Saturday at Northern State. The game begins at 7 p.m. at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen, S.D.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: MSU Moorhead's Anthony Tucker's 31 points and Valley City State's Sekani Milligan's 36 points marked the first time a Dragon and an opponent each poured in at least 30 points in the same game, since Dragon Brett Macy and Wayne State Wildcat Eric Henderson each scored 30 in the Wildcats' 86-75 victory in Moorhead on Feb. 19, 2000.