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WHAT'S AHEAD
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team started the 2014-15 campaign with two victories over Mid-America Athletic Association opponents in the Northwest Missouri Classic last weekend. The Dragons defeated last year's co-MIAA champions Northwest Missouri State 75-66 on Friday night and Fort Hays State 83-71 on Saturday afternoon.
This week, MSUM looks to continue its successful start to the season this weekend when it travels to frigid Fairbanks, AK for three games in the Alaska Invitational. First, on Thursday, the Dragons face West Alabama at 8 p.m., followed by Black Hills State on Friday at 8 p.m. and finally the tournament host, Alaska Fairbanks at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.
First on the slate for the Dragons is West Alabama on Thursday night. The Tigers have started the season with two losses against Florida Southern and Eckerd. Through two games, the Tigers have three players who are averaging more than 10 points per game, led by senior guard Justin Wright with 18.5 points per game. Senior forward Lieon Tillman has posted 13.5 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game. Junior guard Kenric McCants is averaging 12.0 points per game. The Tigers have shot the basketball well this season, shooting .524 from the field and .433 from beyond the three-point arc.
Next up is Black Hills State on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets won their first game of the season on Monday night against South Dakota Mines 72-67 in overtime. Junior guard/forward Ryan Riley came off the bench and scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds in 31 minutes of action to lead the team. Senior guard Brody Brisk contributed 11 points and had six rebounds in the victory. The Yellow Jackets proved to be pesky in their first game, snagging 10 steals, led by junior guard Tate Hilgenkamp's four.
Finally, on Saturday night, the Dragons face Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks have not had an official game this season, but did split two exhibition games against Trinity International. Junior guard Adam Griffin lead the team with 13.0 points per game in the exhibition match ups, while junior guard Ruben Silvas led the team in rebounding with 6.5 rebounds per game while contributing 12.5 points per game.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Dragons began the season on a high note, defeating Northwest Missouri State on Friday and Fort Hays State on Saturday.
Junior Ngijol Songolo and sophomore Aaron Lien led the Dragons in the win over NWMS with 14 points each. Junior forward Isaac Sevlie chipped in 11 points and five blocks while senior Jordan Riewer had 10 points and eight assists. The game was tightly contested in the second half, with the score being tied three times before MSUM went on a 12-4 run with seven minutes left in the game to secure the victory, 75-66 in favor of the Dragons.
Lien had 26 points and drained six three pointers in the win over Fort Hays State. Riewer added six assists to lead MSUM. The Dragons had a 14-point lead in the first half after a three-point play from Lien and extended its lead to as much as 16 points in the second half. The Dragons hit seven-of-eight free throws in the final three minutes of the game to win 83-71.
Aaron Lien scored 26 points in
win over Fort Hays State
Lien's Career Day
Two games into his second season as a Dragon and Aaron Lien has already surpassed his single-game career high in points. Lien dropped 26 points on the Tigers, sank nine field goals including six three pointers, also career highs. In 31.0 minutes per game, Lien is averaging 20.0 points per game, a mark good enough for third in the NSIC.
Cleaning up the Glass
The Dragons rank second in the NSIC in rebounds at 38.0 per game and first in defensive rebounds at 30.50 per game. Lien leads the team individually at 5.5 per game and is eighth in the conference in defensive rebounds per game at 5.00. The rebounding numbers are impressive for the Dragons, as they only have three players over 6-foot-6 and often play a lineup with four guards.
Securing the Basketball
Through two games, the Dragons lead the NSIC in assist-to-turnover ratio. MSUM has 1.5 assists for every turnover this season (30 assists, 20 turnovers). Jordan Riewer is a big reason why the Dragons are leading the conference at the moment, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7. He has 14 assists and just two turnovers.
