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MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team opens play in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Wednesday when it plays host to Concordia-St. Paul. Game time for the first-round contest is 7 p.m. at Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM (19-7) is the top seed from the NSIC's North Division and won the division title, its first conference crown in 32 years.  The Dragons are 5-12 all-time in the tournament but a solid 3-3 under Head Coach Chad Walthall.

The Dragons will meet Concordia-St. Paul for a 27th time and hold a 16-10 series lead. MSUM beat the Golden Bears, 100-85 on Jan. 10 in Moorhead.

About MSUM
The Dragons went 2-0 at home last weekend, beating Minot State, 85-55, on Friday thanks to 15 points from junior Malik Wood, and edging Mary, 95-94 in overtime the next day with sophomore Tyler Vaughan recording a career-high 26 points.

Senior Tarell Clark leads MSUM in scoring (12.4 points per game), rebounding (8.6), total steals (34) and is shooting 53.7 percent from the field. Vaughan is second at 11.5 points per game while junior Jordan Riewer is at 11.1 and junior forward Urbane Bingham is at 11.0. Riewer leads at 3.6 assists per game.

As a team, MSUM scores 86.3 points per game and is shooting 48.3 percent from the field. The Dragons are shooting 39.,0 percent from three-point range. The Dragons outrebound their opposition, 39.0-31.8. MSUM allows 74.9 points per game and teams shoot 45.3 percent against the Dragons.

Chad Walthall is in his fourth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 74-40.

About Concordia-St. Paul
Concordia-St. Paul is 8-18 heading into the tournament. The Golden Bears lost two tough games on the road last weekend, falling at Southwest Minnesota State, 69-67 and at Sioux Falls, 95-90 in overtime.

Terez VanPelt leads Concordia at 18.4 points per game while Travon Mitchell is at 14.3. Cordell Smith is at 12.5 points per game for the Golden Bears. VanPelt also leads with 3.1 assists per game while Smith leads at 6.0 rebounds.

As a team, Concordia averages 72.6 points per game and shoots 40.5 percent from the field. The Golden Bears are being outrebounded, 38.0-36.2. Concordia allows 75.8 points per game and teams are shooting 44.7 percent against the Golden Bears this season.

Kelly Boe is in his eighth season as Concordia's head coach with a record of 108-111 at the school.

Cleaning the Glass
MSUM leads the NSIC in offensive rebounds per game at 13.19, which is 57th-best in the nation. Clark leads the NSIC in that category at 3.15 per game, which is ranked 53rd in the nation.

Riewer Ranked at the Line
Junior Jordan Riewer is ranked second in all of Division II in free-throw percentage at 94.3 percent (minimum 2.5 made per game), trailing only Sioux Falls' Derek Brown (96.1 percent).

Statistical Rankings/National
MSUM ranks in the top 30 in the nation (out of 290 teams in Division II) in three areas:
--rebounding margin, 16th (+7.3)
--scoring offense, 22nd (86.3)
--free throw attempts, 23rd (719)
--scoring margin, 24th (+11.5)

Tarell's Time
Senior Tarell Clark is having a solid all-round season for MSUM. He leads MSUM in scoring (12.4), rebounding (8.6 per game) and steals (34). Clark is shooting 53.7 percent from the field and also has an impressive 82 offensive rebounds. Clark scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting in MSUM's 87-63 win over Minnesota Crookston on Jan. 18. Twice this season, he has pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds; the latest was on Feb. 8 against Minnesota Duluth.

Century Club
The Jan. 10 game at Southwest Minnesota State was the 100th at MSUM for head coach Chad Walthall.