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WHAT'S AHEAD
MOORHEAD, Minn.--The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (22-1, 13-1 NSIC) will continue its four game home stand this weekend. The Dragons will host Concordia-St. Paul on Friday and No. 18 Minnesota State Mankato on Saturday in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match ups. Both games will take place at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.
MSUM grabbed two more victories last weekend, extending its current winning streak to 10 games. After defeating Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State, the Dragons moved up one spot to No. 7 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll. MSUM holds a two-game lead over Northern State (11-3 NSIC) in the NSIC North Division and is tied with Augustana (13-1 NSIC) for the best record in the conference. In addition, the Dragons are ranked No. 3 in the latest edition of the Bennett Rankings.
Both games will be televised live on WDAY'Z Xtra, which is channel 6.3 over the air. The channel can be found on Midcontinent Communications cable channel 596 and Cable One Channel 29. Live stats, live online video stream, and audio can be found at msumdragons.com. Dragon broadcaster Steve d'Eustachio will have the call for both games.
First off, the Dragons will host Concordia-St. Paul at 8 p.m. Friday following the completion of the women's game. Friday will be the 22nd meeting between the two programs, with MSUM holding a 14-7 in the all-time series. MSUM has won the last five of six games dating back to Feb. 2010. The Dragons beat the Golden Bears twice last season, including once during the first round of the NSIC tournament. In that 68-64 victory, then-junior forward Urbane Bingham scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field to lead the Dragons to the second round of the NSIC tournament.
This season, CU is 13-6 and 9-4 in the conference, sitting in third place in the NSIC North Division behind Augustana and Minnesota State Mankato. The Golden Bears will be looking to extend its current five-game winning streak heading into the match up with the Dragons. Junior guard Cole Olstad leads the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game.
Next, MSUM welcomes No. 18 Minnesota State Mankato to Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. following the completion of the women's game. The Mavericks hold a convincing advantage in the all-time series between the two schools, 58-28. Minnesota State has won eight of the last 10 match ups, with the past nine games coming as a member of the NSIC. In their only meeting last season, MSUM came away with a 99-85 home win on Jan. 11, 2014. Eight Dragons scored in double digits in the victory, led by 17 from Bingham. Seven of those eight players will play in Saturday's game.
This season, the Mavericks are 16-3 and 11-2 in the NSIC, one game behind Augustana in the NSIC South Division. The Mavericks have had winning streaks of nine and four this season. All three of their losses have come against teams with winning records (Central Missouri, Concordia-St. Paul, and Augustana). Senior forward Assem Marei leads the team with 19.6 points per game.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Dragons took home two victories last week, defeating Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State to improve their record to 22-1 and 13-1 in the NSIC.
On Friday night, the Dragons outrebounded Minnesota Crookston 42-25 and held the Golden Eagles to 34.7 percent shooting from the field in a 69-42 victory.
Senior guard Jordan Riewer led the Dragons in scoring with 11 points, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists.
On Saturday, MSUM defeated Bemidji State 89-69. The win marked the 20th time this season the Dragons have won a game by 11 or more points. The Dragons shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the field and 92.5 percent (25-of-27) from the free throw line in the win.
Riewer and junior forward Isaac Sevlie combined for 47 points in the victory. Riewer had 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Sevlie had 23 points and five rebounds.
RECORDS COULD FALL
•The 2014-15 campaign already marks the ninth time in school history the MSUM men's basketball team has reached 20 wins in a season. Now, the Dragons have their eyes on reaching a record they can claim as their own: the single season record for most wins in school history.
•The Dragons can tie the single season record for most wins in school history with two more victories this season. The current record is 24, set in 1981-82 and 1970-71. Dave Schellhase's team went 24-7 in 81-82 and Marv Skaar's team went 24-2 in 1970-71.
•This season, the Dragons are also on pace to break numerous season statistical records. Those records include:
•Field Goal Percentage: .496 (1970-71). The Dragons are shooting .501 on the season so far.
•Three-point field goals: 285 (2001-12). The Dragons have made 239 so far this season, 10.4 per game. Currently, they are on pace to make 322 three-pointers this season.
•Three-point Field Goal Attempts: 690 (2011-12). MSUM has shot 564 three's this season, on pace for 760 by season's end.
•Three-point field goal percentage: .413 (2011-12). The team is shooting .424 from beyond the arc, higher than any other year in school history.
•Free-throw percentage: .744 (2008-09). The Dragons are shooting .769 from the line this season.
DEFENSE SPARKS VICTORY
•MSUM has played great defense all year, and the defense was the focal point of the Dragons 69-42 victory over Minnesota Crookston on Friday night. The Dragons outrebounded the Golden Eagles 42-25, including 29-19 on the defensive end. MSUM scored 13 points off turnovers, forcing 11 in the game. The Dragons also had seven blocks and five steals in the game.
•The Golden Eagles were held to 29.2 percent shooting from the field in the first half and 34.7 percent for the whole game.
•The Dragons are first in the NSIC in scoring defense, giving up 63.2 points per game. MSUM has held its opponents to 60 points or less in 11 games.
RIEWER REACHES MILESTONES
•Senior guard Jordan Riewer reached two milestones this season that will cement his place in Dragon history forever.
•The Dragon point guard surpassed 1,000 points in his career on Jan. 2 in the win over Upper Iowa. Riewer is the 27th player in Dragon history to reach the 1,000-point club and the first since Alex Novak entered the exclusive club in 2013 with 1,219 points. Through Saturday, Riewer now has 1,122 career points.
•The 6-2 guard passed Ralph Western's school record of 339 assists on Jan. 3 in the win over Winona State. Riewer dished out a career high nine assists on Jan. 2 and followed it up with eight on Jan. 3. Riewer now has 378 career assists.
•For the season, Riewer is eighth in the NSIC in scoring at 16.2 points per game, second in three-point field goals made per game at 2.7, second in assists per game at 5.6, and first in assist to turnover ratio at 4.4.
•Riewer is shooting at an incredibly high level this season, shooting 52.4 percent (118-of-225) from the field, 51.6 percent (63-of-122) from the three-point line, and 94.9 percent (74-of-78) from the free throw line.
DRAGONS RANKED FIRST IN SIX NSIC CATEGORIES
•Scoring defense: 63.2. MSUM has held its opponents to 60 points or less in 11 games. The Dragons held Presenatation to 40 points on Dec. 2 and Minnesota Crookston to 42 points on Jan. 23.
•Scoring margin: +20.4. Highlighted by a 71-point victory over Presentation College on Dec. 2 where the Dragons won 111-40. MSUM has won 20 games by 11+ points and 11 by 20+ points.
•Field goal percentage: .501. The Dragons have outshot their opponents in 20 out of 23 games this season, shooting a team-best 69 percent (40-of-58) in the Upper Iowa victory. Isaac Sevlie leads the team in shooting at .600 (99-of-165).
•Three-point field goals made per game: 10.4. Four Dragons players (Jordan Riewer, Aaron Lien, Tyler Vaughan, and Ngijol Songolo) have hit at least 34 three-pointers. Riewer leads the way with 63.
•Free-throw percentage: .769. Four players are better than .800 and seven players are better than .600 from the line, highlighted by Jordan Riewer at .949 (74-of-78).
•Assists to turnover ratio: 2.0. The Dragons have recorded 374 assists this season compared to only 183 turnovers.
20 BY 11, 11 BY 20
•Saturday's 89-69 win over Bemidji State marked the 20th time this season the Dragons have won by 11 or more points and the 11th time the Dragons have won by 20 or more points. 20 of the Dragons' 22 wins have been by double digits this season.
•MSUM's 11 wins by 20 or more points include Alaska Fairbanks (74-52), Concordia-Moorhead (87-59), Northern State (75-55), Presentation (111-40), Minot State (99-64), Northern State (106-86), Upper Iowa (106-81), Mary (81-52), Southwest Minnesota State (79-57), Minnesota Crookston (69-42), and Bemidji State (89-69).
10 IN 10
•The Dragons rank in the top-10 in the nation as a team in 10 different categories:
•1st in Total Three-Point Field Goals Made: 239. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 63 while Tyler Vaughan has 43.
•1st in Turnovers per game: 8.0. The Dragons have turned the ball over eight or fewer times ten times this season.
•1st in Assist to Turnover Ratio: 2.04. Jordan Riewer ranks second in the nation with a mark of 4.45.
•2nd in Total Assists: 374. Jordan Riewer has 129 assists this season.
•3rd in Total Rebounds: 844. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 112 rebounds, Aaron Lien has 101.
•4th in Scoring Margin: 20.4. MSUM has won 20 games by 11 or more points and 11 by 20 or more points.
•5th in Total Three-Point Field Goal Attempts: 564. On average, the Dragons shoot 24.5 three-pointers per game.
•7th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage: .424. Jordan Riewer is shooting 51.6 percent (63-of-122) on the season.
•9th in Fewest Turnovers: 183. No Dragon has committed more than 31 turnovers this season.
•10th in Free Throw Percentage: .769. The Dragons shot 93.8 percent (15-of-16) in the win over Minot State on 12/5/14.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
Record: 13-6, 9-4 NSIC
Last Game: Defeated Southwest Minnesota State 74-67
Notes: The Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears enter the weekend on a five game winning streak over the last two and a half weeks. CSP started the season 5-2 before dropping three straight games to Augustana, Winona State, and Upper Iowa in mid-December. To date, CSP is 13-6 and 9-4 in NSIC play. They currently sit at 3rd in the ever-challenging NSIC South Division, behind Augustana and Minnesota State Mankato. The Golden Bears beat Minnesota State Mankato in their only meeting so far this season, but have fallen to Augustana twice.
•Senior guard Cole Olstad leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game (16th in the NSIC). Olstad ranks second in the conference in free throw shooting at 87.8 percent and fifth in steals per game at 1.5.
•Senior guard Terez Van Pelt averages 10.9 points per game and leads the team in assists with 4.1 per game (7th in the NSIC).
•CSP has played exceptionally well of the defensive end this season, holding teams to 64.3 points per game (second in the NSIC). The Golden Bears lead the conference in opponent field goal percentage at 39.2 percent and opponent three-point field goal percentage at 31.7 percent.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... MINNESOTA STATE MANKATO
Record: 16-3, 11-2 NSIC
Last Game: Defeated Sioux Falls 76-62
Notes: Minnesota State Mankato is 16-3 heading into the weekend, with its three losses heading coming at the hands of last year's National Champion Central Arkansas, Concordia-St. Paul, and Augustana. The Mavericks won nine consecutive games between Nov. 15 and Dec. 13, and have won its last four games heading into the weekend. MSU Mankato is second in the NSIC South at 11-2 in conference play, trailing only Augustana at 13-1. Last week, the Mavericks picked up home victories over Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. Senior guard Zach Monaghan scored 21 points and dished out eight assists in MSU's 76-62 victory over USF.
•Monaghan is averaging 14.3 points per game (14th in the NSIC) and leads the conference with 8.6 assists per game. The senior point guard is second in the conference in assist to turnover ratio at 3.3 and sixth in steals per game at 1.5.
•Senior forward Assem Marei leads the team in scoring at 19.6 points per game (3rd in the NSIC and leads the conference in rebounds at 8.6 per game.
•As a team, Minnesota State leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 42.6 percent and is second in the conference in assists per game at 17.0.
