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WHAT'S AHEAD
MOORHEAD, Minn.--The Minnesota State University men's basketball team (27-2, 18-2 NSIC) will conclude its regular season this week with road games at Bemidji State (8-16, 4-16 NSIC) and Minnesota Crookston (7-17, 5-15 NSIC). The Dragons will look to build on its already historic season, already having set the school record for most wins in a season. MSUM also set marks for most made and attempted three-pointers in a season over the weekend.
After two home victories over Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State over the weekend, the Dragons reclaimed one spot in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Top 25 Coaches poll. MSUM ranked in at No. 8 after coming in at No. 9 the previous week. The Dragons clinched the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division title with Northern State losing on Friday. This is the second consecutive title for MSUM. MSUM is ranked No. 7 in the latest edition of the Bennett Rankings.
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.
To begin, the Dragons will travel to Bemidji, Minn. to face off against the Bemidji State Beavers on Friday. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. following the completion of the women's game. Friday will be the 170th meeting between the two schools, with MSUM holding a slight 86-83 advantage in the all-time series. MSUM has won eight of the last ten matchups dating back to Dec. 2010, including an 89-69 win earlier this season on Jan. 24 in Moorhead. Senior guard Jordan Riewer (24) and junior forward Isaac Sevlie (23) combined to score 47 points in the game to lead the Dragons over the Beavers.
BSU is currently sitting at the bottom of the NSIC North with a conference record of 4-16 and an overall record of 8-16. The Beavers won their first five games of the season, but have dropped 12 of their last 13 games heading into this week's competition. Last week, Bemidji State lost road games at Mary and Minot State. Senior guard Brock Lutes is leading the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game.
Next, MSUM will wrap up its regular season schedule with a road contest at Minnesota Crookston on Saturday at 6 p.m. following the completion of the women's game. The Dragons are 25-7 in the all-time series between the two schools and have won nine of the last 10 matchups dating back to Feb. 2010. UMC's lone victory over MSUM in the last five seasons occurred on Jan. 28, 2012 when the Golden Eagles bested MSUM 82-79. Earlier this season, the Dragons defeated UMC 69-42 on Jan. 23. MSUM dominated the glass in that game, outrebounding the Golden Eagles 42-25.
Like, Bemidji State, the Golden Eagles have lost 12 of their last 13 games heading into the weekend. Minnesota Crookston won four of their first seven NSIC games at the beginning of conference play, but currently sit in seventh place in the NSIC North with a record of 5-15 and 7-17 overall. Last week, the Golden Eagles lost to Mary and Minot State on the road. Junior guard Derrick Redd, Jr. leads the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
MSUM bounced back from its first loss in nearly two months with two convincing wins over NSIC North Division foes last weekend. The Dragons avenged their first loss of the season with a win over Minnesota Duluth on Friday and followed up with another win over St. Cloud State on Saturday.
On Friday, the Dragon men clinched the NSIC North Division title for the second straight season after an 89-67 victory over UMD (the title was determined after Northern State lost to St. Cloud State). Six Dragons scored in double digits in the game, led by senior guard Jordan Riewer's 18. Riewer became the school's all-time leader in three-pointer made in the game, surpassing Jake Driscoll's (2008-12) mark of 205. MSUM jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 1:42 of the game -- which was started by back-to-back dunks from junior forward Isaac Sevlie-- and never looked back. The Dragons methodically added to the lead throughout the half and took a 47-27 lead into halftime.
Junior guard Tyler Vaughan scored a season-high 23 points in the Dragons' 94-76 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday. Riewer flirted with a triple double in the game, scoring 20 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out nine assists.
NSIC NORTH CHAMPIONS
•With an 89-67 over Minnesota Duluth and a Northern State loss to St. Cloud State on Friday, the Dragons wrapped up the NSIC North Division title for the second straight season. MSUM (18-2 NSIC) hold a five game advantage over Northern State (13-7) with only two games remaining.
•With every win, the Dragons will set a new season-high win total. The previous record of 24 wins happened twice, in 1970-71 and 1981-82.
•The Dragons reached 20 wins for the ninth time in school history and the third time in the last four seasons. Head Coach Chad Walthall has guided MSUM to three 20-win seasons during his tenure at the helm of MSUM, trailing only Dave Schellhase for most 20-win seasons in school history with four. In 2011-12, Walthall led the Dragons to a 21-10 record on the way to an appearance in the NCAA Regional. Last season, the Dragons went 21-8 and won the NSIC North Division, the first conference title since 1981-82.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
•Senior guard Jordan Riewer has put together an impressive senior season so far. This week, Riewer was named the NSIC North Division Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 assists per game in wins over UMD and SCSU. The Dragon point guard has also reached three milestones this season that has cemented his place in Dragon history. Riewer reaching 1,000 career points and is now the school's all-time assist and three-pointers made leader.
•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 1,246 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 has dished out nine assists on three different occasions this season, the most recent time occurring in the Saturday win over St. Cloud State. Riewer now has 408 career assists.
•Riewer became the school's Leader for most three-pointers made in the win over Minnesota Duluth on Friday, surpassing Jake Driscoll's mark of 205 in 110 games between 2008 and 2012. Riewer has now made 210 threes in his career.
•Riewer scored a career-high 37 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the three-point line in a win over Concordia-St. Paul on Jan. 30. Riewer hit seven straight three-pointers in the final 11 minutes of the first half as he bested his previous career high (26) with 28 points in the first half. The nine three-pointers in the game tied a school record for most three-pointers in a single game.
WILLIAMS PROVIDES A SPARK
•Senior guard Prescott Williams set season-highs in both games for the weekend, providing a spark to the Dragons two wins.
•The Akron, Ohio native pulled down a season-high nine rebounds and provided two highlight reel dunks in the 89-67 win over Minnesota Duluth on Friday. Williams was dribbling on the left wing, faked to the middle, and drove towards the baseline where he jumped over a Bulldog defender for a thunderous dunk. The senior guard finished off the three-point play to give the Dragons a 60-35 lead in the second half.
•Williams had eight points, four rebounds, and five assists (season-high) in the MSUM's 94-76 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday.
FIRST IN SIX NSIC CATEGORIES
•Three Dragon seniors were honored on Saturday night for their contributions to the program during their time at MSUM.
•Senior guard Jordan Riewer has been a big part of the success MSUM has experienced over the last five years. Riewer was Head Coach Chad Walthall's first recruit when he was hired in 2010, and Jordan will leave Moorhead as the school's leader in assists and three-pointers made, as well as a member of the 1,000 point club.
•Senior guard Prescott Williams made an instant impact on the court for the Dragons after transferring to Moorhead from junior-college before last season. Williams started every game for MSUM the past two seasons, averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
•Senior forward Urbane Bingham has groomed nicely into his role with the Dragons. Bingham has played in all but one game since joining MSUM last season, starting 13 games. Bingham has averaged 8.9 points per game, providing valuable minutes off the bench.
10 IN 10
•The Dragons rank in the top-10 in the nation as a team in 10 different categories:
•1st in Turnovers per game: 8.2. The Dragons have turned the ball over eight or fewer times 14 times this season.
•1st in Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.95. Jordan Riewer ranks second in the nation with a mark of 3.79.
•2nd in Total Three-Point Field Goals Made: 296. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 85 while Tyler Vaughan has 55.
•3rd in Total Rebounds: 1,049. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 142 rebounds, Prescott Williams has 132.
•4th in Total Assists: 463. Jordan Riewer has 159 assists this season, ranked eighth in the nation.
•4th in Win-Loss Percentage: .931. The Dragons have the most wins among any team in Division-II at 27.
•6th in Scoring Margin: 18.2. MSUM has won 24 games by 11 or more points and 13 by 20 or more points.
•6th in Total Three-Point Field Goal Attempts: 705. On average, the Dragons shoot 24.3 three-pointers per game.
•7th in Fewest Turnovers: 237. No Dragon has committed more than 42 turnovers this season.
•8th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage: .420. Jordan Riewer is ranked second in the nation at 52.1 percent (85-of-163).
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... BEMIDJI STATE
Record: 8-16, 4-16 NSIC
Last Game: Lost to Minot State 84-76
Notes: After starting the year off 5-0, the Bemidji State men's basketball team has struggled with the second half of its schedule, dropping 12 of their last 13 games heading into competition this weekend. The Beavers' last win was an 88-85 road victory over Upper Iowa on Jan. 31. BSU lost road games last week at Mary and Minot State. Bemidji State is sitting at last in the NSIC North with a conference record of 4-16 and an overall record of 8-16.
•As a team, Bemidji State ranks fifth in the NSIC in steals per game at 6.4 and seventh in three-point field goals made per game at 7.9. Junior guard DJ Anderson leads the team in steals with 24, while senior guard Brock Lutes makes 2.0 three-pointers per game.
•Lutes, the preseason NSIC North Division player of the year, leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game (8th in the NSIC), although he has missed the last two games. Lutes also leads the team in assists with 2.8 per game.
•Sophomore forward Shane White leads the team in rebounding with 5.0 per game and is tied for 12th in the NSIC in blocks per game at 0.7.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Record: 7-17, 5-15 NSIC
Last Game: Lost to Mary 59-50
Notes: The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team has experienced growing pains in Dan Weisse's first season at the helm of the program. The Golden Eagles won four of its first seven NSIC games in December and January before losing 12 of their last 13 games since Jan. 3. UMC's last win was a 73-70 home victory over Sioux Falls on Feb. 6. Last week, the Golden Eagles lost road matchups to Minot State and Mary.
•As a team, Minnesota Crookston ranks second in the NSIC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.340) and sixth in scoring defense (70.3).
•Junior guard Derrick Redd, Jr. leads the team in scoring and assists with 11.9 points and 1.8 assists per game. Redd also leads the team in minutes per game (32.5) and total field goals (102).
•Senior guard/forward Tyler West leads the team in rebounding with 6.7 per game (6th in the NSIC) and is second on the team in scoring with 10.1 points per game.
•Senior guard Kevin Larson is leading the team in three-pointers made with 36. He is shooting 49.3 percent (36-of-73) from beyond the arc, averaging 9.6 points per game.
