MOORHEAD, Minn.--The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team utilized 19 steals and scored 24 points off turnovers in Friday night's 89-60 win over Wayne State in the first round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament. Six players scored in double digits for the Dragons, led by junior forward Isaac Sevlie with 17 points.
 
MSUM (30-2) moves on to face Upper Iowa in the NSIC/Sanford Health tournament quarterfinals on Sunday at 12 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Upper Iowa beat Minot State, 97-85 on Wednesday to advance. Wayne State finished at 7-22.
 
The Dragons shot 52.2 percent (36-of-69) from the field, but only 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from the three-point line. The Dragons had 19 steals in the game, the most in a game since they had 19 vs. Lake Superior State on Nov. 23, 2007.
 
Sevlie led the team in scoring with 17 points, while senior guard Prescott Williams led the team in rebounds with seven, chipping in 11 points. Senior guard Jordan Riewer led the team in assists and steals with six each, scoring 14 points in the process. Junior guard Tyler Vaughan also had six steals in the game, with five points, four rebounds, and four assists. Other Dragons to score in double digits included senior forward Urbane Bingham (16), sophomore guard Aaron Lien (14), and sophomore forward Matt Nelson (10).
 
The Dragons opened the game on a 12-4 run over the first four minutes, keyed by Lien with four points while Riewer and senior Prescott Williams added three apiece.
 
The Wildcats answered with a 14-4 run of their own to take an 18-16 lead. The Dragons, whose biggest first-half lead was nine, led 42-38 at one point but scored the final five points of the half to take a 47-38 lead into halftime.
 
Sevlie and Riewer led the Dragons with 10 first-half points each while Aaron Lien added nine.
 
MSUM shot 46.2 percent (18-of-39) in the first half while Wayne State hit 53.3 percent (16-of-30). The Dragons did force 13 turnovers in the opening half.
 
The Dragons methodically pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Wildcats 32-13 over the first 14 minutes to take a commanding 79-51 lead. 
 
The Dragons' game with Upper Iowa begins at noon on Sunday in Sioux Falls. MSUM beat the Peacocks, 106-81 on Jan. 2 in Moorhead, Minn.
 
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: ?With tonight's win, the Dragons became just the sixth team in NSIC/NIC history to register 30 wins in a season:
2014/2015 Dragons (30-2)
2013/2014 MSU Mankato (30-5, NCAA 2nd Round)
2007/2008 Winona St. (38-1, National Champions)
2006/2007 Winona St. (35-1, National Runner-up)
2005/2006 Winona St. (32-4, National Champions)
1992/1993 Northern St. (34-2, NAIA Runner-up)