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WHAT'S AHEAD
MOORHEAD, Minn.--The No. 4 Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (34-3) will play Northwest Missouri State in the Sweet 16/Central Region final of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Tip off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
MidContinent Sports Network will be broadcasting the game. A live stream and live stats can be found at goaugie.com
The Dragons are playing in their second NCAA Tournament under head coach Chad Walthall. Walthall led MSUM to a first round victory over Southwest Minnesota State in 2012 before falling to Colorado School of Mines in the second round. After two wins in this year's tournament, MSUM is now 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament under Walthall. The Dragons are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since transitioning to Division II in 1995.
MSUM was ranked No. 4 in the final regular season edition of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, released on Mar. 10. The Dragons are also ranked No. 4 in the Bennett Rankings.
MSUM is 3-0 all-time against Northwest Missouri State, the last meeting coming on the opening night of the season, Nov. 14. The Dragons defeated the Bearcats 75-66.
As a team, Northwest Missouri State ranks first in the MIAA in scoring defense (64.4 points per game), scoring margin (+9.4), three-point field goal percentage (.434), turnover margin (+3.71), and assist to turnover ratio (1.3).
MIAA Freshman of the year Justin Pitts leads the team in scoring (17.3 points per game, third MIAA) and is first in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.505).
FIRST MEETING: Nov. 14
On the opening night of the season, a balanced offensive attack helped MSUM capture its first win of the season over Northwest Missouri State, 75-66.
The Dragons shot convincingly better than the Bearcats from the field, draining 47.3% from the floor compared to 31.4%. MSUM also out-rebounded Northwest Missouri State 47-35, including a 37-22 edge on defensive rebounds.
MSUM had four players score in double digits in the game, led by junior Ngijol Songolo and sophomore Aaron Lien, who each had 14 points. Junior Isaac Sevlie had five blocks, a career high.
MSUM trailed 23-21 with 2:28 left in the first half before the Dragons scored the final five points of the half. Sevlie began the run on a layup with an assist from junior Tyler Vaughan. A layup and a free throw from Lien gave the lead back to MSUM at 26-23 heading into halftime.
Senior Urbane Bingham hit a three-pointer at the 15:21 mark of the second half to push the Dragons lead to 37-30. The Bearcats clawed back and tied the score three more times before a free throw from senior Prescott Williams gave the Dragons the lead for good at 52-51 with 7:08 left in the game.
A 12-4 run opened up the game for MSUM, as they led 63-55 after a three-pointer from Lien at the 3:43 mark. The Dragons converted 9-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes of the game to secure the victory at 75-66.
A LOOK BACK: NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST & SECOND ROUND
Junior forward Isaac Sevlie scored a game-high 23 points to help the MSUM earn an 80-68 win over Pittsburg State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
MSUM led for all but 46 seconds of the game, and that was when the score was tied on two separate occasions. The Dragons held a 16-15 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half but went on an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to push the lead to 27-17.
The Dragon lead shrunk to 48-46 five minutes into the second half, but MSUM responded with seven points in a row to push the lead to 55-46 with 10:49 left. MSUM's lead never dropped below five the rest of the night.
A 20-2 run over the final seven minutes of the first half propelled MSUM to a 71-60 win over Central Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A balanced attack – led by seniors Prescott Williams and Urbane Bingham – and a stellar defensive effort over the final 30 minutes helped the Dragons reach the Sweet Sixteen in Division II for the first time in school history.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
Record: 25-6, 15-4 MIAA
Last Game: Defeated Augustana 66-65
Notes: After falling to MSUM by nine points in the first game of the season, the Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team rattled off 12 wins in their next 13 games. The Bearcats enter the Sweet 16 matchup with the Dragons with a record of 25-6. NWMS defeated Washburn in the first round of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament before falling to Pittsburg State in the semi-finals. The Bearcats then fended off two NSIC teams in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, beating Minnesota State Mankato by three on Saturday and Augustana by one on Sunday. Freshman guard Justin Pitts has been the catalyst of the Bearcat offense during the NCAA Tournament, scoring 29 points against the Mavericks and 22 points against the Vikings. The Bearcat defense held All NSIC First Team selections Assem Marei (Minnesota State) and Casey Schilling (Augustana) to nine and 13 points, respectively.
•Pitts, who was named the MIAA Feshman of the Year, leads the Bearcats in scoring (17.3 points per game) and free throw percentage (.845), and is second on the team in assists (3.4 per game).
•Junior guard Connor Crooker is second on the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (4.0 per game).
•Sophomore forward Zach Schneider is shooting 43.9 percent (100-of-228) from beyond the arc this season and averages 11.6 points per game. 93 percent (228-of-245) of Schneider's shot come from beyond the arc.
