#DRAGONSMARCHON CENTRAL
WHAT'S AHEAD
MOORHEAD, Minn.--History will be made on Wednesday as the No. 4-ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (35-3) will make its first appearance in the Elite 8 in school history. The Dragons are slated to face the Knights of Bellarmine (Ky.) (30-3) of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday. Tip off from The Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. is scheduled for 8:30 p.m Central Time.
NCAA.com will provide a live video stream the quarterfinal matchup with Bellarmine. A link to that stream can be found at the #DragonsMarchOn Central page, located on msumdragons.com.
CBS Sports Network will broadcast the semifinal matchup and CBS the Tournament Final.
Jon "Webbie" Wepking will host a half hour pregame special of DragonLIVE, beginning at 7:45 p.m., live from Evansville. The special will lead right into Steve d'Eustachio's live audio webcast of the game, beginning at 8:15 p.m, which can be found at portal.stretchinternet.com/msum.
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 three wins in this year's tournament, the Dragons are now 4-1 in the NCAA Tournament under Walthall.
MSUM was ranked No. 4 in the final regular season edition of the National Association of Basketball (NABC) Division II poll, released on Mar. 10.
Bellarmine is playing in its third Elite 8 in the last five years, including a national championship win in 2011. The 30-3 Knights breezed through its competition this year, suffering defeats to top-tier teams Florida Southern, Indianapolis, and Drury. In route to Evansville, the Knights have defeated Drury, Lake Superior State, and Indianapolis. As a team, the Knights rank first the GLVC in field goal percentage (.534), first in field goal percentage defense (.398), second in free throw percentage (.763), and second in scoring margin (+13.5).
GLVC Player of the Year Jake Thelen leads the team in scoring (18.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.5 rpg).
A LOOK BACK: NCAA CENTRAL REGION FINAL
The Dragons earned a trip to the Elite 8 with a 47-42 win over Northwest Missouri State in the Central Region Championship game at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Tuesday, Mar. 17.
Senior guard Jordan Riewer had 13 points for MSUM, while junior forward Sevlie had 11 points, including a huge second half three-pointer.Â
MSUM was energized by a pair of blocks by Sevlie to open the second half. Sevlie had a thunderous dunk and sophomore guard Aaron Lien followed with a layup to give MSUM a 24-18 lead.
MSUM saw its eight-point lead shrink to 39-35, but Sevlie buried a three from the top of the key to make it 42-35 with 3:47 left.
The Bearcats cut the lead to 42-39 in the final minute, but Riewer was 5-for-6 in the final minute to help MSUM ice a 47-42 win.
A CLOSER LOOK AT MSUM...
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SEVLIE, LIEN, AND WILLIAMS EARN NCAA
CENTRAL REGION ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
•In fitting fashion, three Dragons, junior forward Isaac Sevlie (MVP), sophomore guard Aaron Lien, and senior guard Prescott Williams were named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team. What made this honor fitting, was they are the three starters that were not named to the NSIC All-Tournament team (Jordan Riewer and Tyler Vaughan were honored).
•Sevlie was named Central Region Tournament MVP after leading the Dragons to three wins over Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association opponents. Sevlie hit his biggest shot of the tournament in the final minutes of the regional final. With 3:47 left in the game, Sevlie drained his first three-pointer of the season from the top of the key to give MSUM a seven-point cushion. Sevlie's best game of the tournament came against Pittsburg State, when the big man scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooing, grabbing five rebounds in the process.
•Lien averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 33.3 minutes per game in the Central Region Tournament. His best game was against Pittsburg State when he scored 17 points and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
•Williams was the catalyst of the Dragons second round win over Central Missouri as the Akron, Ohio native recorded his first career double-double in a 71-60 win. The senior guard scored 18 points, had 10 rebounds, and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the three-point line in the game.
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RIEWER'S AWARDS CONTINUE
•Senior guard Jordan Riewer was named to the Basketball Times All-America Second Team on Thursday, the latest of numerous awards and honors given to the senior guard this season.Â
•Riewer was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Co-Player of the year, was a Daktronics All-Central Region First-Team Selection and a is five-time NSIC North Division Player of the Week award winner. He was also named to the NSIC All-Tournament team.
•Riewer leads the nation in free throw percentage (94.8%) and is third in the nation assist-to-turnover ratio (3.41).
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TOP 10 IN 10 NCAA D-II CATEGORIES
•The Dragons rank in the top-10 in the nation as a team in 10 different categories:
•1st in Turnovers per game: 8.6. The Dragons have turned the ball over eight or fewer times 17 times this season.
•1st in Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.85. Jordan Riewer ranks third in the nation with a mark of 3.41.
•1st in Total Three-Point Field Goals Made: 372. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 100 while Tyler Vaughan has 73.
•2nd in Win-Loss Percentage: 92.1%. The Dragons have the most wins among any team in Division-II at 35.
•3rd in Total Assists: 604. Jordan Riewer has 215 assists this season, ranked fourth in the nation.
•3rd in Total Rebounds: 1,363. Prescott Williams leads the team with 184 rebounds, Jordan Riewer has 177.
•4th in Scoring Margin: +16.8. MSUM has won 29 games by 11 or more points and 16 by 20 or more points.
•6th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage: 41.6%. Jordan Riewer is ranked third in the nation at 49.8 percent (100-of-201).
•7th in Total Three-Point Field Goal Attempts: 894. On average, the Dragons shoot 23.5 three-pointers per game.
•8th in Field Goal Percentage: 50.2%. All 10 Dragon players who have seen action this season are shooting over 40 percent from the field.
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FIRST IN EIGHT NSIC CATEGORIES
•Scoring defense: 66.1. MSUM has held its opponents to 70 points or under in 23 games this season.Â
•Three-point field goals made per game: 9.8. Three Dragons players have hit at least 66 three-pointers. Jordan Riewer leads the way with 100, followed by Tyler Vaughan (73) and Aaron Lien (66).
•Assist to turnover ratio: 1.8. The Dragons have recorded 604 assists this season compared to only 327 turnovers. Jordan Riewer leads the NSIC with an assist to turnover ratio of 3.4 (215:63).Â
•Field Goal Percentage: 50.2%. Three Dragons are shooting over 50 percent from the field: Isaac Sevlie at 59.5 percent (173-of-291), Jordan Riewer at 50.8 percent (197-of-388), and Aaron Lien at 50.3 (172-of-342).
•Scoring margin: +16.8. Highlighted by a 71-point victory over Presentation College on Dec. 2.
•Three-point field goal percentage: 41.6%. Jordan Riewer leads the conference, making 49.8 percent (100-of-201) of three-pointers shot this year.
•Free Throw Percentage: 75.6%. Two Dragons shoot over .800 from the line and five Dragons shoot at least .700. Jordan Riewer leads the nation at 94.8 percent (128-of-135).
•Defensive Rebounds per game: 26.4. Jordan Riewer leads the team with 154 defensive rebounds.
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RIEWER'S GAME WINNER SINKS THE MAVS
•When the Dragons needed him the most, senior guard Jordan Riewer came through in a big way in the NSIC Tournament semifinal matchup with Minnesota State Mankato. The Dragons witnessed a 16-point second half lead evaporate as the Mavericks hit a three pointer with 45 seconds to pull within one point. Sophomore guard Aaron Lien responded with a three-pointer of his own to push MSUM's lead back to four with 15 seconds left. Maverick guard Connor Miller then converted two free throws with 10 seconds left. The Dragons turned the ball over after that point, leaving Zach Monaghan to drain a three pointer with five seconds left to give Minnesota State an 80-79 advantage. Then, Riewer took matters into his own hands. Riewer grabbed the outlet pass and raced to the other side of floor. The senior leader got to the middle of the lane and pushed up a floater just past two Maverick defender's fingertips that fell threw the net for two points as time expired, giving MSUM an 81-80 victory, advancing them to the NSIC Tournament Championship Game.
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URB STEPS UP
•With the Dragons struggling to find an offensive threat against the defending national champion Central Missouri Mules, MSUM sought help from senior forward Urbane Bingham. In the post game press conference, head coach Chad Walthall said Bingham played, "the best he has played in the two years he has been here." The 6-foot-8 forward tied a season high with 16 points in the contest, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.Â
•Bingham converted two three-point plays, one in the first half and one in the second half, which proved to be big momentum builders for the Dragons. The second three-point play gave MSUM a 52-33 lead with 11:58 left in the game, the second largest lead of the night for MSUM.
•Bingham has been a vital part of the Dragons success this season, providing offensive firepower and good post defense off the bench. Bingham is averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game this season. The senior forward has scored 16 points three times this season and has reached double digit scoring figures in 13 contests.
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A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... BELLARMINE
Record: 30-3, 17-1 GLVC
Last Game: Defeated Indianapolis 81-72
Notes: The 2014-15 Bellamine men's basketball team has not been ranked lower than No. 7 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 poll since the opening poll was released on Nov. 25. The 2011 National Champion Knights have run through the competition this season to the tune of a 30-3 record and a 17-1 record in Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Knights own winning streaks of five, seven, and 15 during the season, including winning their first seven contests of the season. Bellarmine's three losses this season came at the hands of No. 1 Florida Southern, then-No. 3 Indianapolis, and Drury, who made an appearance in last year's Elite 8. Bellarmine got past Drury in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a rematch of the GLVC Tournament Championship game where Drury upended Bellarmine by seven points. The Knights defeated No. 22 Lake Superior State in the second round and Indianapolis in the Sweet 16 to clinch a trip to Evansville, Ind.
•The Knights rank in the top five in the GLVC in numerous statistical categories, including first in field goal percentage (.534), first in field goal percentage defense (.398), second in free throw percentage (.760), second in scoring margin (+13.2), second in blocked shots per game (3.88), and third in scoring offense (80.9 points per game).
•Basketball Times First Team All-American and GLVC Player of the Year Jake Thelen leads Bellarmine, averaging 18.5 points per game (fourth in GLVC) and 10.5 rebounds per game (first in GLVC). Thelen ranks third in the GLVC in field goal percentage (.674), third in offensive rebounds per game (2.91), and first in defensive rebounds per game (7.66).
•Senior guard Chris Whitehead runs the point for the Knight offense, averaging 5.3 assists per game (second in GLVC). Whitehead averages 14.6 points per game (14th in GLVC) and 2.0 steal per game (third in GLVC).
