BETHANY, Okla. – Minnesota State University Moorhead (1-1) lost to the Crowne Plaza Classic host Southern Nazarene (1-1), 91-87 on Saturday (Nov. 12) evening. Redshirt freshman forward Matt Anderson led all Dragons with a career-high 22 points.
 
How it happened…
The Dragons grabbed an early 15-13 lead in the first half, but a 10-0 run by Southern Nazarene gave the Crimson Tide the lead with just over 7:40 left in the first half. Southern Nazarene maintained that 10-point lead going into halftime 52-42. Three Dragons tied for a team-high in first half points: junior guard Tanner Kretchman, senior guard Aaron Lien, and Anderson each contributed 10 first half points for MSUM. The Dragons were outscored in the paint 22-to-14 in the first half.
 
Southern Nazarene extended its lead in the second half to 12, leading 63-51 with just over 14 minutes to go. The Dragons used a 27-13 run over the next six minutes to take the lead 78-76 with just over six minutes remaining in the game. MSUM pushed its lead to four, 81-77, but a 12-4 run from the Crimson Tide put the game out of reach. The Dragons improved their shooting percentage in the second half going 17-for-29 from the field (58.6 percent). Anderson finished the half with 12 points, while senior forward Ayob Ayob added 11 points.
 
The Dragons finished the game with 12 assists to 11 turnovers. The Crimson Tide had the edge in rebounds 32-22.
 
Impact Performances…
Anderson scored 22 points on a career-night for the redshirt freshman. He went 9-of-16 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Anderson pulled in four rebounds, had one assist, one block and a steal.
 
Ayob finished the game with 19 points off 8-of-10 from the field. Ayob shot 75.0 percent from the three-point line going 3-of-4. He also had two rebounds and a steal.
 
Aaron Lien also contributed 19 points for the Dragons, making 8-of-13 field goal attempts, including three three-pointers. Lien hauled in a team-high six rebounds and had a team-high two steals.
 
Junior Tanner Kretchman had a great night at the point guard position. Dishing out nine assists, while not turning the ball over a single time. He also contributed 17 points for the Dragons, going 7-for-7 at the free throw line.
 
Dragon Quick Hit
For the second straight game a Dragon has set a career-high in points. Last night, Doss registered a career-high 24 points and tonight Anderson scored a career-high 22 points.
 
Up Next
MSUM is back on the road for a two-game road trip, visiting Northern Michigan (Nov. 18) and Michigan Tech (Nov. 19). The Dragons play the Wildcats of Northern Michigan at 8 p.m. in Marquette, Mich.