MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (7-1, 3-0 NSIC) continues the 2016-17 regular season this week with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference road games on Friday (Dec. 9) and Saturday (Dec. 10).
 
How to Follow...
Game 6: (Watch) https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
(Listen) https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
 
Game 7: (Watch) https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
(Listen) https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
 
On the Road Again...
The Dragons are once again on the road as they take on two NSIC foes. MSUM plays Minnesota Crookston (3-4, 0-2 NSIC) on Friday (Dec. 9) at 8:00 p.m., turning around Saturday (Dec. 10) for a matchup with Bemidji State (3-4, 1-1 NSIC).
 
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK...
The Dragons are coming off a 2-0 week, which saw victories against NSIC opponents in the University of Mary (82-66) and Minot State (96-87).
 
Against U-Mary senior guard Aaron Lien had a team-high 18 points with six rebounds and one block. Redshirt freshman forward Matt Anderson followed close behind with 17 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Senior forward Ayob Ayob and junior guard Tanner Kretchman had 14 and 12 points respectively.
 
In a bout with Minot State, it was Aaron Lien who once again led the Dragons in scoring, this time with 19 points. Lien also had four rebounds and three assists. Tanner Kretchman finished the affair with 18 points, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Ayob Ayob had 15 points, while freshman guard Johnny Beeninga and sophomore forward Addison Park had 10 points apiece.
 
Scouting the Opposition...
Minnesota Crookston
Minnesota Crookston is coming off a 0-2 weekend with losses to St. Cloud State (98-78) and Minnesota Duluth (75-65). Freshman guard Harrison Cleary was the leading scorer for UMC in both contests averaging 24.5 points per game for a Golden Eagle  squad that is 3-4 overall and 0-2 in NSIC play.
 
Cleary, the only player to average in double figures, leads the Golden Eagles at 22.4 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game. Freshman forward Chase Johnson hauls in a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game, while adding 5.6 points per game.
 
The Golden Eagles are scoring 73.1 points per game, and shooting 47.6 percent from the field (182-of-382). As a team they are giving up 75.0 points per game, and are fourth in the NSIC averaging 3.29 blocked shots per game.
 
Bemidji State
After winning three games in a row the Beavers dropped their last outing to St. Cloud State, 98-95, falling to 1-1 in NSIC play. Bemidji State has a 3-4 overall record.
 
Jai'Vionne Green is the Beavers leading scorer and rebounder averaging 16.9 points, and 5.0 rebounds per game. Sharif Black is the only other player on Bemidji's roster to average double figures (14.7).
 
The Beavers are scoring 77.4 points per game, and shooting 44.7 percent from the field. As a defense they are giving up 72.6 points per game to their opponents, and slightly outrebounding its foes 37.6-37.0. Bemidji State is third in the NSIC in offensive rebounds per game (11.6).
 
Climbing Career Ladder
Senior guard Aaron Lien has had an impressive season so far, leading the Dragons in scoring with 20.1 points per game. After leading MSUM with 19 points in Saturday's win over Minot State Lien has moved to 13th on the all-time scoring list at 1,297 points. He is 10 points behind Mike Berg (1,307) in 12th place; Ralph Western is the all-time leading scorer for MSUM with 2,015 points.
 
Junior guard Tanner Kretchman, who leads the NSIC in assist-to-turnover ratio, and is second nationally, moved into third on the MSUM all-time assist leaders list with his performance last weekend. Kretchman's 15 assists in the two wins gave him 318 assists for his career. He is 21 assists behind Ralph Western in second place (339). Jordan Riewer sits atop the all-time list with 438 career assists.
 
NCAA Division II Central Region Poll
MSUM has rose a few spots in this week's top-10 of the NCAA Division II Central Region Men's Basketball Poll, sponsored by D2SIDA.
 
Rank   School                                    W-L    Pts.     Prev.
1.         Northwest Missouri St. (6)       7-0      60       1
2.         Augustana                               7-1      52       2
3.         Washburn                                6-0      50       3
4.         MSU Moorhead                       7-1      35       6
5.         SMSU                                      7-1      34       5
6.         Minnesota State                      5-2      31       4
7.         Arkansas-Monticello                6-0      22       RV
8.         Central Missouri                      5-1      20       9
9.         Missouri Southern                   6-2      15       10
10.       Harding                                   5-2      13       7
 
MSUM vs. UMC
Since taking over the program in 2010 head coach Chad Walthall has amassed an impressive 11-1 record when facing Minnesota Crookston. The last time the Golden Eagles got the best of the Dragons was in an 82-79 contest in Crookston, MN on Jan. 28, 2012.
 
Anderson Adjusting to New Role
Redshirt freshman forward Matt Anderson has found himself playing a pivotal role off the bench for the Dragons. Anderson is averaging 10.1 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds per game. He registered a career-high in the Dragons only loss of the season to Southern Nazarene scoring 22 points and hauling in four rebounds. Anderson is fifth on the team in scoring, and first among the underclassmen.
 
Ranking Well
MSUM currently ranks first in the NSIC in seven categories:
Scoring offense (9th NCAA) - 92.4 ppg
Scoring margin (40th NCAA) - +13.1 ppg
Field Goal Pct. (5th NCAA) - 53.1 percent
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. (1st NCAA) - 48.6 percent
3-Pt. FGs Made (2nd NCAA) - 13.0
Free Throw Pct. (16th NCAA) - 78.4 percent
Assist/Turnover Ratio (2nd NCAA) - 1.95
 
Winning Ways
During his tenure at MSUM, Walthall has the highest winning percentage of any head coach in MSUM men's basketball history (.734). Since taking over the program in 2010, Walthall has led the Dragons to a winning season each year;
2015-16: 30-6, 19-3 NSIC
2014-15: 35-4, 20-2 NSIC
2013-14: 21-8, 15-7 NSIC
2012-13: 19-11, 12-10 NSIC
2011-12: 21-10, 14-8 NSIC
2010-11: 15-12, 12-10 NSIC
 
Walthall Readies for 7th Season
Head Coach Chad Walthall is entering his seventh season at the helm for MSUM. Walthall has amassed an impressive 141-51 record (.734) during his time as the head coach of the Dragons. Walthall is joined on the coaching staff by Justin Wieck (third season) and Tim Bergstraser (second season).
 
Up Next
MSUM returns home for games against Northern State (Dec. 17) and Mayville State (Dec. 19).