Game Notes PDF
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (5-2, 0-0 NSIC) will wrap up nonconference play as it hosts Mayville State University. The Dragons will then kick off Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on the road against Northern State University.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW…
Mayville State: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
Northern State: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
 
THIS WEEK…
MSUM faces their final nonconference opponent at home against Mayville State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before traveling to face Northern State on Saturday at 6 p.m. to open the NSIC season.
 
LOOKING BACK…
The Dragons traveled to Vancouver, B.C. to take part in the Simon Fraser Classic from Nov. 16-19. MSUM fell to No. 14 Western Washington by a close score of 80-76. Four Dragons scored in double-digits with senior Travaun Coad posting a team-high 23 points. The Dragons then faced Simon Fraser (B.C.) and fell by a score of 82-91. Coad led with 20 points, while three additional players scored in double-digits.
 
The final two games of the Simon Fraser Classic featured an offensive explosion from the Dragons. MSUM defeated Lanagara College 116-50 and six players recorded double-digits. Freshman Jesse Bergh had a career-high 19 points, while senior Briton Bussman led the way with a career-high 20 points. MSUM shot 55.7 percent (49-of-88) compared to 31.1 percent (19-of-61) from Langara. In their final game of the road trip, the Dragons shot 55.4 percent (41-of-74) en route to a 103-68 victory over Douglas College. Senior Jake Johnson recorded a career-high 20 points, while Bergh had 12 rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION…
Mayville State University
The Comets are 5-2 on the year and have a two-game win streak after a 93-68 victory over Gustavus Adolphus College and an 86-64 win over Minnesota Morris. Senior Gorg Alhag leads the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game. Senior Daniel Lindgren is right on his heels with 13.7 points per game. Junior Eric Staebler leads the team with 48 rebounds (6.9/game), while Alhag follows with 37 (5.3/game). Senior Daymarcco Green has nine steals in six games, and Sophomore Leon Williams has seven steals and averages 11.3 points per game. Senior Michael Slaba leads the team with 28 assists.Head coach Derren Tighe is in his second season.
 
Northern State University
The Wolves are 4-2 this season, and their most notable victory was over No. 7 Queens University, 87-74. Northern State also faced No. 5 Northwest Missouri State and fell 72-70 in overtime. Senior Ian Smith leads the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game and 5.7 assists per game. Senior Justin Decker follows with 10.7 points per game. The Wolves have four players averaging 5.2+ rebounds per game, and freshman Parker Fox leads the charge with 6.2 rebounds per game. Fox is averaging 2.2 blocked shots per game to lead the team. Sophomore Andrew Kallman is averaging 1.0 steals per game. Head coach Paul Sather is in his ninth season. The Dragons went 0-2 against Northern State last season, and the Wolves lead the all-time series 65-37.
 
 
MORE ABOUT MSUM…
Dragons Posting Big Numbers
The Dragons have score 90+ points in five of their first seven contests. MSUM is averaging 94.4 points per game while holding the opposition to 70.7 points per game. MSUM averages 18.7 assists per game compared to 12.3 from their opponents. The Dragons force 16.0 turnovers per game from the opposition and average 9.9 turnovers per game—good for a +6.1-turnover margin.
 
Consistency from Park
Senior Addison Park has been a steady presence on the court through the early stages of the season. Park is relied on for his statistical contributions on the court, and takes ownership as a senior leader on a team that boasts seven freshmen. Park has scored in double-digits in five of the team's six games, with his season-best 21 points coming against No. 14 Western Washington.
 
Offensive Distribution
There has been no shortage of scoring this season, and the points are coming from a variety of players on the court. The Dragons have four players who average at least 13.0 points per game. Travaun Coad (15.7), Addison Park (15.0), Gavin Baumgartner (14.7), and Bryce Irsfeld (13.3). Six of the seven games have featured different leading scorers.
 
Freshmen Shine
Freshman guard Gavin Baumgartner has been a scoring threat so far this season. Baumgartner set a career-high 16 points against Dickinson State (N.D.) and wasted no time breaking that mark with a team-high 24 points against Concordia College. Freshman guard Bryce Irsfeld is holding his own in the college scene by averaging 13.3 points per game. Irsfeld lead the Dragons with a .538 three-point percentage (21-of-39). Freshman center Jesse Bergh uses all of his 6-10 frame and holds the team-high 1.6 blocked shots per game. Bergh is the team's leading rebounder and averages 5.7 per game.
 
Walthall Back for Ninth Season
Head coach Chad Walthall is entering his ninth season at the helm for MSUM. Walthall has amassed an impressive 172-79 (.685) during his first eight seasons as head coach for the Dragons. Walthall is joined on the coaching staff by Tim Bergstraser (first season) and Spenser Bland (first season).
 
Wrapping Up Nonconference Action
The Dragons will take on their final nonconference opponent, Mayville State, on Tuesday. MSUM has compiled a 5-2 record throughout the nonconference season, and has traveled as far as Vancouver, B.C. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action kicks-off when the Dragons travel to face Northern State University on Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
Up Next
MSUM hits the road to take on a pair of NSIC foes with Minnesota Crookston on Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Bemidji State on Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m.