Game Notes
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (14-6, 8-4 NSIC) is back on the road this week as they travel to face Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW…
Stats (Minnesota Duluth): https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/
Stats (St. Cloud State): https://scsuhuskies.com/sidearmstats/mbball/media
Video/Audio: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
 
There will be a viewing party at Brickhouse Tavern in Moorhead on Saturday, January 26^th to cheer on the men and women. The women's game will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 5:30 p.m.
 
THIS WEEK…
MSUM is on the road to face Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and St. Cloud State on Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m.
 
LOOKING BACK…
MSUM extended their winning streak to seven games after defeating Wayne State (Neb.) by a score of 80-76 on Friday night. The Dragons were led by senior guard Travaun Coad who posted 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Senior forward Addison Park and freshman guard Bryce Irsfeld followed with 11 points each. Junior guard Johnny Beeninga had nine points and three assists on the night.
 
MSUM shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the field and 87.5 percent (21-of-24) from the free throw line. WSC shot 50.0 percent (30-of-60) from the field and outrebounded the Dragons 36-31.
 
The Dragons fell to Augustana University (S.D.) the following night by a score of 87-82. Park had 16 points on the night and in doing so reached 1,004 career points—Park is the 32nd Dragon to reach 1,000 career points. Coad and Irsfeld led the team with 17 points each. Beeninga and freshman guard Gavin Baumgartner each contributed 11 points. Park led the team with
seven rebounds, while Irsfeld and Baumgartner each had five. Baumgartner led the team with
seven assists.

MSUM shot 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the field compared to 42.9 percent (27-of-63) for the
Vikings. Augustana outrebounded MSUM 42-38.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION…
University of Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are 10-6 overall and 7-5 in the NSIC after going 2-0 last week. UMD defeated Minnesota State by a score of 80-77 and Concordia-St. Paul by a score of 93-63. Hunter Plamann scored a career-high 31 points and UMD recorded a season-high 16 three pointers in the win over Concordia-St. Paul. Brandon Myer leads the team by averaging 22.1 points per game—fifth in the NSIC. Sean Burns and Logan Rohrschelb follow with 14.2 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Myer is the team-leader in assists (3.1/game), rebounds (9.6/game), steals (1.6/game), and blocks (1.2/game). The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 78.6-70.2 and outrebound their opponents 36.9-33.4. MSUM was 1-1 against UMD last season.
 
St. Cloud State University
The Huskies are 13-5 overall and 8-4 in the NSIC after falling to Concordia-St. Paul 107-91 and defeating Minnesota State 77-74 last week. Gage Davis leads the team with 23.1 points per game—fourth in the NSIC. Brindley Theisen and Sean Smith follow by averaging 14.4 and 13.9 points per game, respectively. Smith leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, and Davis follows closely with 8.1 rebounds per game. Smith and Davis average 3.1 and 2.7 assists per game to lead the team. Smith leads the NSIC with 3.9 blocks per game. SCSU leads the conference with 5.94 blocks per game. MSUM was 0-2 against SCSU last season.
 
MORE ABOUT MSUM…
Park Reaches 1,000 Point Milestone
Senior forward Addison Park had 16 points on Saturday night and in doing so reached 1,004 career points. Park becomes the 32^nd Dragon to reach the 1,000-point milestone and is averaging a career-best 15.2 points per game.
 
Consistency from Seniors
This year's senior class has been a steady presence on the court throughout the season. With seven freshmen on the roster, the seniors are relied on for their leadership and experience. Addison Park is enjoying his most productive season, scoring in double-digits in 17 games and averaging 15.2 points per game. Travaun Coad has scored in double-figures in 15 games and averages 14.1 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. Jake Johnson and Briton Bussman average 4.8 and 3.2 points per game, respectively.
 
Freshmen Shine
Freshman guard Gavin Baumgartner has been a scoring threat this season and shares the team lead by averaging 15.2 points per game. Baumgartner has been a clutch performer with a career-high 28 points in wins over Bemidji State and Minot State. Baumgartner was recently listed as one of seven NCAA Division II Freshmen to watch as March approaches (link below). Freshman guard Bryce Irsfeld averages 10.7 points per game and 3.1 assists per game and recorded a team-high 17 points against Augustana. Siman Sem has contributed 5.9 points per game. Jesse Bergh averages 5.0 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, and 1.1 blocks per game. Freshman have contributed 41.2 percent of the team's total points this season.
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-01-14/dii-mens-basketball-keep-eye-these-7-impact-freshmen-march
 
Offensive Distribution
There has been no shortage of offense this season, and the points are coming from a variety of players on the court. The Dragons have five players who average 10.7+ points per game: Gavin Baumgartner (15.2), Addison Park (15.2), Travaun Coad (14.1), Johnny Beeninga (11.9), and Bryce Irsfeld (10.7). MSUM averages 87.1 points per game to lead the conference.
 
Walthall Back for Ninth Season
Head coach Chad Walthall is in his ninth season at the helm for MSUM. Walthall has amassed an impressive 172-79 record in his first eight season as head coach for the Dragons. Walthall earned his 300^th career with a win over Bemidji State on Jan. 11 to bring his career record to 302-153. Walthall is joined on the coaching staff by Tim Bergstraser (first season) and Spenser Bland (first season).
 
All-Time vs. Opponents
MSUM will face Minnesota Duluth for the 124^th time as the Dragons trail the all-time series 43-80. MSUM and St. Cloud State will be meeting for the 131^st time and trail the all-time series 47-83.
 
Up Next
The Dragons remain on the road as they face Minnesota State on Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Concordia-St. Paul on Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m.