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The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (2-2, 0-0 NSIC) continues their homestand against Mayville State University and the University of Minnesota-Morris. The Dragons take on Mayville on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. MSUM then hosts Minnesota-Morris on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.
 
LOOKING BACK...
MSUM is coming off back-to-back wins. The Dragons took down Dickinson State on Nov. 14 86-71. MSUM then squared off with Concordia-Moorhead on Nov. 19 and won 89-52. In the win over Dickinson, the Dragons shot 59 percent (36-of-61) from the field compared to 39.4 percent (28-of-71) for Dickinson. Sophomore guard Gavin Baumgartner led the Dragons with 17 points Sophomore guard Bryce Irsfeld had 16 points for the Dragons, sophomore forward Wyatt Hanson had 15, junior forward Joe Sevlie scored 11, and sophomore guard Siman Sem had 10. Sevlie, Baumgartner, Hanson, and Sem each led the Dragons on the glass with six rebounds each. In the win over the Cobbers, the Dragons shot 47.9 percent (34-of-71) from the field compared to 32.2 percent (19-of-59) for Concordia-Moorhead. Freshman forward Dane Zimmer led all scorers with 18 points. Zimmer also pulled down eight rebounds. Irsfeld had 17 points for the Dragons. Senior guard Johnny Beeninga scored 12 points and also dished out four assists. Sophomore center Jesse Bergh had eight points and also grabbed nine rebounds. Sem led the Dragons on the glass with 10 rebounds and also added six points. Sophomore forward Wyatt Hanson had nine points.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION…
Mayville State
Mayville State is currently 5-2 overall. The Comets are coming off a 119-56 win over Oak Hills Christian College. Mayville also squared off with Bemidji State in an exhibition matchup and lost 100-60. In the loss to Bemidji State, the Comets shot 30.5 percent (18-of-59) from the field and 25 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc. The Comets were outrebounded 45-35. Junior Simon Ramirez led the way with 11 points, followed by senior Rene Melendez who had 10 points. In the win over Oak Hills, Ramirez scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds. The Comets outrebounded Oak Hills 62-16.
 
Minnesota-Morris
Minnesota-Morris is currently 2-3 overall this season. The Cougars won their first game of the year against Concordia-Moorhead, winning 86-82. Morris is coming off a 90-68 win over Presentation College. In the win against the Cobbers, the Cougars shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the field and 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from beyond the arc. The Cougars outrebounded the Cobbers 43-32. Freshman Jaret Johnson leads the way on offense for Morris, scoring 18 points in the win. Junior James Pendleton followed with 16 points. Pendleton is currently averaging 16 points per game along with 4.2 rebounds. Johnson is averaging 10.4 points per game and 3.8 rebounds.
 
Run it Back
The Dragons return three of their top five scorers for the 2019-20 season. Last year's freshman class contributed 1,172 points which accounted for 44 percent of the team's total offense. MSUM finished 19-12 in the 2018-19 campaign, which included a seven-game winning streak against NSIC opponents. The 19th win for the Dragons marked the second largest improvement from one season to the next with a 12-game improvement. The Dragons are led by team captains Johnny Beeninga, Bryce Irsfeld, and Gavin Baumgartner. MSUM's basketball program is under the guidance of head coach Chad Walthall, who is in his 10th season has head coach of the Dragons. Currently, the Dragons are 2-2 overall and look to continue their two game win streak.
 
Dragon's Den
MSUM is currently in the middle of a seven game homestand. The Dragons are at home from Nov. 14-Dec 7. History shows that the Dragons play well with home-court advantage, as they are currently 114-46 at home since the 2008-09 season. With their next two games against non-conference opponents, the Dragons truly show their dominance. Against non-conference foes, MSUM is 34-1 all time, with the last loss coming 10 years ago in 2009.
 
On the Horizon
Following the the non-conference games against Mayville State and Minnesota-Morris, the Dragons begin NSIC play. MSUM opens up conference play with a game against Northern State on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. The following week, the Dragons face off against Minnesota Crookston on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The next day, MSUM squares off with Bemidji State at 5:30 p.m.