Men's Basketball | 11/26/2019 5:04:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (4-2, 0-0 NSIC) continues their homestand against Northern State. The Dragons take on Northern on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. This game marks the first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game for the Dragons.
 
LOOKING BACK...
The Dragons are currently on a four-game win streak. MSUM took down Mayville State 100-68 on Nov. 22, then went on to beat the University of Minnesota-Morris 93-48 on Nov. 25.
 
In the win over Mayville State, MSUM shot 58.2 percent (39-of-67) from the field and 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from beyond the arc. The Comets shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from three. Sophomore guard Gavin Baumgartner led the Dragons in scoring with 20 points. Sophomore guard Bryce Irsfeld and junior forward Joe Sevlie each scored 13. Sevlie also pulled down seven rebounds. Senior guard Johnny Beeninga put up 12 points and dished out six assists. Junior forward Kaedrick Williams scored 12 for the Dragons and also recorded three steals. Freshman forward Dane Zimmer had eight and led the Dragons on the glass with 10 rebounds. MSUM outrebounded Mayville 40-32.
 
In the win over Minnesota-Morris, the Dragons outshot the Cougars from the field, 52.7 percent (39-of-74) to 31.7 percent (20-of-63). MSUM shot 24.1 percent (7-of-29) from three compared to 20 percent (6-of-30) for Minnesota-Morris. Irsfeld led all scorers with 20 points. Sophomore center Jesse Bergh scored 15 for the Dragons, and Beeninga put up 14. Zimmer scored eight and led MSUM in rebounding with 10. Sevlie scored seven points and pulled down seven rebounds for the Dragons. MSUM outrebounded the Cougars 53-28.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION…
Northern State
Northern State is currently 4-2 overall and 0-0 in the NSIC. The matchup with MSUM marks Northern's first NSIC game. After dropping their first two games of the season against Southeastern Oklahoma State and No. 9 Southern Nazarene, the Wolves are currently riding a four-game win streak. Northern is coming off a 95-73 win against Colorado State-Pueblo and a 70-59 win against Chadron State in the Dacotah Bank Classic, hosted by the Wolves. In the win over CSU-Pueblo, Northern shot 50 percent (35-of-70) from the field and 50 percent (13-of-27) from beyond the arc. Freshman Tommy Chatman and senior Cole Dahl shot particularly well from three, going 4-of-6 and 4-of-5, respectively. Chatman finished the game with 15 points, four assists, four rebounds, and also played well defensively with three steals. Dahl finished with 14 points. Sophomore Parker Fox led all scorers with 28 points and also pulled down 13 rebounds. Fox also led the team in blocks with three. In the win over Chadron State, the Wolves shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the field and 28 percent (7-of-25) from three. Sophomore Mason Stark led the Wolves on offense with 22 points and also pulled down six rebounds. Stark also led the Wolves in assists with five. Fox added 15 points and led the Wolves on the glass with seven rebounds. This season, Fox is averaging 19.2 points per game and 11.5 rebounds. Stark is averaging 14.5 points per game.
 
MORE ABOUT MSUM…
 
Fifth in Preseason Poll
The Dragons have been picked to finish fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference according to a preseason polling of the league's coaches. MSUM received 169 points in the poll. The Dragons are also picked to finish third in the NSIC North Division behind Minnesota Duluth and Northern State. Senior guard Johnny Beeninga was listed as MSUM's player to watch. Beeninga averaged 10.9 points and 2.5 assists per game last season and scored in double figures in 18 games last season.
 
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 as head coach of the Dragons. Currently, the Dragons are 4-2 overall and look to continue their four-game win streak against Northern State.
 
Milestone Watch
Senior guard Johnny Beeninga is currently 48 points away from hitting the 1,000-career point mark. Head coach Chad Walthall is five games away from his 200^th career win as head coach of the Dragons.
 
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 116-46 at home since the 2008-09 season. MSUM is set to play its first conference game of the season with a matchup against the Northern State Wolves. Northern is 66-39 against the Dragons all-time. However, the Dragons are a tough matchup for any team when they play at home. MSUM is 80-43 against conference opponents since the 2008-09 season. This season, the Dragons are currently undefeated at Nemzek Fieldhouse.
 
On the Horizon
Following the first conference matchup with Northern, the Dragons play their final two games of their seven-game homestand. 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.