ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team fell to Missouri Western, 70-55 in its season opener Friday at the Hillyard Classic in St. Joseph, Mo.

MSUM fell to 0-1 on the year while Missouri Western improved to 1-2.

Sophomore guard Bryce Irsfeld had 17 points and two assists to lead MSUM while freshman forward Dane Zimmer had 10 points. Junior forward Kaedrick Williams had 10 rebounds and three steals to go along with six points.

The Dragons were outscored 36-22 in the second half after trailing only by one at halftime.  They led most of the first half and were up 30-27 with 2:39 left in the half after a Zimmer basket. Irsfeld led the Dragons with eight first-half points.

MSUM went scoreless for the first 2:45 of the second half and faced a 10-point deficit as a result. Missouri Western led by as many as 18 in the second half on its way to the win.

The Dragons shot just 28.6 percent (8-of-28) in the second half and committed 11 turnovers.

Sophomore guard Gavin Baumgartner had six points, five rebounds and two assists for MSUM.

The Dragons will play No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Northwest Missouri State at 4 p.m. on Saturday in St. Joseph.