MINOT, N.D.—With four players scoring in double figures, the Minnesota State University men's basketball team outlasted Minot State 79-76 in a closely contested game Saturday night in Minot, N.D.
The Dragons improve to 7-4 overall and 3-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Minot State falls to 6-5 overall and 0-5 in the NSIC.
MSUM shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc compared to 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the field and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three.
Sophomore guard
Bryce Irsfeld led with 17 points and also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. Junior forward
Kaedrick Williams scored 15 for the Dragons. Sophomore guard
Gavin Baumgartner had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman forward
Dane Zimmer had 11 points.
Senior guard
Johnny Beeninga scored six points for the Dragons, which makes him just six points away from hitting the 1,000-point mark for his career.
The Dragons controlled the tempo most of the game, leading for 72 percent of the game. MSUM led by as many as 10 but found themselves down 76-74 late in the second-half. An Irsfeld three-pointer and two clutch free-throws by Williams helped give the Dragons a 79-76 lead. The Beavers had a couple chances on the final possession to tie the game, but ultimately could not get the final three-point attempts to fall.
MSUM opened the game strong, going up 10-2 early. The Beavers found a rhythm and went on a scoring run to take the lead away from the Dragons. MSUM went into half-time down 38-33, which would be Minot State's largest lead of the game.
The Dragons outrebounded the Beavers 30-25.
MSUM is on the road again next week for their final game in the month of December. The Dragons travel to Aberdeen, S.D., to take on Northern State at 6 p.m. The Dragons won their last matchup at home against the Wolves on Nov. 30, 81-74.
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Since the NSIC began keeping conference statistics in 1998, this marks the first time the Dragons got swept at home in a two-game weekend set, then went out on the road and collected a two-game sweep.
