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The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (7-4, 3-2 NSIC) head on the road for their final game of December. The Dragons take on the Northern State Wolves on Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. and look to add to their two-game road win streak.

LOOKING BACK...
The Dragons bounced back from a two-game losing streak at home by grabbing a weekend sweep over UMary and Minot State. MSUM won in the final seconds against UMary 79-78 and won in another down-to-the-wire matchup against Minot State 79-76.
 
In the win over the Mauraders, the Dragons shot 57.7 percent (30-of-52) from the field and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Gavin Baumgartner led with 22 points and also pulled down five rebounds. Sophomore guard Bryce Irsfeld scored 13 for MSUM, while senior guard Johnny Beeninga also added 13 points along with a team-high five assists. Freshman forward Dave Zimmer scored 10 points for the Dragons.
 
In the win against the Beavers, MSUM shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from three-point territory. Irsfeld led the Dragons in scoring with 17 points and also added six rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Kaedrick Williams followed with 15 points. Baumgartner scored 12 and led the way in rebounding with eight.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION…
Northern State
Northern State is 8-3 overall this season and 4-1 in the NSIC. The Wolves have won eight out of their last nine games, with their last loss being on the road against the Dragons on Nov. 30. The Wolves are coming a weekend sweep against both Minot State and UMary. In the win over the Beavers, the Wolves shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the field and 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Mason Stark scored 24 points to lead the Wolves. Sophomore forward Parker Fox added 11 points and led with eight rebounds. Senior forward Cole Dahl scored 10 points.
In the win over UMary, senior guard Gabe King led the way with 21 points and pulled down six rebounds. Fox and Parker added 19 points and six rebounds and 18 points and five rebounds, respectively.
The Wolves have three players averaging double figures this season. Fox is scoring 18.9 points per game, Stark is averaging 15.3 points per game, and King is averaging 12.5 points per game. Fox leads Northern on the boards with 9.2 rebounds per game. Fox is also averaging two blocks a game and shooting 60 percent on the season.
 
Statistical Leaders
Sophomore guards Gavin Baumgartner and Bryce Irsfeld lead the Dragons in scoring. Baumgartner is averaging 16.9 points per game on 56.2 percent shooting while Irsfeld is averaging 15.2 points per game on 53.7 percent shooting. Freshman forward Dane Zimmer leads the way in field goal percentage, shooting 69.4 percent from the field this season. From the free throw line, Baumgartner is 91.9 percent (31-of-34). On the glass, Zimmer leads with 5.9 rebounds per game, followed by sophomore Baumgartner who are averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. Irsfeld has 2.7 assists per games and senior guard Johnny Beeninga is averaging 2.6 assists per game. Defensively, Sem leads the team in steals with 1.2 steals per game, while junior forward Kaedrick Williams is averaging one steal per game.
 
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 7-4 overall and look to grab another road-win this week against Northern State.
 
Milestone Watch
Senior guard Johnny Beeninga is currently just six points away from hitting the 1,000-career point mark. Head coach Chad Walthall is just two games away from his 200th career win as head coach of the Dragons.
 
Road Warriors
Following the game against Northern, the Dragons return home for two-games before going back on the road for a four-game homestand. Since the 2008-09 season, the Dragons are 78-62 when playing on the road, which is a win percentage of 55.7 percent. In all-time matchups with Northern State, the Dragons are 40-66. In their last meeting this season on Nov. 22, the Dragons grabbed a win over the Wolves 81-74.
Down to the Wire
Three-of-five conference games this season for the Dragons have come down to the final possession. MSUM lost at the buzzer to Minnesota Crookston 68-65, beat UMary 79-78 thanks to a go-ahead jumper from Baumgartner in the final seconds, and also beat Minot State 79-76 after two failed three-point attempts by the Beavers in the closing seconds.
 
On the Horizon
Following the road game against Northern State, the Dragons return home for a two-game homestand. MSUM squares off against Winona State on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Dragons then host Upper Iowa on Jan. 4 at 5:30 p.m.