Men's Basketball | 2/13/2019 1:03:00 PM

Game Notes
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (18-8, 12-6 NSIC) remains home this week for their final homestand of the regular-season as they face St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota Duluth in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW…
Stats (St. Cloud State): http://web.mnstate.edu/livestats/basketball/xlive.htm
Stats (Minnesota Duluth): http://web.mnstate.edu/livestats/basketball/xlive.htm
Video/Audio: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
Both games will be televised live on WDAY'Z Xtra
 
THIS WEEK…
MSUM wraps up their regular season home schedule as they face St. Cloud State on Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. Saturday's game will be Senior night for the Dragon's four seniors: Travaun Coad, Briton Bussman, Jake Johnson, and Addison Park.
 
LOOKING BACK…
The Dragons were 2-0 last week at home with a 98-79 win over Southwest Minnesota State and a 75-71 win over University of Sioux Falls.
 
In the win over SMSU senior guard Travaun Coad led the team with 23 points and nine rebounds, while freshmen Siman Sem and Wyatt Hanson each contributed eight rebounds. Freshman guard Bryce Irsfeld recorded 19 points and was 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Senior forward Addison Park and junior guard Johnny Beeninga had 15 points and 13 points, respectively.
 
The Dragons shot 53.8 percent (35-of-65) from the field compared to 43.3 percent (29-of-67) for the Mustangs. MSUM outrebounded SMSU 47-26.
 
The following night, Coad led the team with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Dragons downed the Cougars. Park had 15 points and five rebounds, while the duo of Gavin Baumgartner and Irsfeld had 14 points and 13 points, respectively. Irsfeld led the team with three assists and three steals.
 
MSUM shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field compared to 48.2 percent (27-of-56) for USF. The Cougars outrebounded the Dragons 36-26.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION…
St. Cloud State University
The Huskies are 17-7 overall and 12-6 in the NSIC after defeating Wayne State (91-79) and falling to Augustana (92-91) last week. Gage Davis averaged 38.5 points per game and became the state of Minnesota's all-time leading college basketball scorer among Division I, II, and III programs. Davis leads the Huskies by averaging 25.0 points per game. Brindley Theisen and Sean Smith average 15.4 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Smith and Davis lead the team in rebounds per game with 8.0 and 7.5, respectively. Smith leads the NSIC in blocked shots per game with 3.8. SCSU ranks second in the conference in scoring offense with 82.9 points per game and ranks first in blocked shots per game with 5.67. MSUM fell to SCSU by a score of 99-84 earlier this season and trails the all-time series 47-84. The Dragons and Bulldogs are currently tied for second in the NSIC North and find themselves in a four-way tie for second place in the overall standings.
 
University of Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are 14-8 overall and 11-7 in the NSIC after sweeping Augustana (81-72) and Wayne State (77-72) last week. Brandon Myer and Sean Burns averaged 20.5 and 20.0 points per game, respectively. Myer has averaged 21.1 points per game, 3.1 assists per game, and 10.1 rebounds per game this season to lead the team. Myer's 10.1 rebounds per game leads the conference. Burns and Logan Rohrscheib have averaged 15.3 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. UMD has outscored the opposition 76.4-70.2 this season. The Bulldogs are outrebounding their opponents 36.9-33.0. MSUM defeated UMD by a score of 79-58 earlier this season but trail the all-time series 44-80.
 
MORE ABOUT MSUM…
Consistency from Seniors
This year's senior class has been a steady presence on the court throughout the season. With seven freshmen on the roster, the seniors are relied on for their leadership and experience. Addison Park is enjoying his most productive season, scoring in double-digits in 23 games and averaging 15.7 points per game. Travaun Coad has scored in double-figures in 20 games and averages 14.9 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. Jake Johnson and Briton Bussman average 4.4 and 2.8 points per game, respectively.
 
Park Reaches 1,000 Point Milestone
Senior forward Addison Park had 16 points on Jan. 19 and in doing so reached 1,004 career points. Park becomes the 32nd Dragon to reach the 1,000-point milestone and is averaging a career-best 15.7 points per game. After averaging 15.0 points per game last week, Park is now in 28th place on the 1,000 Point Club list (1,110 points).
 
Freshmen Shine
Freshman guard Gavin Baumgartner has been a scoring threat this season and averages 14.2 points per game. Baumgartner has been a clutch performer with a career-high 28 points in wins over Bemidji State and Minot State and has scored in double-digits in 20 games. Freshman guard Bryce Irsfeld set a career-high with 26-points in a win over Concordia-St. Paul. Irsfeld averages 11.4 points per game and a team-best 3.2 assists per game. Siman Sem has contributed 6.0 points per game and has started in 18 games. Jesse Bergh averages 4.4 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 0.9 blocks per game. Freshman have contributed 43.1 percent of the team's total points this season.
 
Offensive Distribution
There has been no shortage of offense this season, and the points are coming from a variety of players on the court. MSUM leads the conference in scoring offense (87.6 ppg) and have five players who average 11.4+ points per game: Addison Park (15.7), Travaun Coad (14.9), Gavin Baumgartner (14.2), Johnny Beeninga (11.8) and Bryce Irsfeld (11.4). Park, Coad Baumgartner rank third, fifth, and eighth in the NSIC in field-goal percentage with .563, .547, and .523, respectively. MSUM is the only team to have three players ranked in the top ten.
 
Tight Race Atop NSIC Standings
At 12-6 in the NSIC, the Dragons are currently in a two-way tie with St. Cloud State for second place in the NSIC North. The Dragons also find themselves in a four-way tie for second place in the overall standings. MSUM is tied with St. Cloud, Wayne State, and Minnesota State with four regular-season games to go. Northern State holds down first place with a 15-3 NSIC record.
 
All-Time vs. Opponents
MSUM will face St. Cloud State for the 132^nd time and trails the all-time series 47-84. MSUM faces Minnesota Duluth for the 125^th time and trails the all-time series 44-80.
 
Up Next
The Dragons will wrap up their regular-season on the road against Minot State on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and U-Mary on Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m.