MOORHEAD, Minn.—Senior guard
Johnny Beeninga eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark during the Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball 89-77 loss to Winona State on Friday night.
Siman Sem had 11 points for MSUM.
Beeninga entered the game just two-points shy of the 1,000-point milestone. With 2:50 left in the first half, Beeninga hit a three-pointer to become just the 33rd player in Dragon men's basketball history to eclipse 1,000-career points.
Beeninga finished the game with eight points and a team-high five assists.
MSUM drops to 7-6 overall this season and 3-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Winona State improves to 7-6 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC.
The Dragons shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the field and 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from beyond the arc compared to 54.1 percent (33-of-61) from the field and 40 percent (10-of-25) from three for the Warriors.
Junior forward
Kaedrick Williams led the Dragons with 14 points and also pulled down five rebounds. Sophomore guards
Gavin Baumgartner and
Siman Sem each scored 11 points for MSUM. Sem also led the Dragons on the glass with seven rebounds. Freshman forward
Dane Zimmer scored nine points, while freshman forward
Jack Rusch scored eight.
The Dragons led by as many as five in a back-and-forth first half and went into halftime down 45-44. In the second half the Warriors
A jumper by sophomore guard
Bryce Irsfeld cut the lead to single digits with 9:27 remaining in the second-half. The Warriors answered back with eight straight points, which was their largest scoring run of the game. That run gave Winona State a 16-point lead, their largest of the game at 77-61. MSUM cut the lead to eight in the closing minutes but got no closer.
The Dragons play again tomorrow night against Upper Iowa at 5:30 p.m. The matchup with Upper Iowa will be MSUM's last home game until Jan. 24, as the Dragons play the following four games on the road.
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons have now neither won two straight home games to start a New Year nor won two straight since defeating Concordia St. Paul 100-85 on Jan. 10, 2014 and Upper Iowa 106-86 on Jan. 2, 2015.
