SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team dropped a 79-68 contest against Sioux Falls on Saturday night. The Cougars hold first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings.

The Dragons fall to 15-9 overall and 11-7 in the NSIC. Sioux Falls improves to 19-5 overall and 15-3 in the NSIC.

MSUM shot 47.6 percent (20-of-42) from the field and 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from three compared to 54.7 percent (29-of-53) and 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from beyond the arc for the Cougars.

Sophomore guard Gavin Baumgartner led the Dragons with 21 points. Baumgartner also added five rebounds and three steals. Senior guard Johnny Beeninga scored 15 points for MSUM. Sophomore center Jesse Bergh scored 11 points and had a team-high six rebounds along with a team-high five blocks.

In the first half, the Dragons kept the game closely contested. Sioux Falls held the lead for a majority of the half, but MSUM battled to make it a three-point game at halftime at 34-31.

The second half is where Sioux Falls began to pull away. A Cougar three-pointer with 8:40 remaining gave Sioux Falls a 59-47 lead. The Cougars led by 17 which was their largest of the game on their way to the win.

The Dragons head on the road again next week. MSUM travels to play St. Cloud State on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. The next day, the Dragons travel to play Minnesota Duluth at 5:30 p.m.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Tonight marked the first time this season that two NSIC teams met with current four game win streaks.