MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead Dragon men's basketball team enters NSIC conference play this weekend. Their first contest on the court will tip off on the road Thursday against Northern State University at 5:30 p.m. The Dragons will return home and face off with the Marauders of the University of Mary on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
 
The Rundown

The seventh-ranked Dragons (6-0), have started this season on fire, winning each of their first six non-conference games. They check in as the number seven team nationally, and the highest-ranked NSIC member in the NBAC poll. They enter conference play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference looking to continue their hot streak. 

Last week the Dragons needed overtime to beat Northern Michigan, but they came out on top 83-79. Junior guard Jacob Beeninga took over the game for the Dragons, scoring 35 points in the contest, including going seven for 16 from beyond the arc. MSUM also won a very hard-fought game with Michigan Tech 85-77. Junior guard Jamir Price had a noteworthy performance, going seven of eight from the field, including one from downtown for a total of 18 points. He also tallied four assists and four rebounds.

Over the first six games of the season, the Dragons have been impressive on the offensive end of the court. They are averaging 83.5 points per game, shooting at a 44.9 percent clip from the field. From beyond the arc they are shooting 36.6 percent, splashing an average of 6.8 three pointers per game. When the Dragons get to the charity stripe they are shooting 72.2 percent, and they get there often, shooting 19 free throws per game. 

On the defensive end, the Dragons are holding their opponents to 75.5 points per game and 46.9 percent from the floor. The Dragons are crashing the glass well grabbing 36.2 rebounds per contest. They are also forcing their opponents into 13.0 turnovers per game, and average 2.5 blocks per game.

The Dragons are coached by second-year man Tim Bergstraser.
 
Scouting Northern State University

The Wolves (3-4, 1-0 NSIC), have had an up and down beginning to their 2023-24 season. Despite their early struggles, the Wolves are a very dangerous team. They have rattled off three straight wins, and the most recent having come by way of a 116-68 blowout of Trinity Bible College. 

The Wolves have a tandem that is pretty tough to stop. Junior guard Josh Dilling and junior forward Jacksen Moni have combined for 260 points so far this season, nearly half of all of Northern's scoring for the year. Dilling has been on fire from beyond the three-point line, splashing 54.1 percent of his attempts. He also leads the team in assists with 30. Moni has been stellar as well, shooting 43.1 percent from the field, but he is instrumental in the rebounding facet for the Wolves as he grabs a team leading six rebounds per game. Northern averages 78.6 points per game and they shoot the ball at 46.6 percent from the field. They assist well with 14.1 assists per game while also taking care of the ball, only turning it over 8.6 times per game.

The Wolves are led by fifth-year head coach Saul Phillips. 
 
Scouting the University of Mary

The Marauders (4-2, 0-1 NSIC), have had a solid start to their 2023-24 campaign. They are currently on a two game winning streak, and they will certainly be hoping to keep that going against the Dragons this week. Their last game saw the Marauders come out on top of Peru State 87-66. Junior guard Gerald Gittens and senior guard Zyon Smith lead Mary with 80 points scored apiece through the first six games this season. Gittens gets to the basket well and he makes 46.6 percent of his shots from the floor. He also leads the team in assists with 20. Smith is more of a threat from deep. He's hit 16 three-pointers so far this season, with a 43.2 shooting percentage from deep. 

As a team they have scored 77.3 points per game, shot 46.4 percent from the field, and have assisted on 13.3 buckets per game. The Marauders are also a strong rebounding squad, pulling down 42.5 rebounds per game, a mark that is 10 rebounds more than their opponent's average. Their big men get after it too, swatting away 4.5 shot attempts per game. The Marauders have had one Achillies heel this season so far, and that has been their free throw shooting. So far they are only making 60.7 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe, which needs to improve if they want to have success.

The Marauders are led by third-year head coach Jack Nelson.