MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead men's basketball will return home to Nemzek Fieldhouse to kick off a four-game homestand this weekend. The Dragons are set to host Southwest Minnesota State at 5:30 p.m. on Friday before welcoming Sioux Falls for a 3:30 p.m. tilt on Saturday.
Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com.
Opening Tip
Quick Hits...MSUM has taken the last two games against the Mustangs with last year's tilt going down to the final possession with the Dragons winning 77-75. The Dragons have won six of the last eight games against SMSU dating back to the 2014-15 season. Against Sioux Falls, MSUM has won the previous two games as well, most recently a 76-56 win in last season's NSIC Tournament.
We're Going Streaking...With their current 14-game winning streak, MSUM has equaled the third-longest win streak in school history. The record, held by the 2015-16 team, stands at 16 games. MSUM is also a pair of wins shy of besting the best start to a season in school history, which is held by the 1970-71 team that began the year 15-0. That year's team eventually finished with a 24-2 record with their lone regular season loss coming against Winona State, 70-68. The Dragons would eventually fall to Augsburg in the NAIA Regional Playoffs, losing 85-84 to the Auggies. The 2015-16 team that won 16 straight games concluded the year 30-6, falling to Minnesota State in the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
Top Of The Myren To You...Junior guard Gabe Myren has hit his stride over the previous three contests for the Dragons and really helped pace MSUM to a pair of wins last weekend. Myren scored 18 points against Augustana on Friday night before pouring in 19 more points on Wayne State. For the weekend, Myren shot an astronomical 15-22 (68.1 percent) from the floor over the two games last weekend. On the season, Myren is making 54.8 percent of his field goal attempts.
Sup Stretch...Sophomore forward Logan Kinsey was also pivotal in MSUM's two games this past weekend. Kinsey netted 22 points against Augustana on Friday, which tied the career-high he set against Minot State on December 16. The sensational sophomore would tally another 15 points in the win over Wayne State on Saturday. Kinsey made 55 percent of his shot attempts over those two games while also making all 14 of his free throw attempts in those two contests.
New Number One...For the first time in program history, MSUM was tabbed as the number one team in the country per the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll. This year's Dragons join the 1981 football team and the 1964 wrestling team as the lone programs to earn a number one national ranking. In 1981, the Dragons went 10-0-1 in the regular season and entered the NAIA playoffs as the top-ranked team in the country. The 1964 wrestling team won the national championship, finishing the year at the top of the heap in NAIA. It is still the lone team national championship in school history.
Taking Care Of The Rock...The Dragons currently hold a +5 turnover margin against opponents this season, a mark that is tops in the NSIC and 14th-best nationally. On average, MSUM turns the ball over just 7.8 times per game with only 109 total turnovers all season, a number that is fourth-best in the country.
What They Do Well...SMSU distributes the ball, having four players averaging in double figures while bolstering the fourth-most assists in the NSIC. The Cougar scoring duo of Jack Thompson and Shawn Warrior are combining to average 26.3 points per game and a 47.4 percent shooting clip.
Tim Bergstraser is in his second season as MSUM's head coach.
Scouting Report
Southwest Minnesota State (9-6, 6-3 NSIC)
The Mustangs are coming off a home weekend sweep of both Bemidji State and St. Cloud State a week ago and enter Friday's contest with five straight wins over NSIC foes. Southwest Minnesota State defeated the Beavers 82-65 last Friday before topping the Huskies 86-75 the following afternoon. Of their nine wins, Southwest Minnesota State bolsters impressive victories over Minnesota Duluth, Winona State and national power Northwest Missouri State. The Mustangs feature four players with a double figure scoring average, led by senior big man Jake Phipps, who pours in 15.7 points per game while also snagging a team-best 6.9 rebounds per contest. Cliff Cofield (13.9), Aeron Stevens (11.9) and reigning NSIC Player of the Week Dunwa Omot (10.6) make up a large chunk of the Mustang scoring contingent. All four players are shooting the ball at a 47 percent of higher clip so far this season as Phipps and Cofield have combined to make a whopping 53.5 percent of their attempts this year.
Brad Bigler is in year 15 at the helm of Mustang men's basketball.
Sioux Falls (7-8, 4-5 NSIC)
Sioux Falls split their weekend series with Bemidji State and St. Cloud State last weekend to move to 4-5 in NSIC play. The Cougars handled the Huskies 92-83 on Friday and fell on a game-winning jumper to the Beavers the following day (75-74). The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Cougars which dated back to December 16. Sioux Falls is paced by senior guard Jack Thompson, who is averaging 14.3 points per game at a 44 percent shooting clip. Thompson leads the Cougars in total assists as well, dishing out 65 so far this season. Fellow guard Shawn Warrior chips in 12 points per game for the Coo as the junior connects on 52.4 percent of his shot attempts, one the best clips on the roster. Junior center Creighton Morisch leads Sioux Falls on the glass, snaring 6.2 rebounds a game. Morisch leads the Coo with a 52.7 field goal percentage.
Chris Johnson is in his 16th season as head coach of the Sioux Falls Cougars.
