MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Fourth-ranked MSU Moorhead men's basketball is set to head to Spearfish, S.D., to compete in the annual East-West Challenge. The Dragons will take on Black Hills State on Friday at 8:30 p.m. before playing South Dakota Mines on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Live stats and video will be available at msumdragons.com. Fans can also listen to the contest against the Yellow Jackets on BHSU's respective radio partner. 

Matchup History...Friday's tilt with the Yellow Jackets will be just the fourth meeting between the two all-time. The Dragons defeated BHSU at last year's East-West Challenge, 86-72. The year prior, Black Hills State topped the Dragons on a buzzer beater, 78-77. The first meeting between the two came on November 21, 2014 when the Dragons defeated BHSU 80-61 in Fairbanks, Alaska as part of the Alaska Invitational. Saturday's matchup with the Hardrockers will be the third meeting between the two programs. MSUM has won both games, most recently a 69-67 win on November 17, 2023. The squads first met the season prior with MSUM winning 74-57. 

Bountiful Beeninga...Senior guard Jacob Beeninga started his 2024-25 campaign with a pair of solid performances at the Central Region Challenge. Beeninga netted a game-high 24 points against Henderson State on Friday, including six rebounds. For the weekend, Beeninga averaged 16 points per game and converted on 41.6 percent of his shot attempts. Beeninga also made five of his 10 three-point attempts across the two games. 

Why Not Wysocki...True freshman Shaun Wysocki saw immediate action for the Dragons off the bench last weekend. Wysocki was an energizer for MSUM, scoring eight points per game in 40 total minutes of game action. The athletic guard/forward shot 66.7 percent from the field and poured in 10 points against Arkansas-Monticello on Sunday. Wysocki was also active on defense, averaging a steal per contest. 

The Full Jenny...Center Jacob Jennissen found matchups he liked for the Dragons at the Central Region Challenge. Jennissen scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds against Henderson State. The junior shined on Sunday against Arkansas-Monticello, scoring 18 points and snaring 11 rebounds. It is the third career double-double for Jennissen. 

Party On Jengers Boulevard...In his first game action as a Dragon, redshirt freshman post Adam Jenkins made the most of his minutes. The Moorhead native scored his first career points against Henderson State on Friday and blocked a shot. On Sunday, Jenkins played a vital role for the Dragons off the bench, scoring four points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Jenkins also blocked another shot against Arkansas-Monticello in the MSUM victory. 

Owning The Boards...MSUM came out of the weekend with a combined plus-23 advantage on the glass, including a plus-14 mark against Arkansas-Monticello. The Dragons also held a plus-10 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to 24 second chance points in two games.

Lock Em Down...Through two games this season, MSUM holds the top defense in the NSIC, only allowing 54 points a game to opponents. The Dragons have limited opponents to a 38.2 percent success rate from the floor in two games.

Consistency At The Charity Stripe...MSUM was incredibly consistent at the free throw line in their first two games. The Dragons made 18 of 20 free throws against Henderson State and seven of nine against Arkansas-Monticello. MSUM's 86.2 percent success rate from the charity stripe so far is best in the NSIC by eight percentage points.

Spens Specs...In Friday's win over Henderson State, associate head coach Spenser Bland gathered his 100th win as a member of the Dragon staff. Bland is in his sixth season overall at MSUM and his second as the program's associate bench boss. 

Tim Bergstraser is in his third season as MSUM's head men's basketball coach.