SPEARFISH, S.D. – Fourth-ranked MSU Moorhead men's basketball used defense and timely scoring from
Jacob and
Eddie Beeninga to defeat Black Hills State on Friday evening. The Dragons opened the East-West Challenge with a 69-57 win over the Yellow Jackets.
The Dragons would begin the game with a 10-4 lead as four different MSUM players would score.
Jacob Jennissen and
Logan Kinsey would score inside baskets before
Sam Hastreiter and
Eddie Beeninga would drain threes.
Shaun Wysocki and
Jacob Beeninga would keep MSUM in front with buckets of their own.
Hastreiter would connect on his second three-pointer of the half to build a seven-point advantage with just over 10 minutes to play. Kinsey would break a three-minute cold spell for the Dragons to keep the lead at seven points. Before halftime,
Adam Jenkins and
Tysen Gerads would each score for the Dragons to push the lead into double digits. The elder Beeninga would score with six seconds remaining to give MSUM a 39-25 halftime lead.
In the first half, MSUM held Black Hills State to 31.4 percent shooting from the floor. On the flipside, MSUM shot a nice 45.7 percent from the field and only committed one turnover through 20 minutes. The Dragons also made all four of their foul shots to maintain the lead.
Out of the locker room, it was
Eddie Beeninga who snapped a 6-0 Yellow Jackets run with a three to make the score 42-31 in favor of the Dragons. Eventually, Black Hills State would come within two points (50-48) with over seven minutes to play in the contest. MSUM would surge from there, using an 11-2 run to push in front, 61-50. The Beeninga brothers would lead the charge, scoring seven of the 11 points.
The cushion would prove to be enough room for the Dragons, who would continue to score as the minutes ticked away. Kinsey would score his 10
th point of the game with just over two minutes to go as the Dragons led 65-54. MSUM would shoot 41.9 percent from the floor for the game to win 69-57. The Dragons also held a plus-five advantage on the glass (47-42) in the victory. In an all-around effort, the senior Beeninga led the way for MSUM with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists.
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Up Next
MSUM (3-0) will wrap the East-West Challenge tomorrow in a 4 p.m. matchup with South Dakota Mines.
