TOPEKA, Kan. – For the first time in a decade, MSU Moorhead men's basketball will play for a Central Region Championship. The Dragons defeated Winona State in the NCAA Central Region Semifinals on Sunday, 70-59.
MSUM would take a small lead to open play before the Dragons got hot from long range.
Jacob Beeninga got the fun started with a triple before
Carson Johnson followed suit with a deep ball of his own. Johnson would connect again not long after to provide the Dragons a six-point advantage midway through the first half. MSUM was not done from deep either as
Will Kinsey would sink a signature baseline triple to have the Dragons up 21-13.
JaMir Price would keep the Dragon offense scoring despite some tough defense from Winona State. The senior made four foul shots to help keep MSUM up seven points with time waning in the first half. In total, MSUM made nine of 10 free throws through the first 20 minutes to lead by nine points (33-24) at the break. The Dragons would possess the comfortable lead despite shooting just 35.7 percent from the floor in the half.
A three from
Shaun Wysocki out of the gates in the second half gave the Dragons their largest lead of the game in 12 points. Leading 40-28, Winona State would begin to chip away at MSUM. The Warriors went on a 9-0 run to pull the count within three points five minutes into the half. Winona State would get as close as two points before Johnson created some separation with another three.
Midway through the half, MSUM would surge out on a 9-0 run of their own to push the lead back out to 12 points. Johnson nailed another three, followed by a nifty finish from Beeninga to force a Warrior timeout. From there, Johnson would fully find his rhythm, sinking basket after basket, headlined by a four-point play, his third of the season. With four minutes to play, MSUM led 61-50. While Winona State would come as close as eight points down the stretch, MSUM would convert on the foul shots needed for victory. In total, the Dragons shot 20 of 23 from the line to help claim the 70-59 victory.
Johnson led the Dragons with 26 points, draining five threes. Price and Beeninga added 11 points each for the Dragons.
Top Dragons
Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game
Between February 1997 and February 2014, the Dragons only mustered four wins against 28 losses versus Winona State. They've beaten the Warriors four times this year in a span of 58 days.
Up Next
MSUM (25-8) will now await their opponent in the NCAA Central Region Final. The Dragons will either take on top-seeded Washburn or fifth-seeded Concordia, St. Paul on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
