MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead men's basketball utilized a gritty and physical effort to defeat visiting Wayne State College on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons earned an 84-73 NSIC victory over the 'Cats.
The Dragons would possess a small lead in the early stages of the second half as
Kabine Kaba helped lead the Dragons. The senior scored four points while also controlling the glass to have Moorhead in front by three points. After the Wildcats would tie the game at nine points, MSUM would respond with an 8-0 run, capped by an inside basket from
Rodrick Payne. Just after the midway point of the first half, the Dragons led by seven points after a triple from
Timaris Brown. Moorhead did a wonderful job of distributing the ball around all half as 10 Dragons logged points through 20 minutes.
Tysen Gerads would keep the Dragons humming, connecting on an open three-pointer to stretch the MSUM lead to 11 points.
Eddie Beeninga would follow that up with a three of his own to give Moorhead a 35-21 lead. At halftime, MSUM led 43-33 behind nine points from Gerads, who shot a perfect three of three in the half. Kaba added eight points and four rebounds for the Dragons, who shot 51.6 percent from the floor in the half.
Wayne State would use defense to claw back into the contest as the second half commenced, cutting the Dragon lead to four points (43-39). The Wildcats would get the game to within a possession before Moorhead surged again, rebuilding their lead to seven points following a basket from
Isa El-Amin.
Sam Hondl would turn in a quick five-point burst to keep the Dragons up eight points midway through the half. Wayne State would show a zone defense, which was broken up quickly by the hot shooting of
Dominic Gooden. The redshirt junior cashed a pair of threes to put the Dragon lead at nine points, 66-57.
Following Gooden's pair of triples, it was Beeninga who provided what was potentially the game's true 'tide-turner'. Beeninga would catch the ball in the corner, launching a rhythm shot from long distance. The senior's shot somehow banked in from the baseline, erupting the Dragon crowd and delivering a 12-point lead. Beeninga's shot would spark the Dragons, who would go on to build an 18-point lead with just over three minutes to play. Wayne State would get as close as nine down the stretch, but Moorhead would seal the game thanks to baskets from El-Amin and
Levi Birkholz.
MSUM would claim the win 84-73 as Kaba led Moorhead with 13 points and nine rebounds. Of Kaba's nine boards, six came on the offensive glass. El-Amin, Hondl and Birkholz would all score in double figures with Birkholz also pulling down nine rebounds. The Dragons owned the glass all afternoon, holding a plus-18 advantage over the Wildcats. The effort from Beeninga cannot go unnoticed either as the senior scored six points, but was also pivotal on defense, earning two steals and a blocked shot.
Top Dragons
Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game
The Dragons have now beaten Wayne St. in 14 of their last 15 matchups.
Up Next
MSUM (10-8, 7-5 NSIC) returns to the road for cross-divisional games versus Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The weekend begins in Marshall, Minn., against the Mustangs on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
