MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead men's basketball is set for a pair of road NSIC matchups this week. The Dragons travel to take on Southwest Minnesota State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before facing off with Sioux Falls on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Saturday's game can also be listened to on AM 1100/FM 92.3 with Jace Denman and 'Big Game' James McCarty on the call. 

Matchup History...MSUM and SMSU have already met up once this season in non-conference action. Moorhead defeated the Mustangs 78-68 on November 29 as part of the CSP Thanksgiving Classic. Dominic Gooden paced the Dragons with 27 points in the victory. Entering Friday's contest, MSUM has claimed five of the last six games against SMSU. The lone loss came last season in Marshall with the 'Stangs winning a 59-53 rockfight. Since the 2009-10 season, Moorhead has won 12 of 18 meetings with the Mustangs. However, four of those six losses came inside the R/A Facility. The Dragons and Cougars have split the last four games with one another with USF holding the most recent victory. The Coo defeated the Dragons 81-76 inside the Stewart Center on Janaury 11, 2025. While the all-time series has not been lengthy, neither team has held a winning streak of more than three games. Since Sioux Falls joined the NSIC, the Dragons are 8-6 against the Coo. 

KB's Extra Gear...Senior forward Kabine Kaba played a vital role in MSUM's 84-73 win over Wayne State on Saturday. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native scored a team-high 13 points while also snaring nine rebounds. Of Kaba's nine boards, six came on the offensive glass. Kaba shot 66.6 percent from the floor for the game. The 13-point output is the second-highest tally of the season for Kaba. 

It's A Beeninga Thing...Senior Eddie Beeninga contributed in a major way against Wayne State on Saturday. Beeninga, who has been battling for minutes all season, would score six points in 16 minutes of action on Saturday. This included a pair of three-pointers on four attempts. Beeninga's second three turned the tides of the game in the second half, helping Moorhead clinch the contest. The Maple Grove, Minn., native was his typical self on defense as well, securing two steals and a blocked shot. 

Birkholz Stays Ready...Junior guard Levi Birkholz turned in another pair of strong games off the bench for Moorhead last weekend. Birkholz scored 11 points with five rebounds against Augustana on Friday. On Saturday against Wayne State, Birkholz netted another 10 points with nine rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes of work. The Lake Mills, Wis., native shot 53.8 percent (7-13) from the floor over the two games. 

Freshmen Rising...True freshmen Isa El-Amin and Sam Hondl have seen their roles expand over the last two weeks for Moorhead. El-Amin averaged 11.5 points and six assists for MSUM last week, including an eight-assist showing against Augustana. Hondl averaged 13 points on 66.6 percent (10-15) shooting. The Avon, Minn., native scored 15 points against Augustana on Friday, a new collegiate career high. 

Top Offense...Moorhead continues to lead the NSIC in scoring offense, posting 86.7 points per game. The scoring average also places the Dragons in the top 11 percent nationally. Heading into this weekend's games, MSUM is ranked 33rd in the country in scoring offense.

Jason Kemp is in his first season as MSUM's head men's basketball coach. 

Scouting The Opposition

Southwest Minnesota State
2025 Record: 12-5 (10-2 NSIC)
2024 Record: 21-9(16-6 NSIC)
Head Coach: Brad Bigler (17th Season)
Nickname: Mustangs
Top 'Stang: Jakob Braaten (15.7 PPG, 6 RPG, 5.1 APG, 49.2 FG%)

Sioux Falls
2025 Record: 10-8 (7-5 NSIC)
2024 Record: 16-13 (12-10 NSIC)
Head Coach: Chris Johnson (18th Season)
Nickname: Cougars
Top Coo: Brogan Madson (18.1 PPG, 2.9 APG, 47.2 FG%)