MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead men's basketball is set to host a pair of NSIC clashes with high stakes this week. The Dragons battle UMary on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting Minot State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Fans can watch the contests on the Dragon Digital Network with Steve d'Eustachio on play-by-play and Jared Bledsoe on commentary. 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...UMary won the first meeting between the two programs on December 13, 96-90. The Marauder victory snapped a seven-game Dragon winning streak which dated back to the 2021-22 season. Prior to December's victory, UMary had not defeated Moorhead since December 2, 2021. However, MSUM has not fallen to the Marauders at home since December 22, 2020 with the Dragons having won the last six meetings with the Marauders inside Nemzek Fieldhouse. Moorhead has dominated in those home contests as well, outscoring UMary 507-385 for a plus-20.4 point margin per game. The Dragons defeated Minot State in their first meeting on December 11, topping the Beavers 90-79 at the MSU Dome, led by 18 points from Sam Hastreiter. Moorhead has won the last three meetings with the Beavers, including last season's NSIC Tournament Championship. Since the 2018-19 season, MSUM is 12-2 against the Beavers. Minot State's two wins in that stretch came inside Nemzek Fieldhouse.
One Mean El-Amin...True freshman point guard Isa El-Amin turned in a pair of strong scoring performances for the Dragons last week. El-Amin scored 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting in a victory over Jamestown on Thursday. This included making four of five three-point attempts, with several coming down the stretch in the game. El-Amin followed that up with a 20-point showing against Northern State on Saturday, shooting 58.3 percent for the contest. For the week, El-Amin connected on 65.4 percent of his shot attempts with six made triples. So far this season, El-Amin has scored 338 points for a 14.1 points per game average. It is the second straight season a Dragon true freshman has scored 300 or more points in a year (Carson Johnson).
Beeninga Making A Splash...Since entering the starting lineup on January 31, senior Eddie Beeninga has jolted the Dragons on both ends. Beeninga scored 12 points against Jamestown on Thursday before scoring six points against Northern State. In his three games as a starter, Beeninga is averaging 7.6 points while sinking seven three-point attempts.
Hondl Hits...True freshman Sam Hondl was 'Mr. Big Shot' in MSUM's narrow victory over Jamestown on Thursday. A Dragon shot attempt that went awry in the closing seconds resulted in a scramble for the ball with Hondl coming away with the offensive rebound. The Avon, Minn., native fired up a quick turnaround jumper with just under four seconds remaining, finding all net while being fouled. The clutch jumper from the freshman helped the Dragons to a 76-74 victory over the Jimmies. The win over Jamestown was MSUM's first since December 1, 2015.
Honoring Seniors...Saturday's contest against Minot State will serve as Dragon men's basketball's Senior Day, honoring six student-athletes. Sam Hastreiter, Landin Hacker, Eddie Beeninga, Will Kinsey, Timaris Brown, Kabine Kaba and Rodrick Payne will be recognized for their contributions to the program in a pregame ceremony.
Jason Kemp is in his first season as MSUM's head men's basketball coach.
Scouting The Opposition
UMary
2025 Record: 5-19 (3-15 NSIC)
2024 Record: 5-26 (3-19 NSIC)
Head Coach: Darren Tighe (1st Season)
Nickname: Marauders
Top Marauder: Kelton Coleman (13.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 SPG)
Minot State
2025 Record: 10-14 (7-11 NSIC)
2024 Record: 26-10 (14-8 NSIC)
Head Coach: Randall Herbst (1st Season)
Nickname: Beavers
Top Beaver: Deuce Benjamin (19 PPG, 3 RPG, 41.8 FG%)
