(MSUM Athletics) MOORHEAD — MSU Moorhead’s men’s basketball team (13-2, 8-1 NSIC) will battle Northern State (12-3, 8-1 NSIC) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. inside Nemzek Fieldhouse. The game will pit the two top teams in the NSIC against one another to determine who will sit atop the conference standings.
The game was initially scheduled for December 31, but was adjusted to Tuesday as part of the NSIC’s schedule reshuffling after winter weather struck the area in mid-December.
Jacob Beeninga leads the Dragons with 16.2 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field this season. Dane Zimmer averages a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest and is coming off a stretch where he snared 11 or more rebounds in three of his last four games. Senior Gavin Baumgartner averages 3.6 assists per contest and has 51 total assists so far this season.
Tim Bergstraser is in his first season as head coach of MSU Moorhead.
Streaking
MSUM is currently on a 10-game winning streak dating back to November 25. The Dragons last lost against Northern State on November 22 and have since rattled off 10 in a row, the longest win streak since 2015-16.
Clamping Down
The Dragons have held their opponent to less than 60 points in three consecutive games. Minnesota Duluth, the best statistical offense in the NSIC, only mustered 58 points against the Dragons on January 1. MSUM followed up that performance by giving up just 52 and 57 points to Wayne State and Augustana respectively. Currently, the Dragons are second to Southwest Minnesota State in opponents points per game. On average, MSUM only gives up 65.2 points per game to the opposition.
In Between The Margins
MSUM has the best scoring margin in the NSIC so far this season, outscoring teams by 14.2 points per game on average. That mark is in the top 30 in the nation currently. In this current 10-game win streak, the Dragons have won by 14 or more points in eight (consecutive) of those wins.
Great Dane
In Saturday’s win over Augustana, junior forward Dane Zimmer collected his 600th career rebound. Zimmer sits at 824 career points and has the opportunity to pass the 1,000-point threshold yet this season. For his career, Zimmer shoot 62.7 percent from the field, which would be a school record for best career field goal percentage.
All Eyes On Baumgartner
As his senior year moves forward, Gavin Baumgartner continues to etch himself in the Dragons record books. With 352 career assists, Baumgartner is third all-time in school history. After this past weekend, the senior sits at 1,720 career points, fifth all-time in MSUM history. Baumgartner is 78 points shy of passing Kevin Mulder for fourth on the all-time scoring list.
Know Your Enemy
The Wolves are the lone team to beat the Dragons in conference play, beating MSUM 84-75 in Aberdeen on November 22. The Dragons were without Gavin Baumgartner and Gabe Myren in that game as Northern State would shoot an improbable 58.6 percent from the field in the contest. This included a 67.9 percent clip in the first half as the Wolves built an early lead that the Dragons could not come back from.
Senior Sam Masten leads the Wolves with 17.9 points per game so far this season. Northern State has four players averaging double figures in Masten, Jacksen Moni, Jordan Belka and Augustin Reede. Masten also leads the Wolves with 7.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists per contest. Northern State shoots 47.4 percent from the field on average with a 38.2 percent mark from three-point range. Averaging 81.7 points per game as a team, the Wolves are second in the NSIC in team offense just behind Minnesota Duluth.
While Northern State surrenders 70.6 points per game to opponents, they are still second in the conference in scoring margin. Their 11.1 scoring margin is second to only MSUM in the NSIC. In their games this past weekend, the Wolves dominated both Augustana and Wayne State at Wachs Arena. In those two games, Northern State outscored the Vikings and Wildcats 182-133 with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. Currently, the Wolves are riding a six-game win streak coming into Tuesday’s game.
Saul Phillips is in his fourth season as head coach of Northern State.
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