Mankato, Minn. --- The eighth-ranked Minnesota State men's basketball team resumes its three game road trip this weekend as it travels to St. Cloud State Friday (8 p.m.), and Minnesota Duluth Saturday (6 p.m.).
What Just Happened: Minnesota State extended its winning streak to seven games as it defeated the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears 86-70 Tuesday evening. The win improved MSU's record to 13-1, including a league leading 9-1 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. Five Mavericks posted at least 10 points in the contest including sophomore
Assem Marei, who tallied 18 points, five rebounds and a career-high five assists. Senior
Jarvis Williams and sophomore
Zach Romashko added 13 points each, with Williams adding eight rebounds as well. Junior
Gage Wooten and sophomore
Lucas Brown posted 11 and 10 points, respectively.
NSIC Player of the Week: For his efforts this past weekend, sophomore
Zach Monaghan was named the NSIC Player of the Week. In MSU's two wins, Monaghan averaged 21 points a game, while passing out nine assists and posting seven steals. He also finished 14-of-14 from the line.
Minnesota State History: The 2012-13 season marks the 91st campaign as a varsity sport for Minnesota State men’s basketball. The Mavericks are 1,198-842 (.587) in 2,040 games since the program’s inception in the 1920-21 season. MSU capped its 33rd and final season as a member of the NCC in 2008 and owned a 283-267 (.515) record in 550 league games played. In the NSIC, MSU owns a 63-29 (.684) record to go with a pair of regular-season championships.
The Mavericks have made seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament, going 12-9 (.571) in those trips.
A Little About St. Cloud State: The St. Cloud State Huskies enter the weekend riding a three-game winning streak, including wins over Southwest Minnesota State (71-69), Sioux Falls (83-73) and Minnesota Duluth (81-66). Boasting a 12-2 record, SCSU is currently tied with Winona State and Northern State for second place in the NSIC standings with an 8-2 league record.
SCSU is tied with Northern State for the top spot in the Northern Division with identical conference records of 8-2. In their only meeting this season, the Huskies defeated the Wolves 73-54. SCSU is 5-1 at home this season, and the Mavericks have not won at St. Cloud since the 2007-08 season.
Theo Rothstein is leading the Huskies in scoring, averaging 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. Shaun Jensen is the only other SCSU player averaging more than 10 points per game as he is averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per game.
The Huskies are coached by Kevin Schlagel, who has been at the helm of the SCSU program for the last 16 seasons. Schlagel owns a 313-143 record.
Series History: Minnesota State is 79-89 all-time against St. Cloud State. The Huskies have won the last two encounters against the Mavericks. MSU has not won at St. Cloud since the 2007-08 season. Junior Connor O'Brien averaged 18 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games against the Huskies last season.
A Little About Minnesota Duluth: The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are currently 4-10 on the season and 2-8 in league play. UMD's 2-8 conference record places the Bulldogs in sixth place in the Northern Division and 13 in the overall league standings. Last season, MSU split the season series with the Bulldogs with an 89-82 win in Duluth and an 85-78 loss in Mankato.
UMD is currently on a three-game losing streak with losses to Sioux Falls (76-55), Southwest Minnesota State (76-64) and St. Cloud State (81-66). The Bulldogs are 3-4 at home this season.
Brett Ervin is leading the UMD offense, averaging 15.4 ppg. Jake Hottenstineis averaging 15 points per game, while Reece Zoelle is averaging 11.1 points per game.
UMD is coached by the reigning NSIC Coach of the Year Matt Bowen, who is in his first year at Minnesota Duluth. Bowen currently owns a 4-10 record at UMD.
Series History: The Mavericks are 38-30 all-time against the Bulldogs. MSU and UMD split the season series last season. Sophomore Zach Romashko averaged 21 points and 8.5 rebounds in the Mavericks two games against the Bulldogs last season.
To view the complete release click
HERE
