MANKATO, Minn. --- The No. 22 Minnesota State men's basketball team begins its final regular season homestand this weekend as it welcomes in the University of Mary Marauders Friday (8 p.m.) and the Minot State Beavers on Saturday (6 p.m.).

MSU's Upcoming Opponents

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
1/31	University of Mary	Mankato, Minn.	8 p.m.
2/1	Minot State	Mankato, Minn.	6 p.m.

Against the University of Mary: Friday's game between the Mavericks and the Marauders will be the eighth encounter between them. MSU leads the all-time series with a 6-1 record and has won the last two meetings against U-Mary.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 6-1 record against the Marauders, including a 3-0 record at Taylor Center.

Against Minot State: Saturday's game between will be the second encounter between the Mavericks and the Beavers. MSU won its only meeting against Minot State last season by the score of 83-72

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 1-0 record against the Beavers. Minot State will be making its first trip to Taylor Center.

Concerning the Mavericks: The Mavericks posted a 1-1 record on their most recent road trip, including a 73-57 loss to Winona State, before defeating the Upper Iowa Peacocks 95-78. MSU now stands in a tie with Bemidji State for second place in the NSIC standings with an 11-3 conference record. The Mavericks own a 17-4 overall record.

Junior Assem Marei led the Mavericks in scoring last weekend with an average of 22.5 points, to go along with nine rebounds per game. Junior Zach Monaghan averaged 16.5 points and six assists per game, while senior Gage Wooten averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

On the season, Minnesota State is averaging 85.3 points and 41.1 rebounds per game, and has limited its opponents to an average of 68.7 points per game. As a team, MSU is shooting 49.7% from the field and 40.2% from behind the three point line.

Marei currently leads the MSU offense with an average of 16.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is also 37th in the nation with a shooting percentage of 59.3.

Monaghan is averaging 13.8 points and 7.7 assists per game. His 162 assists are currently the most in NCAA Division II.
 
Concerning the Marauders: The University of Mary enters the weekend the owner of a 5-14 record, including a 3-11 mark in NSIC play. The Marauders have won three of their last four games including wins over St. Cloud State (88-83), Minnesota Duluth (83-67) and Minnesota Crookston (74-56). It's only blemish during that stretch came in a loss to Bemidji State (68-59).

Marc Musungayi leads the U-Mary offense with an average of 13.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Devan Douglas is averaging 8.9 points per game and has passed out a team-high 34 assists.

As a team, the Marauders are shooting 45.2% from the field and are averaging 33.7 rebounds per game.

The University of Mary is coached by Jevin Budde, who is now in his third season at the helm of the Marauder basketball program. He currently owns a 17-55 record.

Concerning the Beavers: Minot State enters the weekend the owner of a 7-11 record, including a 3-11 record in NSIC play. The Beavers have lost three of their last four games to Minnesota Duluth (88-80), St. Cloud State (88-85) and Bemidji State (84-68). It's lone win during that stretch came against Minnesota Crookston (78-59).

E.J. Williams leads the Beaver offense with an average of 15.5 points per game. Samuel Johnson is averaging 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds as well.

As a team, Minot State is shooting 43.6% from the field and is averaging 37.8 rebounds per game.

The Beavers are coached by Matt Murken, who is in his second season at the helm of the men's basketball program. He currently owns a 17-21 overall record.

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