MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team's three-game road trip concludes this weekend as it takes on Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, at 8:00 p.m., before squaring off with Sioux Falls on Saturday, at 6:00 p.m.

Minnesota State History: The 2015-16 season marks the 94th campaign as a varsity sport for Minnesota State men's basketball. The Mavericks are 1,281-863 (.597) in 2,144 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 an 118-44 (.728) record to go with four regular-season championships and two tournament championships.

The Mavericks made their 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. MSU owns a 15-12 record (.555) in NCAA Tournament play and most recently lost to Northwest Missouri State 59-56. The Mavericks have hosted four of the last six NCAA Central Region Tournaments at Taylor Center.
 
Earlier this Week: The Mavericks kicked off their road trip with a dominant showing at Concordia-St. Paul as they defeated the Golden Bears 82-66 to sweep the season series. With its NSIC victory, MSU moved into a tie for fourth place in the NSIC standings with the University of Mary.

Sophomore Alex Herink made the biggest impact in Tuesday's game against CSP as he notched a career-high 27 points, while shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the arc.  Fifteen of his points came in the second half. Junior Jon Fuqua also had a solid night as he tallied 16 points and eight rebounds, with the majority of each coming in the second half as well.

Freshman Joey Witthus added 11 points and eight rebounds to his stat sheet against the Golden Bears, while senior Lucas Brown notched eight points and a career-high six assists.

As a team, MSU shot 50.9% (28-of-55) from the field, including a 9-of-19 (.474) performance from long rang. The Mavericks also cashed in at the free throw line as they connected on 17-of-20 (.850) opportunities. Minnesota State also hauled in 40 rebounds and passed out 20 assists to go with seven blocks.

Against the Mustangs: Friday's encounter between the Mavericks and the Mustangs marks the 53rd all-time meeting between them, with MSU owning a 39-13 series edge, including wins in their last seven games.

Last season, sophomore TJ Lake averaged 13 points per game against Southwest Minnesota State, while sophomore Alex Herink tallied eight points and four rebounds a game.

Matt Margenthaler owns an 18-7 record against Southwest Minnesota State, including a 7-3 record on the road.

Against the Cougars: Saturday's game between the Mavericks and the Cougars marks the 14th all-time meeting. MSU holds an 11-2 edge in the series, including wins in its last eight games with USF.

Last season, the Mavericks averaged 77 points and 31.5 rebounds per game against the Cougars last season, to go with a 48.1 field goal percentage.

Matt Margenthaler owns an 8-1 all-time record against Sioux Falls, including a 3-1 record on the road.

Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State enters the weekend with a 13-5 record, including an 8-4 NSIC record. MSU recently defeated Concordia-St. Paul 82-66 on the road

Senior Jalen Pendleton currently leads the MSU offense with 15.1 points and 5.0 assists per game, with junior Jon Fuqua averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. Freshman Joey Witthus is averaging 11.8 points per game as well, and is leading MSU with 50 three-point field goals.

As a team, MSU is averaging 83.1 points per game, while giving up 73.5 points a game, which rank third and seventh in the NSIC, respectively. The Mavericks also boast the third-highest three-point field goal percentage with a mark of 39.6.

Concerning the Mustangs: Southwest Minnesota State enters the weekend with an 8-9 overall record, including a 4-8 NSIC record, which puts it in a tie for 12th place in the conference standings. SMSU has lost its last five games, including a pair of road losses to Northern State (79-63) and MSU Moorhead (115-82) last weekend.

Mitch Weg leads the Mustangs with an average of 12.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season. Ryan Bruggeman has passed out a team-leading 68 assists, while Joey Bartlett has averaged 11.4 points per game.

As a team, SMSU is shooting 48.4% from the field, including a mark of 34.3% from behind the arc. The Mustangs are also hauling in 34.8 rebounds a game.

Brad Bigler is in his seventh season at the helm of the Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team. He owns a 103-89 record.

Concerning the Cougars: The Sioux Falls men's basketball team enters the week the owner of a 10-8 overall record, including a 5-7 NSIC record, which places it in a tie for ninth place in the conference standings. USF has lost its last three games, including a pair of road losses to MSU Moorhead (78-55) and Northern State (73-68).

Mack Johnson is leading the USF offense with an average of 15.5 points per game. Daniel Hurtt is averaging 12.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as well, while Kebu Johnson has passed out a team-leading 71 assists.

As a team, USF is shooting 45.9% from the field, including a shooting percentage of .355 from behind the arc. The Cougars have also passed out 240 assists and have blocked 64 shots.

Chris Johnson is in is eighth season as head coach of the USF Cougars.