MANKATO, Minn. --- Behind its 21-9 record, the Minnesota State men's basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the fourth-straight season and will face MSU Moorhead in the opening round on Saturday, at 12:00 p.m.

The NCAA Central Region Tournament will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., with Augustana serving as host. The winner between the No. 3 seed Dragons and the No. 6 seed Mavericks will take on the winner of the first round-game between Northwest Missouri State and Ouachita Baptist on Sunday at 5:00 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 1,289-867 (.597) in 2,156 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 125-47 (.726) record to go with four regular-season championships and two tournament championships.

The Mavericks will make their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. MSU owns a 15-12 record (.555) in NCAA Tournament play, including a 59-56 loss to Northwest Missouri State last season. The Mavericks have hosted four NCAA Central Region Tournaments at Taylor Center.
 
Against the Dragons: Saturday's game between the Mavericks and MSU Moorhead marks the 93rd meeting between them, with the Mavericks owning a 60-32 record against the Dragons. MSU Moorhead has won the last four meetings, including a 94-89 overtime win in Taylor Center earlier this season.

Senior Jalen Pendleton led the Maverick offense against the Dragons with 28 points and six assists, while junior Jon Fuqua added 18 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Joey Witthus tallied 14 points of his own, while freshman Cole Harper notched eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Isaac Sevlie finished with a game-high 33 points for the Dragons, to go with nine rebounds. Ngijol Songolo tallied a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds as well.

MSU head coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 9-5 record against MSU Moorhead.

Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament after posting a 21-9 record.

Senior Jalen Pendleton leads the MSU offense with an average of 18.2 points and five assists per game. Junior Jon Fuqua is averaging 15.3 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds per game. Fuqua has a team-leading seven double-doubles on the season. Freshman Joey Witthus is averaging 12.1 points per game as well.

As a team, MSU is shooting 46.1% from the field this season and is averaging 40 rebounds per game. The Mavericks have passed out 426 assists as well.

Individual Top-10s in NSIC
Jalen Pendleton - Scoring, 7th (18.2 ppg)
Jon Fuqua - Rebounds, 4th (7.7 rpg)
Jon Fuqua - Shooting %, 3rd (55.4%)
Joey Witthus - 3pt %, 2nd (46.5%)
Jalen Pendleton - Assists, 3rd (5.0 apg)
Joey Witthus - Minutes, 1st (35.5 mpg)

Concerning the Dragons: MSU Moorhead received the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament after posting a 30-5 record.  The Dragons fell to Augustana 89-76 in the final round of the NSIC Tournament in their most recent outing.

Isaac Sevlie is averaging a team-leading 22.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season. Tanner Kretchman is posting 13.7 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists per game as well.

As a team, the Dragons are averaging 88.4 points per game this season and are shooting 50.5% from the field. MSUM is also shooting 40.7% from behind the arc and is averaging 39.3 rebounds a contest.

Chad Walthall is in his sixth season at the helm of the MSU Moorhead men's basketball team. He owns a 141-50 overall record with the Dragons.

Individual Top-10s in NSIC
Isaac Sevlie - Scoring, 1st (22.3 ppg)
Isaac Sevlie - Rebounds, 7th (6.9 rpg)
Isaac Sevlie - Shooting %, 1st (62.4%)
Tanner Kretchman - 3pt %, 4th (43.3%)
Aaron Lien - 3pt %, 5th (43.0%)
Tanner Kretchman - FT %, 9th (82.4%)
Tanner Kretchman - Assists, 2nd (5.8 apg)
Tyler Vaughan - Assists, 8th (3.8 apg)
Isaac Sevlie - Blocks, 2nd (1.8 bpg)
Tyler Vaughan - Steals, 10th (1.2 spg)
Tanner Kretchman - Minutes, 6th (32.8 mpg)
 
MSU NCAA Tournament History: The Minnesota State men's basketball team has reached the NCAA Tournament 12 times in its history. The Mavericks own a 15-12 overall record in their 12 visits to the tournament.

The Mavericks hosted their fourth NCAA Central Region Tournament at Taylor Center  in 2014. During the 2010-11 season, MSU advanced to the Final Four.

Our Last Outing: Minnesota State fell to the University of Mary 96-91 in overtime in the second round of the NSIC Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

MSU's overtime game against the Marauders marked its fifth overtime game of the season, matching a team record for most overtime games in a season set during the 1995-96 season.

Senior Jalen Pendleton finished with a double-double of 24 points and 11 assists, while junior Jon Fuqua added 22 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Joey Witthus notched 16 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Alex Herink chipped in with 10 points of his own.

As a team, MSU shot 45.7% from the field, to go with a 40.7% showing from behind the arc. The Mavericks also hauled in 41 rebounds and passed out 21 assists.