MANKATO, Minn. --- Minnesota State wraps up its four-game road trip this weekend as it squares off with Minnesota Crookston on Friday and Bemidji State on Saturday. Game times are set for 8:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m., respectively.

Minnesota State History: The 2016-17 season marks the 95th campaign as a varsity sport for Minnesota State men's basketball. The Mavericks are 1,304-876 (.598) in 2,180 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 133-53 (.715) record to go with four regular-season championships and two tournament championships.

The Mavericks made their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this past season. MSU owns a 16-13 record (.551) in NCAA Tournament play, including an 85-81 win over MSU Moorhead and an 82-60 loss to Northwest Missouri State in the most recent trip to the tournament.

About Our Last Outings: Minnesota State went 1-1 last weekend on the road as it defeated Sioux Falls 68-67, before falling to Southwest Minnesota State 58-56.

Against USF, the Mavericks shot 45.1% from the field, including a 13-of-23 (.565) showing in the second half. MSU also recorded 32 rebounds and forced 15 Cougar turnovers.

Senior Jon Fuqua recorded a game-high 20 points in the win, while senior Aarias Austin notched 18 points. Sophomore Cole Harper, who finished the game with seven points, hit the game winning shot with 0.1 left on the clock.

Against the Mustangs, MSU shot 42.3% from the field and held a 38-33 advantage in rebounds.

Sophomore Joey Witthus led the MSU offense against the Mustangs with 13 points, while Harper added 10 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Jay Knuth finished one point shy of a double-double as he tallied nine points and 11 rebounds.

Against the Golden Eagles: Friday's game between Minnesota State and Minnesota Crookston represents their 23rd all-time meeting. MSU owns a 22-0 all-time record against UMC, including a 78-72 win at Taylor Center last season.

Sophomore Joey Witthus led the Maverick offense against the Golden Eagles last season with 19 points. Senior Jon Fuqua added 11 points and eight rebounds as well.

Head Coach Matt Margenthaler owns an 18-0 all-time record against Minnesota Crookston, including an 8-0 record on the road.

Against the Beavers: Saturday's game between Minnesota State and Bemidji State represents their 104th meeting. MSU leads the all-time series 68-35. The Mavericks went 1-1 against the Beavers last season.

Senior Jon Fuqua averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game against BSU last season

Head Coach Matt Margenthaler owns a 10-4 record against Bemidji State, including a 4-1 road record.

Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State owns a 13-7 overall record, including an 8-6 NSIC record. The Mavericks defeated Sioux Falls 68-67 before falling to Southwest Minnesota State 58-56.

As a team, Minnesota State is averaging 79.9 points and 36.2 rebounds per game this season, while shooting 47.2% from the field. MSU has also passed out 264 assists and has tallied 68 blocks.

Senior Jon Fuqua is leading the Mavericks with an average of 16.2 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. Sophomore Joey Witthus is averaging 15.5 points a game as well. Additionally, senior Aarias Austin is adding 11.4 points and a team-best 3.3 assists a game.

Matt Margenthaler is in his 16th season as head coach of the Mavericks and currently owns a 343-140 (.710) overall record, to go along with 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Concerning the Golden Eagles: Minnesota Crookston enters the week the owner of a 6-14 overall record, including a 2-12 NSIC record. UMC is on a five-game losing streak, including losses to the University of Mary (94-89) and Minot State (84-72) last weekend.
 
As a team, the Golden Eagles are averaging 73.3 points and 31.6 rebounds per game this season. UMC is also shooting 37.4% from behind the arc, and is passing out 11.8 assists per game.

Harrison Cleary leads the Golden Eagle offense with an average of 20.5 points a game. Chase Knickerbocker is averaging 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

The Golden Eagles are coached by Dan Weisse who is in his third season at Minnesota Crookston. He owns a 16-58 overall record.

Concerning the Beavers: Bemidji State enters the weekend the owner of a 7-12 overall record, including a 5-9 NSIC record. BSU earned a split last weekend as it fell to Minot State 79-71, before defeating the University of Mary 78-67.

The Beavers are averaging 77.6 points and 35.7 rebounds a game this season. BSU is shooting 46.8% from the field and has passed out 267 assists. 

Jai'Vionne Green is averaging a team-best 16.7 points per game this season. Ben Best is averaging a team-leading 4.7 rebounds a game, to go along with 13.2 points a game.

Mike Boschee is in his fifth season at Bemidji State. He owns a 61-69 overall record.