FULL PDF NOTEBOOK

THIS WEEK: Minot State begins its first season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a clash at Bismarck with intrastate rival University of Mary Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Bismarck Civic Center.

RECORDS: MISU is 1-2 overall, 0-0 in the NSIC and 0-0 in the NSIC North. U-Mary is 1-3 on the season, 0-0 in NSIC play and 0-0 in NSIC North.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Matt Murken begins his first season at the helm of the Beavers. He is 1-2 overall with Minot State and is 47-18 overall. Jevin Budde is in his second season at U-Mary and is 9-21 overall.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MSU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at msubeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible through the home page.

RANKINGS: Minot State and the University of Mary were not ranked in the latest NABC Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers blasted NCAA Division III Northland College 86-27 in the 2012-13 home opener for Minot State last week. U-Mary dropped a pair of games at the FSC Ledger Media Group/Terrace Hotel Classic in Lakeland, Fla., falling 65-64 to Saint Joseph's College (Ind.) and 82-75 to Florida Southern College.

OVERALL SERIES: Minot State and the University of Mary will play each other for the first time as NSIC rivals, but the two played in both the NDCAC and Dakota Athletic Conference. As Division II members, Minot State leads the series 1-0.

NOTING THE MARAUDERS: The University of Mary played two different NCAA Division I schools to start its season, taking on No. 8 ranked Creighton University in exhibition play and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the road. The Marauders were respectable in both, falling 89-51 at Creighton and 76-46 at Wisconsin-Milwaukee… U-Mary has only allowed 107 rebounds through four games, averaging just 26.8 rebounds allowed… Josh Turner and Alex Dorr lead the Marauders in scoring and have taken turns being UM's leading scorer through four games. Turner scored 10 points against Milwaukee and 19 vs. Florida Southern, while Dorr had 20 in a win over Mayville State and 17 at St. Joseph's… Dorr is averaging 14.5 points and 12.0 rebounds on the season, picking up three double-doubles so far… Four U-Mary players have double digit turnovers as the Marauders have coughed up the ball 80 times (20.0 per game).

THE BEAVERS ON TV: Minot State and NBC North Dakota continue a storied partnership with Saturday's games televised on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network. Viewers in Minot should tune into KMOT-TV, while the broadcast will be available on KFYR-TB in Bismarck, N.D.; KUMV-TV in Williston, N.D.; and KQCD-TV in Dickinson, N.D. KFYR-TV sports director Lee Timmerman will handle play-by-play duties with Scott Westerberg of KFYR-TV providing color commentary.

MISU STRETCHES ITS LIVE COVERAGE: Minot State University, in conjunction with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live video feeds for all home contest, all away NSIC games and select nonconference away games. Stretch Internet is an industry leader is live streaming video and offers live chat and On Demand replay video for select games. Log on to msubeavers.com/stayconnected for more information and to view live video.

THE MURKEN ERA BEGINS: Minot State hired former Jamestown College head coach Matt Murken in July, replacing Peter Stewart, who coached for two seasons. Murken, who was 46-16 in two years at JC, won his first game as a Beaver, topping Northland College 86-27. It was also his first win at the MSU Dome.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Minot State's Dominique McDonald (Fr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) has been very good over his first three collegiate contests. He is tied for the team lead in scoring with a 10.0 average, knocking down a career-high 21 points against Colorado Mines. He is also averaging 2.7 rebounds and four assists as a true freshman. His 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio is tied for third in the Northern Sun.

THE SWAT TEAM RETURNS: And by team we mean the one-man swatting machine that is Kelvin Fraser (Sr., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.). Fraser is the school's all-time blocked shots leader, standing at 86 heading into the weekend's games. He shattered the single-season record in his first season, with 80 blocks. In fact, he set the single game (12), single season (80) and career (80) blocks record in the same season. This year, he has six blocks to go along with an 8.3 points-per-game average.

CASHING IN ON FREE ONES: Minot State has hit 45 of 58 free throws so far this season, second in the NSIC. The Beavers have five players who haven't missed a free throw yet, paced by E.J. Williams (Jr., G, Raleigh, N.C.), Josh Johnson (Sr., F, Lufkin, Texas) and Anthony Enriquez (Sr., G, Tacoma, Wash.) who are a combined 17 for 17. Williams is 8 for 8 so far in 2012-13. In all, Minot State has 7 of 11 players who have taken a free throw shooting 80 percent or better and 10 of 11 better than 62.5.

EAST CONTINUES TO REBOUND: The Beavers guard Chris East (Jr., Toronto, Ontario) has been a rebounding machine since arriving on campus last season. While listed as a guard, the 6-foot-5 East has played multiple positions and usually finds himself in the paint. He is second overall in the NSIC in rebounds, pulling down 10.3 per game. East is also second in the conference in offensive rebounds, averaging 4.0 per game. He led the Beavers in 2011-12 in total rebounds with a 7.4 per-game average.