FULL PDF NOTEBOOK   |  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO   |  LIVE AUDIO  |  TICKETS

RECORDS: MISU is 3-0 overall and 0-0 in Northern Sun play this season. Valley City State 1-5 overall and 0-0 in North Star Athletic Association play.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Matt Murken is in his second season as head coach of the Beavers. He is 13-17 with Minot State and is 59-33 throughout his coaching career. In his first season with the MISU, Murken increased the Beavers' win total by six from the previous year including the program's first ever win against a NCAA Division II ranked opponent (68-62, No. 19 St. Cloud State, Jan. 5, 2012). Valley City State University is coached by Jeff Kaminsky. Kaminsky is in his ninth season at the helm of the Vikings program and has led VCSU to 20-plus win seasons four of the last six seasons.

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 at msubeavers.com/stayconnected.

RANKINGS: Minot State was not ranked in the latest NABC Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Valley City State was not ranked in the latest NABC NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers are off to one of the best starts in school history, recording three wins right out of the gates. On Sunday Nov. 17, Minot State took down Presentation College, scoring a season-high 83 points in the win. The Vikings recorded their first win of the season on Nov. 16 when they beat Silver Lake College 76-69 at the Viterbo University Tournament. VCSU then fell to Dickinson State on their home floor, 60-57.

OVERALL SERIES: Dating back to the 1980-81 season, Minot State and Valley City State and deadlocked in a 35-35 overall series.

NOTING THE VIKINGS: Although Valley City State has only won once in 2013-14, the Vikings have been competitive in every game. VCSU has only lost one game by more than 10 points, coming at the hands of the top ranked team in NAIA, Cardinal Stritch (Wis.). A.J. McDonald has been the main scoring threat for the Vikings so far this season, averaging 18.5 points per game. McDonald also dishes out 5.3 assists per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. Valley City has struggled from behind the arc this year, hitting just 27. 8 percent of their three-point shots. Aaron Duske will also be another play to watch for VCSU as he averages 14.5 points per game and leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.

CLEANING THE GLASS: One of the biggest keys to Minot State's early season success has been their ability to rebound the basketball. The Beavers, who are averaging 46.7 rebounds per game, have out rebounded their opponents 140-80 so far this season, a rebounding margin of plus-20. Last season when MISU went 10-17, they had a minus-1.4 rebounding margin and only out-rebounded the opposition 10 times. In those 10 games the Beavers were just 4-6 overall.

GETTING TO THE CHARITY STRIPE: E.J. Williams (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) has attempted 30 free throws in just three games this season. Williams has converted on 25-of-30 attempts for a .833 free throw percentage, leading the Beavers from the line (minimum 10 attempts). Williams is no stranger to success on the free throw stripe, in 2012 he hit 75-of-88 free throws (85.2%) to lead MISU.

KORF'S HOT START: Coming off a sophomore campaign where he hit 51 three-point shots, Thomas Korf (Jr., G, St. Cloud, Minn.) is on pace to shatter that number and possibly school records. Korf has already hit 10-of-21 three-point shots this season (47.6%) and is on pace to hit over 100 three-point shots on the season. He ranks second on the team averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting an even 50% from the floor.

COMING OUT PARTY: With a year of NCAA Division II playing experience, Samuel Johnson (Sr., F, Las Vegas, Nev.) knows what it takes to succeed at this level. After averaging 17.0 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game during two Minot State wins, the rest of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference knows what Johnson can do. NSIC officials named Johnson NSIC Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday Nov. 18, the first NSIC Player of the Week award in program history.

EFFICIENT MINUTES: After joining the program and redshirting in 2012, Lazar Boskovic (Jr., F, Belgrade, Serbia) is making the most of his minutes this season. Boskovic has put up 6.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game despite just seeing the floor for 13.0 minutes per game. The 6-10 Boskovic has seen foul trouble, committing 12 fouls in just three games on the year.

PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: Last season, Chris East (Sr., F, Toronto, Ontario) led Minot State with 178 rebounds on the year for 6.6 rebounds per game. So far in 2013, East has collected 30 rebounds in three games (10.0 rpg). East now has 424 career rebounds at Minot State.

BY THE NUMBERS
238: Sunday's game between the Beavers and Vikings will be the 71st game since the beginning of the 1980-81 season. The most notable and high-scoring game between the two teams came in 1990 when MISU and VCSU combined for 238 points in a 120-118 Viking victory.

16: After sitting out the majority of the preseason due to injury, Dominque McDonald (So., G, Raleigh, N.C.) played 16 minutes in his season debut against Presentation College. McDonald, who led MISU in assists a season ago, scored three points, dished out three assists and grabbed four rebounds in the win.

57.3: Along with rebounding, the Beavers defense seems much improved from that of a year ago. This season Minot State has allowed just 57.3 points per game and held opponents to just 35.6% shooting from the floor.