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RECORDS: Minot State is 6-8 overall and 2-8 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this season. The Bulldogs are currently 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the NSIC while the Huskies sit with a 11-3 overall record and are tied for first place in NSIC North with a 7-3 mark in the Northern Sun.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Matt Murken is in his second season as head coach of the Beavers. He is 16-25 with Minot State and is 62-41 throughout his four year head 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). The Bulldogs are coached by Matt Bowen. Bowen is in his second season as head coach at UMD and has posted a record of 14-27 in two years with the Bulldogs. Prior to being hired at UMD, Bowen was the head coach at NSIC foe Bemidji State University where he led BSU to a 22-9 mark in 2011-12, including a NSIC regular season championship and the schools second ever NCAA Division II Tournament berth. The Huskies are coached by Kevin Schlagel. Schlagel is in his 17th season and final season at the helm of the SCSU program, as he announced his retirement plans on Sept. 16, 2013. Over his 16 years as head coach the Huskies have averaged 20 wins a season. In addition, Schlagel's teams have won 17 or more games in season 15 times. His teams have posted nine 20-win seasons during his tenure with the Huskies.

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, University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State did not receive any votes in the Jan. 14 National Association of Basketball Coaches' Poll. Two Northern Sun teams cracked the top 25 as Winona State ranked No. 16 and Minnesota State ranks No. 20 in all of NCAA Division II.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers played their third consecutive road game in the Northern Sun and picked up a big 71-49 win over rival University of Mary on Dec. 20 in Bismarck, N.D. Minot State jumped out to a 39-22 lead and cruised over the Marauders as they never trailed in the game while holding U-Mary to just 37.5 percent shooting from the floor in the first half. Balance was also a key for the Beavers shooting as they started with a 50 percent clip in the first half and followed that up with a 55 percent shooting night in the second, making 28 of 54 on the night. MISU also won the rebounding battle 33-30. Wayne State and Augie faced each other in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Dec. 21 as the Vikings prevailed with a 77-55 win, their second win in the 2013-14 over WSC. The Wildcats held a 31-23 halftime advantage but the Vikings used a 55 point offensive output in the second half on 56.3 percent shooting from the field. For the game, Augustana committed just five personal fouls compared to Wayne State's 21 fouls.

OVERALL SERIES: Minot State does not have significant history with their St. Cloud State or Minnesota Duluth, and it's been fairly even thus far. Minot State holds a 3-1 all-time advantage over the Bulldogs, including a season sweep last year, but the Bulldogs beat the Beavers earlier this season by a score of 81-74.The Beavers are 1-2 against St. Cloud State all-time, with Minot State's win coming last season on Jan. 4 when the unranked Beavers knocked off No. 19 SCSU 68-62 on their home court. SCSU beat MISU earlier this season, 97-73.

NOTING THE BUDLLOGS: University of Minnesota Duluth didn't start Northern Sun play the way they had hoped as they lost their first three NSIC games. Since Dec. 13, the Bulldogs have played better going 4-3 with the key being performance on the offensive end of the floor. During the seven game stretch, UMD has averaged 70.5 points per game, and 79.5 points per game in the four games they have won. A trio of Bulldogs have taken most of the scoring load to UMD as Jordan Reetz (16.3 points per game), Peter Crawford (15.9 points per game) and Reece Zoelle (14.5 points per game) amount for two-thirds of the Bulldog offense. Zoelle also leads the lead with 5.6 rebounds per game. As a team, the Bulldogs have had trouble rebounding as they are outrebounded by an average of 3.9 rebounds per game and rank last in the NSIC with just 21.6 defensive rebounds per game.

NOTING THE HUSKIES: St. Cloud State has won their last three games the way they have won all season long, scoring a lot of points. The Huskies average 81.1 points per game during the 2013-14 season and have rattled off 85 or more points in seven games this season. During those seven games, SCSU has a record of 7-0. SCSU has four players averaging 10.0 or more points per game led by Jordan Poydras with 14.6 points per game. Matt Craggs is second in scoring with 12.1 points per game while also pulling down a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game. St. Cloud State also does a great job taking care of the basketball as they have only committed 120 turnovers on the season, by far the fewest by any team in the Northern Sun this season while also ranking No. 1 in all of NCAA Division II with just 8.6 turnovers per game.

KORF'S HOT SHOT: Early on during his junior season, Thomas Korf (G, St. Cloud, Minn.) had the hot hand from beyond the arc as he started his first five games shooting 46.7 percent on three-point shots. Korf may have found that hot hand again as he hit 5-of-7 three-pointers in the loss to No. 21 Winona State on Jan. 11. Korf led the Beavers in scoring with 17 points, the second time he has led the team in scoring this season.

DEFENSE WINS OUT: Over the Beavers' four-game losing streak they have struggled on the defensive end as they have given up 80.0 points per game. Prior to the four losses, MISU was giving up just 69.6 points per game. Minot State gave up an average 89 points to UMD and SCSU in the losses earlier this year.

EAST BREAKS 500 REBOUNDS: During the first half of the loss at No. 21 Winona State, Chris East (Sr., F, Toronto, Ontario) surpassed 500 career rebounds during his three years as a Beaver. East is now a member of a very elite club at Minot State that has over 500 points and 500 rebounds in a career. East currently has 554 points and 506 rebounds during his career at Minot State. If he maintains his 8.0 rebounds per game, East will end his career with the fourth most rebounds in school history.

NAME                    REBOUNDS    YEARS PLAYED
John Schaffer      774                    1985-1989
Greg Johnson     687                    1975-1978
David Brooks       681                    1990-1993
Kent Bloms          614                    2000-2004
Kevin Bohl            570                    1985-1989
Del Hovey             537                    1968-1971
Walter Bees         532                    1972-74
Jim Limke            518                    1964-1967
Chris East            506                    2010-Present
Ryan Johnson     420                    1999-2003

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: During Minot State's four-game losing streak, turning the ball over has been a major issue. Over this stretch, the Beavers are averaging 15.8 turnovers per game, the most by any team in the Northern Sun over the same four-game period. During the Beavers' six wins this season, they have averaged just 12.7 turnovers per game.

WILLIAMS HITS MILESTONE: Although he has played at Minot State for two seasons, E.J. Williams (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) has surpassed 500 career points in a Beaver uniform. As a junior, Williams led MISU in scoring with 308 total points (11.4 points per game) and this season he has improved 207 points for a 14.8 per game average. Williams will look to add to his 515 career points this weekend against two teams he averages 12.8 points per game over his career.

CRASHING THE BOARDS: On of the strengths all season for Minot State has been their ability to rebound the ball. The Beavers are second in the Northern Sun in rebounds per game, pulling down 38.9 rebounds per game, just 2.6 rebounds per game behind No. 20 Minnesota State (41.5 rpg).

MCDONALD HITS A SEASON HIGH: Since returning from a foot injury early this season, Dominique McDonald (So., G, Raleigh, N.C.) has been a spark for coach Murken. McDonald has come to lead the Beavers in assists with 3.7 assists per game. He also dropped a season-high 17 points and four assists in a 88-71 loss to Upper Iowa University.

BY THE NUMBERS
97: St. Cloud State rattled off a season-best 97 points against Minot State earlier this season which was also the most points MISU has allowed over the last 58 games dating back to the 2011-12 season.

52.7: University of Minnesota Duluth's trio of Peter Crawford, Jordan Reetz and Reece Zoelle combined to shoot 52.7 percent the last time UMD and MISU played, UMD won 81-74.   

9: Lazar Boskovic scored nine points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in the loss to Winona State. It was Boskovic's first near-double double. He is averaging 7.1 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.