(MINOT, N.D.) – The Minot State men's basketball team will be back at home this weekend for another set of inter-divisional contests. The Beavers will host Winona State on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Upper Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY:
Friday's game is just the ninth matchup on record between the Beavers and Winona State Warriors. The Warriors lead the all-time series 8-2 but Minot State was victorious in the most recent meeting. The Beavers defeated Winona State 87-72 in Winona, Minn. a season ago. MSU's only other victory over Winona State came in the 2015-16 season.
The Upper Iowa Peacocks also hold an advantage in their all-time series with the Beavers. Minot State trails 8-3 against the Peacocks over the course of the teams' history. The Beavers won the most recent match-up in Fayette, Iowa last season by a score of 87-84. Minot State has won the last two games against UIU.
SPREADING THE LOVE:
Three Beavers are averaging double-digit points on the season. The balanced attack of
Max Cody and
Kyle Beisch on the perimeter plus
Kody Dwyer in the middle has been quite effective for Minot State. Beisch is leading the squad in scoring and ranks seventh in the conference at 18.9 points per game. He is followed by Cody at 15.4 ppg and Dwyer at 12.0 ppg.
OWNING THE BOARDS:
The Minot State men rank second in the NSIC in rebounding defense. Opponents are gathering only 31.2 rebounds per game while Minot State gets over 33 rebounds per game.
Kody Dwyer and
Trevor Rothstein have led the charge on the boards for MSU. The Beaver bigs are leading the club in rebounding average at 5.7 rpg and 4.8 rpg, respectively.
VALUING THE BASKETBALL:
The Beavers are among the conference's best in assist-to-turnover ratio. Minot State ranks fifth in that category with a mark of 1.23. The Beavers have recorded 289 assists to just 235 turnovers. Point guard Cody leads the team and NSIC in assists with 143 total and an average of 6.5 per contest.
PLAYING EFFICIENTLY:
Dwyer, the Beavers starting five-man, has put on a clinic around the hoop this season with a 72% shooting clip. The Minnesota native has only attempted 158 shots but has put 114 of them through the rim and leads the Beavers as a team and in the conference as a whole in that category.
LOCKED DOWN:
The Beaver defense has been a strength throughout the season, currently sitting in fourth in the NSIC in points allowed per game at 70.1. The Beavers also continue to do a great job defending the three-point arc, as opponents are shooting a league-low 32% from three versus Minot State.
SCOUTING REPORT:
Winona State – The Winona State Warriors are currently 12-10 on the season and 9-7 in the NSIC. The Warriors sit at third-place in the NSIC South Division. Winona State scores roughly 76 points per game on a respectable 44% team shooting percentage. WSU has two elite scorers in the NSIC in Kevion Taylor and Caleb Wagner. Both average nearly 20 points per game and shoot better than 40% from the field. Taylor also leads the Warriors on the glass with 164 total rebounds and an average of 7.5 per contest. Wagner has a team-high in steals with 26 and is second on the team with 77 assists. Junior guard Devin Whitelow facilitates the Warriors' offense with a team-best 78 assists.
Upper Iowa – The Peacocks of Upper Iowa University are having an excellent year under the tutelage of seventh-year head coach Brooks McKowen. The Peacocks are 14-8 overall in the 2019-20 season and 11-5 in the NSIC. UIU scores over 80 points per game on 45% shooting. Jareese Wililams leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per contest followed by Jake Hilmer and Joe Smodlt at roughly a dozen points per game. Upper Iowa has a balanced rebounding attack led by Williams and Josh Carter who snag around five boards per game. Hilmer, a freshman, leads UIU in assists with 107 on the year and averages 4.9.
BROADCAST INFO:
Live Stream – bit.ly/2TbpM7O
Live Stats – bit.ly/2Tz736n
