MOORHEAD, Minn (MSUM Athletics) — A big 17-1 run in the second half helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead men’s basketball team stretch its winning streak to seven with a 82-71 win over UMary in action Friday night in Moorhead, Minn.
MSUM is now 7-2 overall and 7-0 in the NSIC with the win while UMary fell to 4-9 overall and 4-7 in the league. It was MSUM’s first game since a 103-95 win at Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 23 as the last four contests have been cancelled because of COVID-19 protocols.
McGhee Sets the Pace
Junior guard Lorenzo McGhee had a big night for MSUM, leading the Dragons in scoring (21) and sharing the team lead with seven rebounds. He was 7-of-13 from the floor.
Further Inside the Numbers
Junior guard Bryce Irsfeld had 18 points while junior guard Gavin Baumgartner had 12 points and a team-high four assists. Junior guard Siman Sem had seven rebounds off the bench while senior forward Joe Sevlie had eight points off the bench.
MSUM shot 47.5 percent (29-of-61) for the game compared to 44.4 percent (24-of-54) for the Marauders. UMary had a 33-31 edge in rebounds but also committed 15 turnovers.
Second Half Run
A 17-1 run that started five minutes into the second half turned a four-point Marauder lead into a 12-point Dragon advantage. McGhee sparked that surge with seven points while five other Dragons scored two points.
First Half Fight
The first half was close for the whole 20 minutes and ended with a 38-38 tie. The biggest lead for either team was four points and the largest scoring run for either team was six points. MSUM shot 43.8 percent (14-of-32) while UMary shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30).
Up Next
MSUM and UMary rematch on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Nemzek Fieldhouse. It will be the Dragons’ final home game of the 2020-21 season.
