MOORHEAD, Minn.(MSUM Athletics) – A big 19-0 run sparked the Minnesota State University Moorhead men’s basketball team to a big first-half lead, on its way to a 97-63 rout of St. Cloud State in action Friday night at Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.
MSUM, which won its third straight game, improved to 9-6 overall and 4-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. St. Cloud State fell to 6-6 overall and 3-3 in the league.
Five Dragon players scored in double figures, led by junior guard Trever Kaiser with 15 points in just 14 minutes off of the bench. Junior guard Gavin Baumgartner added 14 points while freshman guard Jacob Beeninga added 12. Junior guard Lorenzo McGhee collected 11 points and sophomore forward Dane Zimmer added 10.
Junior forward Siman Sem led with six rebounds and four steals. Junior guard Bryce Irsfeld and Beeninga led with four assists each.
After taking an 8-7 lead in the opening minutes, MSUM seized total control with a 19-0 run, which included three 3-pointers from Baumgartner, to push the lead to 27-7 with 8:30 left in the half.
The Dragon defense was stout early as they held SCSU to just 3-of-14 shooting (21.4 percent) over the first 11 minutes and forced seven Husky turnovers during that stretch.
The lead grew to 36-11 after an Irsfeld 3-pointer with 5:59 left. MSUM opened 13-of-21 from the field (62 percent), including 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from three over the first 13-plus minutes.
A three-pointer by senior forward Gatdoar Kueth in the final seconds of the half pushed the Dragon lead to 50-25 at the break. MSUM led by as many as 27 in the first half.
Baumgartner had 12 first-half points, all coming on three-pointers, while nine different Dragons reached the scoring column. Five different Dragons hit threes in the first half.
MSUM’s first half defense was stout. SCSU had more turnovers (11) than made field goals (10) in the first half and was held to 38.5 percent (10-of-26) shooting from the field.
In the second half, MSUM built the lead to as many as 38. MSUM had a 48-15 edge in bench points, thanks to Kaiser and Beeninga who combined for 27. Twelve of the 13 Dragons who played scored.
MSUM hosts unbeaten and No. 17-ranked Minnesota Duluth at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | 12/17/2021 7:39:00 PM | Tom Berg
