SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead men’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA tournament after an 81-73 win over Minnesota Duluth in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Championship game on Tuesday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
MSUM (19-11) won its first-ever NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament title in six tries and received an automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament by winning the conference tournament title. The Dragons have won eight in a row, and avenged two regular-season losses to the Bulldogs (25-4) with Tuesday’s win.
It will be the sixth NCAA tournament appearance for the Dragons in Chad Walthall‘s 12-year tenure as head coach.
MSUM junior guard Gavin Baumgartner was named the NSIC tournament’s Most Valuable Player while senior forward Gatdoar Kueth and junior guard Lorenzo McGhee also earned all-tournament honors.
Five Dragons scored in double figures, led by Stanley-Williams with 15 points. Baumgartner had 12 points, while Kueth and freshman guard Jacob Beeninga had 11 points each. Sophomore forward Dane Zimmer had 10 points and eight rebounds. Baumgartner led with five assists while Stanley-Williams had three blocks.
MSUM was down 60-58 with 9:49 left but Beeninga drained a three-pointer to make it 61-60 and the Dragons never trailed again. They outscored UMD 23-15 over the final nine minutes and built a lead as big as 10 points on their way to the win. Beeninga and Stanley-Williams each had eight points during that run. Beeninga had 11 second-half points for MSUM while Stanley-Williams had 10.
Baumgartner scored 12 first-half points as the Dragons built a 40-36 halftime lead. Zimmer had eight points.
MSUM’s bench outscored UMD 46-5, and MSUM had a 56-34 edge in rebounds. The Dragons shot 57.4 percent (35-of-61) for the game, compared to 45.8 percent (27-of-59) for UMD.
The game had 13 ties and six lead changes.
MSUM will learn its NCAA tournament opponent and location during the NCAA Division II selection show on Sunday, March 6 at 9:30 p.m.
*Tom Berg, MSUM Athletics
