BY TURNER BLAUFUSS
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Freshman guard Aaron Lien throws down a dunk in the Dragons’ postseason opener.
The Dragons started off their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health
Tournament playoff campaign with a pair of wins.
The Dragons started off their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health Tournament playoff campaign with a pair of wins.
The Dragons had a tough time finding their stride in the first game, but locked down defensively and made use of their trips to the foul line.
In the first half Concordia was shooting lights out, but MSUM put on the clamps in the second half to preserve the win. The Bears took a few stabs at trimming the lead, but ultimately couldn’t catch up.
Junior guard Prescott
Williams looks to pass during the Dragons’ opening game of the postseason. The Dragons defeated the Golden Bears
at home 68-64 to advance to play in Sioux Falls, S.D. at The Pentagon in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/
Sanford Health tournament.
“It was a real test, and we missed a lot of shots,” head coach Chad Walthall said. “Congratulations to our guys for somehow finding a way.”
The Dragons received an excellent effort from Malik Wood as he turned in 16 points with four assists. Wood had an impressive outing as he was reunited with backcourt member Jordan Riewer, who had just returned from an injury. Riewer scored four points,but they were all at the charit stripe down the stretch.
“In the first half (Wood) struggled a bit, but the second half he ran our offense the way a point guard should,” Walthall said. “It’s great to have (Riewer) back, and we just got to find a good flow. Our guys
stepped up at the end of the game and knocked down free throws.”
Advance to quarterfinals
The quarterfinals of the tournament saw the Dragons shut down the Upper Iowa Peacocks in Sioux Falls, S.D. MSUM held the prolific Peacocks well under their 86 points per game average.
“We played really well defensively, especially in the first half, and I thought that was the key to the game,” Walthall said.
MSUM’s defense was complimented by a balanced scoring effort, with five players finishing in double figures. Prescott Williams and Urbane Bingham led the Dragons with 13 apiece, Tarell Clark and Tyler Vaughan followed with 11 each, and Riewer added 10.
“We were very balanced. That was key because they shuffle a lot of players, so we had to match their balance,” Walthall said. “Everyone played very well, and that helped us a lot.”
At the time of publication The Advocate did not know the result of
Monday’s game between MSUM and Winona State in the semifinal round of the tournament
“Either way we know it’s going to be a great game against a great team,” Walthall said.
Check out The Advocate’s Facebook and Twitter pages to see how the Dragons did on Monday.