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MBB Game Notes: Sioux face old NCC foe Northern Colorado and Green Bay at home this weekend
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Article Audio/Video
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MBB Game Notes video: Sioux prepare for UNC, Green Bay
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GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The Fighting Sioux will continue their season long four-game homestand on Friday with a tilt against former North Central Conference foe Northern Colorado. Tip-off between UND and the Bears is set for 1 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The team concludes its home swing on Sunday against Green Bay at 4 p.m. The game with the Phoenix will culminate with a special ‘Movember’ celebration as the Sioux wind down a month of growing mustaches for prostate cancer awareness.
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Bears are off to a 5-0 start for just the fifth time in program history (began play in 1901). UNC picked up a pair of tournament titles during the early part of the season, winning the Hawai’i Rainbow Classic and Reggie Minton Air Force Classic. Three of the Bears’ wins have been of the 20-plus point variety, while also registering a four-point victory over Texas Southern (66-62 on Nov. 20) and a six-point win over Hawaii (81-75 on Nov. 16). That contest was aired on ESPN and also was the 1,000th victory in UNC program history. Senior Will Figures has led the Bears in scoring in four of the last five games and leads the team with an average of 16.8 ppg. Junior Devon Beitzel earned tournament MVP honors at Air Force and ranks second on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg).
ALL-TIME VS. THE BEARS: The Bears return to Grand Forks for the first time since the 2002-03 season when both teams were still members of the North Central Conferece. UND won both meetings that season and lead the all-time series 40-17. The Sioux also hold a comfortable 23-3 advantage in games played on their home court in the series. UND dropped last year’s contest in Greeley when the rivalry was renewed for the first time at the Division I level. The Bears got the best of the Sioux, pulling away late for an 80-72 victory. Figures, mentioned above, led all scorers with 20 points. Four Sioux reached double figures as senior Darius Joseph led the way with 15 points. UND made 14-of-23 from beyond the arc in the contest (60.8 percent).
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: Before making the trek to Grand Forks, the Phoenix play North Dakota State on Friday at 7 p.m., in Fargo. Green Bay will take a 4-2 record into its contest with the Bison. The Phoenix went 3-1 after playing four games in four days at the Hispanic College Fund Classic (Nov. 13-16). Rahmon Fletcher leads a trio of Phoenix averaging double figures through the first six games. Fletcher is averaging 15.3 ppg, while guard Troy Cotton has knocked down 22-of-47 3-point attempts (.468) and is averaging 14.5 ppg. Bryquis Perine rounds out that trio (12.8 ppg). Perine scored a career-high 20 points, including a buzzer beating 3-pointer, in a stunning 87-86 OT win at host Kent State on Nov. 15. As a team, Green Bay is shooting at a blistering 46.6 percent clip from beyond the arc (52-for-111). Three of Green Bay’s four wins this season have come by six points or less (70-68 vs. Samford; 87-86 (OT) vs. Kent State and 70-64 vs. Northern Michigan).
ALL-TIME VS. THE PHOENIX: The teams met for the first time in a regular season game last year when the Sioux traveled to Green Bay on Dec. 20. The Phoenix dealt the Sioux their worst loss of the season (96-58) primarily because of their 3-point shooting. Green Bay went 13-for-21 from beyond the arc and made as many 3-pointers as they did free throws (13-for-19). Lucky for UND, the two 21-point scorers for the Phoenix in that contest (Ryan Tillema and Mike Schachtner) have both graduated. Tillema led the long-distance barrage, going 5-for-8 from deep. For UND, current senior Dustin Monsebroten was a bright spot, scoring a career-high 17 points as he went 6-for-7 from the field, including a 4-for-5 effort from 3-point range. The teams split the previous four meetings, which were all played in the NCAA Division II Tournaments during the late 1970s and early 1980s. UND won the first two contests in the 1976 (65-61) and 1977 (45-43) playoffs before the Phoenix returned the favor in the 1979 (63-48) and 1981 (72-60) postseasons, respectively.
MEDIA INFORMATION: Both weekend games for the Fighting Sioux can be heard locally on the radio at 100.3 Cat Country (FM). Paul Ralston will be handle the play-by-play for the audio broadcast. Live audio and video streaming along with live stats will also be available at www.FightingSioux.com.
YEAR TWO: The three-game swing through Montana marked the official start to the second full season of transition for the Fighting Sioux into Division I basketball. This season, the Sioux will play 27 of their 30 games against DI-competition after playing 15 games against teams from that level a season ago en route to posting a 16-12 record. For fourth-year head coach Brian Jones, it was his third consecutive season to improve the team’s win total.
WALDORF COLLEGE RECAP: The Sioux defeated Waldorf College, 79-55, to pick up their first win of the season on Tuesday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The victory snapped a four-game skid to begin the season for UND. Senior Travis Mertens led a quartet of Sioux players in double figures as he equaled his career-high with 16 points. Junior post Derek Benter scored the first five points of the game for UND and finished with 11 points to also equal his career high. Redshirt freshmen Nick Haugen and Spencer Goodman posted season-highs of 15 and 13 points, respectively, as well for the Sioux. Haugen nearly had a perfect shooting night going 4-for-5 from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers and a 4-for-4 effort from the free throw line. Goodman went 5-for-9 from the field.
TOP SCORING DUO SIDELINED: Last year’s leading returning scorer Travis Bledsoe (10.3 ppg in 2008) missed his fourth consecutive contest, sitting out Saturday’s home opener against UMKC. This year’s leading scorer Patrick Mitchell (12.0 ppg) has sat out the previous two games with a sprained ankle he suffered in the Boise State game on Sunday, Nov. 15. Both players will be game-time decisions as the Sioux continue a four-game homestand with Northern Colorado at 1 p.m.
SIOUX MO BOYS: In some cases you may have to get a magnifying glass out, but the entire men’s basketball team along with the coaching and support staff are growing mustaches as part of their participation in the ‘Movember’ initiative. The campaign has raised more than $47 million globally since its inception in Australia back in 2003. All proceeds generated in the United States are shared between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The players and staff will be growing their Mo’s (slang for mustache in Australia) for the entire month and fans will have a chance to donate to these foundations at all home men’s basketball games in Movember. Check back frequently to FightingSioux.com throughout the month to guage the ‘Mo’ growing process of the players and coaches. Junior Chris Clausen will also be providing a video blog on the website. Clausen is the leader behind the movement having participated in the past during his days in Australia.
MESSAGE RECEIVED: After the loss to UMKC on Saturday, head coach Brian Jones made it clear that his team needed to take better care of the basketball and improve its free-throw shooting if the Sioux wanted to crack the win column. The message was heard loud and clear as UND improved immensely in both areas during a 79-55 victory over Waldorf College on Tuesday. UND made only 11 miscues in the game, while the defense forced the Warriors into 22. At the free throw line, the Sioux converted 20-of-26 freebies (76.9 percent). Coming into the game, the Sioux had turned the ball more than 19 times a game in their first four contests. The team’s free-throw shooting was also poor (54.5 percent, 42-for-77).
HIT THE BREAKS: The Fighting Sioux snapped their four-game losing streak on Tuesday night when they trumped Waldorf College, 79-55, beating the Warriors in the first meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. The four straight losses to open a season were the most since the 1963-64 squad coached by Bill Fitch began that campaign with five consecutive setbacks.
JOIN THE CAREER-HIGH CLUB: Five different Fighting Sioux players either equaled or surpassed their career-highs in points during the 79-55 victory over Waldorf College on Tuesday. Senior Travis Mertens led the charge with 16 points (equaling his high set vs. Minot State last season), while junior Derek Benter also equaled his career-high with 11 points (set vs. UC-Colorado Springs on Nov. 17, 2007). A trio of redshirt freshmen also had the best outings of their brief careers as Nick Haugen tossed in 15 points, Spencer Goodman added 13 points and Jordan Alllard chipped in with six points.
COLLECTIONS AGENT: Senior wing Travis Mertens has led the Fighting Sioux in rebounds in all five of their contests this season. The 6-foot-5, Devils Lake native had a season-high nine boards in the opener at Montana and has corralled 34 for the season (6.8 rpg). He has 14 more than his next closest teammate (Derek Benter, 20) and also has a team-high nine offensive rebounds.
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North Dakota Fighting Sioux
18 conference titles, 11 All-Americans
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