Peterson's Perceptions

Dragons junior forward Jake Lindfors

No. 18-ranked Minnesota State Moorhead could be without its second-leading scorer this weekend.

Forward Jake Lindfors, who is averaging 14.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, is a question mark after his back tightened up at the end of practice Wednesday.

“It just tightened up and he is having a difficult time moving,” Dragons head men’s basketball coach Chad Walthall said.

Walthall said Lindfors’ playing status for Friday’s game at Concordia-St. Paul and Saturday’s game at No. 16-ranked St. Cloud State will be a game-time decision on both nights. Walthall said Lindfors has a “50-50″ chance of playing at this point.

The Dragons (13-2, 9-2 NSIC) enter the weekend tied for second place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with St. Cloud State.

Walthall said senior Xavier Reed would likely start if the 6-foot-10 Lindfors is unable to play.

“It’s going to change how we look a little bit,” said Walthall. “Jake is a very good offensive player, but I’m sure we will have guys who step up.”

The Minnesota State Moorhead basketball doubleheader against Upper Iowa on Friday at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse will be aired on Midco Sports Network, which is available in West Fargo and Moorhead. The women’s game is set for 6 p.m. and the men’s game for 8 p.m.

The No. 16-ranked MSUM (12-1, 8-1 NSIC) moved up in the three spots in this week’s NABC/Division II coaches poll, despite a 21-points loss at the University of Mary last Saturday. The Dragons rebounded the following night with a solid 81-74 victory at Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D.

A first-place showdown is looming for the MSUM men Saturday when they host No. 13-ranked Winona State (13-2, 8-1) at 6 p.m. Both teams are tied for first place entering the weekend. A win would be an important step for MSUM if it hopes to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title.

The Dragons haven’t won a conference championship since the 1981-82 season.

MSUM senior guard Jake Driscoll is nearing 1,000 career points

Minnesota State Moorhead senior Jake Driscoll is nearing 1,000 points for his men’s basketball career. The 5-foot-11 guard, from Glyndon, Minn., has 992 points entering this Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference weekend.

The Dragons (7-0, 3-0) have two road games, at Wayne State on Saturday and at Augustana on Sunday. The 1,000-point club is nothing new to the Driscoll family at the college level.

Mike Driscoll, Jake’s dad, scored 1,166 points in his men’s basketball career at North Dakota State (1977-81). Pat Driscoll, Jake’s uncle, scored 1,113 points in his men’s career at NDSU (1968-71). Amber Abraham, Jake’s cousin, scored 1,033 points in her women’s basketball career at NCAA Division I Arkansas State.

“I learned everything I know from them basically. They clearly like to shoot and maybe that’s where I got it,” Jake said with a laugh.

Dragons senior Dennis Williamson averaged 10.5 points per game last season

Minnesota State Moorhead senior Dennis Williamson is likely out for the season after re-injuring his foot earlier this week, Dragons head coach Chad Walthall confirmed.

Williamson had yet to play this season after breaking his foot in the preseason. The 6-foot-6 forward started for MSUM last season and averaged 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Williamson was expected to return to action in the next week or so before re-injuring his foot. Walthall doesn’t expect Williamson to return this season.

“We feel bad for Dennis because it’s his final year,” Walthall said. “He is out until at least February and probably longer than that.”

The Dragons (3-0) start Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play at 8 p.m. Friday when they host Bemidji State.

Dragons head men's basketball coach Chad Walthall

Minnesota State Moorhead head men’s basketball coach Chad Walthall plans to redshirt all three freshmen big men this season – 6-foot-8 Trevor Jorgenson, 6-8 Ben Figini and 6-10 Isaac Sevlie. None of the three saw playing time in the Dragons two exhibition games this week.

“At this point, I’m going to redshirt all three,” Walthall said. “I think we are better served saving their eligibility. I’m really pleased with all three of them. I think all three have a chance to be really good for us. … We’re in a situation where we have a number of ‘bigs’ who are juniors and seniors.”

Alex Novak, a 6-9 junior, Jake Lindfors, a 6-10 junior, started both exhibition games with 6-11 senior Jimmy Johnson coming off the bench. Dennis Williamson, a 6-6 senior, hasn’t played yet due to a foot injury. Walthall is hoping Williamson will be ready for game action by the end of November.

“He is certainly a post presence who can give us some scoring,” Walthall said of Williamson, who averaged 10.5 points per game last season.

MSUM split its two exhibition games. The Dragons earned a 90-84 overtime victory at North Dakota State on Tuesday. South Dakota State earned a 77-64 home victory against the Dragons on Thursday. Walthall liked the resilience his team showed playing against two NCAA Division I opponents.

“When things got a little bit hairy and we had to face some adversity, I think we responded well in those situations,” Walthall.

Below is a video highlight package from Minnesota State Moorhead’s 90-84 double overtime victory at North Dakota State earlier this week in exhibition men’s basketball.

The video is courtesy of the Dragons athletic department. Click here for more Dragons video.

Dragons junior Jake Lindfors, left, tries to get around NDSU forward Eric Carlson

Minnesota State Moorhead earned a 90-84 overtime victory against North Dakota State in men’s basketball Tuesday night at the Bison Sports Arena. While it was an exhibition game, here are some things that we learned about the Dragons.

• Nice newcomers: Junior transfers Jake Lindfors and Scott Kenny look like they are going to be key contributors this season. A 6-foot-10 forward, Lindfors showed he can score inside and out. Lindfors, a transfer from Division I Albany, has 3-point range and the Dragons went to him in the post in key situations. A 6-4 guard, Kenny was fearless in the overtime periods. Kenny drained some key 3-pointers and it seemed like he relished taking the big shot.
• Dashing D.J.: If senior point guard D.J. Hamilton has his outside shot going, he’s hard to guard. Not only did he score a game-high 32 points, he also had 7 assists.
• Shot in the arm: Even though MSUM head coach Chad Walthall didn’t want to overreact to the significance of the win after the game since it was an exhibition, the victory still has the give the Dragons a dose of confidence as they prepare for their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule. “I think it’s important to understand that this doesn’t dictate the type of season we’re going to have and it certainly doesn’t dictate the type of season NDSU is going to have,” Walthall said. “It’s a game to get us better and I think we did get better tonight. Now we have to move on.”

Odds and ends: The Dragons started Hamilton, senior guard Jake Driscoll, redshirt freshman guard Jordan Riewer, Lindfors and junior forward Alex Novak against the Bison. It will be interesting to see how Walthall tweaks his lineup as the season progresses. The Dragons were without senior forward Dennis Williamson, who was out with an injury and started for MSUM last season. … The Dragons had a 33-28 rebounding edge against NDSU with Lindfors (12 boards) and Novak (10 boards) leading the way.