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RECORDS: Minot State is 5-4 overall and 1-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this season. University of Mary sits just 2-8 overall and is a winless 0-5 in the Northern Sun so far this season.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Matt Murken is in his second season as head coach of the Beavers. He is 15-21 with Minot State and is 61-37 throughout his coaching career. In his first season with the MISU, Murken increased the Beavers' win total by six from the previous year including the program's first ever win against a NCAA Division II ranked opponent (68-62, No. 19 St. Cloud State, Jan. 5, 2012). The Marauders are coached by Jevin Budde. Budde is in his third season as head coach of the U-Mary program and has compiled a 14-50 overall record during his tenure. Budde was an assistant for the Marauders the previous two seasons and helped his team reach their first even NCAA Division II Tournament as they went 23-6 in 2010-11.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MSU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at msubeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible at msubeavers.com/stayconnected.

RANKINGS: Minot State and University of Mary did not receive any votes in the Dec. 17 National Association of Basketball Coaches' Poll. Both Minnesota State and Winona State of the NSIC received votes in the poll.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers two more losses this past weekend as they played their first two games away from the Minot State Dome. Friday night against St. Cloud State, MISU shot just 20.0 percent from behind the arc while allowing five different Huskies to score in double digits resulting in a 97-73 loss. Saturday against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, the Beavers were unable to overcome a slow start as they fell, 81-74, for the fourth consecutive game. UMD shot 53.1 percent from the field in the first half as they took an 11 point halftime lead. University of Mary faced the same opponents as the Beavers and lost both matchups on the road. Friday the Marauders fell to UMD 72-65 while Saturday they lost 80-55 to St. Cloud State. University of Mary struggled both at the free throw line and behind the arc in the two losses. They shot just 53.3 percent from the line and 27.6 percent on three-point shots.

OVERALL SERIES: Dating back to the 1976-77 season, Minot State and University of Mary men's basketball have faced each other 62 times on the hardwood. The series is near even as Minot State holds a 32-30 advantage of the Marauders. The Beavers have won the last two matchups between the squads including a 96-87 win on Nov. 30 of this year.

NOTING THE MARAUDERS: Since going 23-6 during the 2010-11 season, University of Mary has totaled just 14 wins in their last 59 games. Last season, U-Mary could muster just four wins on the season with one of those wins coming against Minot State (12/1). This season, the Marauders have lost eight consecutive games and have now lost nine straight games in NSIC play. A large part of this losing streak is due to U-Mary's inability to take care of the basketball. The Marauders rank No. 15 in the NSIC averaging 14.7 turnovers per game. Marc Musungayi leads U-Mary in both scoring and rebounds with 11.5 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. Musungayi was named to the GCI Alaska Invitational All-Tournament Team as he averaged 16.7 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game over the three-game tournament earlier this season. Chris Mason and Devan Douglas also both average double-digit points per game for University of Mary.

ENDING THE LOSING STREAK: After starting the season a perfect 5-0, the Beavers have dropped four games in a row, matching their longest losing streak over the past two seasons. The Beavers will look to avoid a five-game losing streak with their first road win of the season. The last time MISU lost five straight games was the 2011-12 season when the Beavers eventually lost ten consecutive games.

TOP OF THE NSIC: Minot State ranks No. 1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in team free throw percentage with a 74.8 shooting percentage from the charity stripe. Last season the Beavers were only able to shoot 69.8 percent for the season. E.J. Williams (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) has the best rate on the team from the free throw line, shooting an impressive 58-of-66 (87.9 percent) on the year.

BOSKOVIC'S IMPACT: After sitting out the previous three games with an injury, junior Lazar Boskovic (F, Belgrade, Serbia) has put up some efficient numbers with his minutes. Against St. Cloud State last Friday, he went 6-of-8 from the field, scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in just 17 minutes off the bench. Saturday against UMD, Boskovic had seven points and a team-high nine rebounds and three assists. He is averaging 7.2 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game in just 14 minutes per game so far during the 2013-14 season.

EAST CLOSING IN ON 500/500 CLUB: Chris East (Sr., F, Toronto, Ontario) has shown his ability to rebound the basketball over his career at Minot State. He has led MISU in rebounding each of the last two seasons is closing in 500 career rebounds. East currently has 463 career rebounds, ranking him ninth all-time in Minot State history. East is also just three points away from scoring his 500th career point.

RANDALL'S LAST TIME IN THE MAC: There are four current Minot State players who were on the team in 2011-12 when the Beavers beat University of Mary on their home court, 92-88 in double-overtime. Adam Randall (Jr., G, Stelle, N.D.) has fond memories of the McDowell Activity Center has he scored a career-high 18 points, including eight points in the two overtime periods. Randall also recorded seven rebounds in the win.  

SINKING FREE THROWS AND THE PIRATE SHIP: During the 96-87 win over the Marauders on Nov. 30 the Beavers were able to get to the free throw line 46 times, sinking 40 of those attempts on their way to victory. E.J. Williams (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) led the squad, going 15-of-17 from the charity stripe while Adam Randall (Jr., G, Steele, N.D.) and Samuel Johnson (Sr., F, Las Vegas, Nev.) made seven and eight free throws, respectively.   

TELEVISED GAMES: Minot State men's basketball will make their first televised appearance of the season when University of Mary hosts the Beavers Friday night. All four stations of the NBC North Dakota Sports Network, including Minot's KMOT, will air the Marauders-Beavers game starting at 8 p.m.

BY THE NUMBERS
2: After returning from an injury that kept him out the season's first three games, Dominique McDonald (So., G, Raleigh, N.C.) has started the last two games at point guard for Minot State. McDonald started in 25 games last season as a true freshman.

137: Thomas Korf (Jr., G, St. Cloud, Minn.) will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best three-point shooters in Minot State history as he has hit 137 three-point shots in 65 career games. 11 three-point makes have come against U-Mary, the most he has against any single team.

15.6: Samuel Johnson (Sr., F, Las Vegas, Nev.) and Chris East (Sr., F, Toronto, Ontario) are two of the toughest guys to box out in the Northern Sun. The senior duo averages 15.6 rebounds per game, and individually rank No. 3 and No. 4 in the NSIC in rebounds per game.