Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes (PDF)
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            This Week's Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team travels to El Paso, Texas, this weekend for a pair of games at the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. The Bison will meet Kent State at 6 p.m. (CT)/5 p.m. (MT) on Sunday, Dec. 21, and either UTEP or Alcorn State on Monday, Dec. 22, in the championship or consolation game.

        Sunday, Dec. 21         Kent State                   6 p.m. (CT)
        Monday, Dec. 22        UTEP/Alcorn State     6/8 p.m. (CT)
 
            About Kent State: Kent State is 6-2 this season with a home game vs. North Carolina A&T on Friday night before traveling to El Paso. The Golden Flashes' only two losses came at home to Yale (66-59) and Loyola Chicago (69-61). NDSU and Kent State have had one common opponent to this point of the season in Kennesaw State. NDSU defeated Kennesaw State 68-55 and Kent State won 58-46 over the Owls.
            Kent State went 16-16 last season and 7-11 in the MAC. The Golden Flashes were picked to finish third in the MAC East Division behind Akron and Ohio.
            As of Dec. 19, Kent State is ranked 32nd in the nation in scoring defense at 57.5 points allowed per game. Sophomore forward Jimmy Hall leads the Golden Flashes with 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Devareaux Manley has been one of the nation's top three-point shooters early this season at 47 percent.
 
            The Series: North Dakota State and Kent State have never met in men's basketball. Following a win over Akron on Dec. 16, NDSU is 5-4 against members of the Mid-American Conference since moving to Division I for the 2004-05 season.
 
            Viewing Options: There are no television broadcasts scheduled for the tournament. Live video streams can be purchased for games involving UTEP.
 
            Radio: Scott Miller will call the games on KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
            Defensive Lockdown: In its last two games, NDSU has allowed 42 points to North Dakota and 46 points to Akron. Those totals are the two lowest against Division I opponents since the start of the 2012-13 season.
 
            Taking Care: The Bison are averaging 10.2 turnovers per game this season – an average which ranks them eighth-best in the nation. NDSU is also ranked eighth in Division I for fewest fouls committed per game at 14.1.
 
            Sweet 16: Dexter Werner pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in NDSU's 55-46 win over Akron on Dec. 16. Werner's rebound total was the highest by a Bison in over eight years – since Andre Smith had 17 at Minnesota on Nov. 13, 2006.
 
            Dex and Dre: Dexter Werner and Andre Smith are the only two Bison in the Division I era (since 2004-05) to record more than 15 rebounds in a game.
 
            Brown's Scoring: Kory Brown posted the two highest point totals of his career in back-to-back home games on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16. Brown scored 18 points in a victory over North Dakota on Dec. 13 and followed up with 15 points in a win over Akron on Dec. 16.
 
            Heavy Load: NDSU's starting lineup carried a heavy load in the 55-46 win over Akron on Dec. 16. Normal starter A.J. Jacobson was out with a knee injury for NDSU, and his replacement Paul Miller was battling a sickness and unavailable. The Bison used only seven players, with freshmen Evan Wesenberg and Brian Ishola combining for seven minutes in the first half. Lawrence Alexander, Carlin Dupree and Kory Brown played all 40 minutes, Chris Kading played 38, and Dexter Werner played 35 after making his first career start.
 
            Shooters by Half: Freshman Paul Miller is shooting 50 percent (10-of-20) from three-point range in the first half this season. Senior Lawrence Alexander is shooting 45 percent (19-of-42) from beyond the arc in the second half.
 
            Home vs. Away: In five NDSU road games this season, Bison opponents are shooting 49 percent from the field. In five games in Fargo, Bison opponents are shooting 38 percent.
 
            At the Line: Lawrence Alexander is a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of games. As a team, the Bison bump their free throw percentage from 70 percent to 77 percent in the final 5 minutes.
 
            Big Dexter: As of Dec. 18, Dexter Werner is the only player in The Summit League this season with 50-plus rebounds and 20-plus blocks.
 
            Iron Man: Lawrence Alexander is playing an average of 38.4 minutes through 10 games this season, ranking him fourth in the nation in minutes. The senior guard has played all 40 minutes in five of the last eight contests.
            Over 108 career games, Alexander has averaged 34.7 minutes – second only to Ben Woodside (34.9) among all Bison players since 1999.
 
            Career Highs vs. UND: NDSU junior Kory Brown scored a career-high 18 points and sophomore Dexter Werner added a career-best 17 points off the Bison bench in the 71-42 win over North Dakota on Dec. 13. Both also pulled down six rebounds.
 
            Home Cooking: Kory Brown is shooting 64.5 percent in home games this season.
 
            Career-High for Alexander: Lawrence Alexander poured in a career-high 29 points in NDSU's loss at Montana on Dec. 7. Alexander made 11-of-20 shots and connected on 5-of-11 from three-point range. His previous career-best was 28 points in the Bison victory over Oklahoma in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
 
            Downtown L.A.: Lawrence Alexander is ranked 29th in the nation with 3.2 three-pointers per game.