The MSU Moorhead men’s basketball team is one win away from a trip to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Former Ankeny star Carson Johnson scored 26 points on Sunday to lead the second-seeded Dragons to a 70-59 victory over Winona State in the second round of the Central Regional at Topeka, Kan. The freshman guard went 8-of-21 from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, while playing all 40 minutes.
It was the 13th straight win for MSU Moorhead (25-8) and its fourth in the last 58 days over NSIC rival Winona State (22-11). All four victories came by double digits.
MSU Moorhead led by as many as 12 points before the Warriors rallied and cut their deficit to two. Johnson answered with a 3-pointer to give the 17th-ranked Dragons some separation.
Johnson later converted a four-point play, his third of the season, to help his team pull away.
MSU Moorhead will face top-seeded Washburn (28-3), the host school, for the regional championship on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The No. 5 Ichabods advanced with a 94-78 victory over Concordia-St. Paul.
The Dragons will play for a regional championship for the first time since the 2014-15 season.