Zach Monaghan finished the week averaging 21 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in MSU’s two wins over Northern State and MSU Moorhead. Against NSU, Monaghan posted a career-high 29 points, while shooting 72.7% from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line. He also posted four steals and three assists. Against MSU Moorhead, he posted 13 points and six assists. He finished the weekend 13-of-22 (59.1%) from the field and a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe as the Mavericks took sole possesion of first pace in the NSIC with a 8-1 mark.

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE -#31 Alex Richter (G/F, 6-5, 200, So., Lakeville, Minn./South HS) scored a career-high 17 points against Minnesota, Crookston on Saturday after tying his career-high with 15 points at Bemidji State on Friday. He also set a career-best shooting 7 of 9 from the field against UMC on Saturday. On the weekend, Richter averaged 16.0 points while shooting 73.3 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
#1 Cameron McCaffrey (G, 6-1, 170, Sr., Portland, Ore./Century HS) averaged 20.0 points per game while dishing out seven assists as the Vikings went 1-1 over the weekend. On Friday night, McCaffrey scored 21 points and handed out six assists in a loss at Bemidji State. The senior was 8 of 15 from the field and a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line. On Saturday, McCaffrey once again led the Vikings’ offensively scoring 19 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

BEMIDJI STATE - #23 Mason Walters (F, 6-7, 225, Sr., Milton, Wis. / Milton HS) posted back-to-back double-doubles in a 1-1 NSIC home weekend Jan 11-12. He averaged 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game and shot 48.0 percent from the field. The double-doubles were his fourth and fifth of the season to rank second in the NSIC in double-doubles. In a 69-67 victory against Augustana Friday he totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds on 46.2 percent shooting. Saturday he recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds on 50 percent shooting. Eight of his 20 rebounds came on the offensive glass. He also added four steals, two assists and a block in 30.5 minutes per game.
The Beavers defeated Augustana 69-67 Friday before being on the wrong end of a two-point decision Saturday, as they fell to Wayne State 64-62. The split weekend moved BSU to 7-6 overall and 5-4 in NSIC play. The Beavers posted a complete team effort in the defeat of the Vikings – who were receiving votes in the national poll. Nine different players saw 10 or more minutes and all those players scored. The next night the Beavers suffered the setback to the Wildcats due to a lack a production down the stretch. BSU held an 11-point lead at 47-36 with 15:09 showing on the clock, but would only muster 15 points the rest of the way. Senior Mason Walters posted a double-double in each contest with 14 points and 10 rebounds Friday, followed by 16 points and 10 rebounds the next night. He has five double-doubles this season to rank second in the NSIC. The Beavers begin a three-game road trip Jan. 15 in a meeting with University of Minnesota, Crookston at 8 p.m. BSU then travels to do battle with NSIC South-foes Winona State University and Upper Iowa University Jan. 18-19. BSU is 40-13 all-time against Minnesota, Crookston and has won the last nine meetings, including a 90-58 victory earlier this season at home. The Beavers defeated then-No. 22 Winona State 94-84 in the 2011-12 season finale to claim the outright NSIC Regular Season Championship. The win improved BSU’s all-time mark against the Warriors to 70-81 and 4-2 in the last six meetings. In Winona a season ago, the Beavers fell 62-49. BSU owns the all-time series advantage with Upper Iowa by an 8-5 mark, including the last three meetings. Last season on the road, BSU won 70-60.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - #11 Cole Olstad (G, 6-1, 190, So., Elgin, Minn./P-E-M HS) averaged 16.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while pouring in a career-high 26 points on Saturday in an overtime loss to Northern State. Facing two of the top teams in the league, His 26-point performance was the third time he’s set a new career-high this season, and also his third 20-plus point game of the year. In the 26 point game, Olstad also had five rebounds and two assists and made 9-of-20 from the floor with 6-of-6 free throw shooting.
While Olstad was Concordia’s top all-around performer, sophomore Terez VanPelt (Osseo, Minn.) wasn’t far off as he averaged 17.0 points to maintain his third ranked scoring pace in the NSIC at 19.2. He also dished out eight assists, averaging 4.0 per game to move up to third in the league at 4.1 on the year. He’s scored at least 13 points in every game this season, and dished three or more assists in all but one game. He had 20 points and five assists on Friday against MSU Moorhead. Freshman forward Shea Mandli (Eagan, Minn.) had a strong weekend, scoring 8.5 points on 53.8% shooting and led the team with 6.0 rebounds.
The Golden Bears host travel partner Minnesota State on Tuesday night, and are 5-13 all-time against the Mavericks including a 76-71 loss in Mankato earlier this season … Concordia is 3-5 at home against MSU all-time … the Golden Bears have taken three of the last four meetings against MSU overall … in the earlier season loss, guards Cole Olstad and Terez VanPelt each scored 18 points while Shea Mandli scored 14 on 7-of-7 shooting … this weekend, the Golden Bears hit the road to face Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State … Concordia is 8-13 all-time against UMD and 4-7 at Romano Gym … Concordia has won four of the last five against UMD and is 8-4 against the Bulldogs dating back to January, 2004 … Concordia is 5-14 all-time against St. Cloud State and 2-8 at Halenbeck Hall … the Golden Bears have won their last two trips to Halenbeck Hall and have not lost there since March 3, 2010 … Concordia has taken three of the last four against the Huskies spanning the last two seasons.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY - Marc Musungayi (F, 6-6, 220, Jr., Toronto, Canada / Iowa Central CC) hit double digits in both U-Mary games last week. He scored 15 points to lead the Marauders efforts against Winona State University, adding eight rebounds and two blocks. He concluded the weekend with 12 points and two blocks against Upper Iowa. The junior forward was 4-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 at the free throw line against the Peacocks. For the weekend Musungayi averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, made 11-of-19 shots from the floor and was 5-of-6 at the free throw line. He is fifth in the NSIC in firld goal percentage (.580), 16th in rebounds (5.6) and 12th in blocks (1.08)… Alex Dorr was the other U-Mary player to score in double figures in both games. The senior forward posted 11 points on three treys and two free throws with eight rebounds and two blocks against the Warriors. Dorr followed up with 11 points and nine rebounds with three assists against the Peacocks. He is 1st in the NSIC in free throw shooting percentage (94.1), 3rd in rebounding (8.5), 12th in scoring (14.4) and 14th in three pointers made per game (2.23).

MINNESOTA, CROOKSTON  -  Justin Rake (Sr., G, Petal, Miss.) tallied 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc in a hard-fought loss to Augustana College. Friday, Rake tallied six points on 3-of-5 shooting in a loss Friday versus Wayne State College.

MINNESOTA DULUTH  - The Bulldogs experienced another forgettable road trip over the weekend, coming up short at Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. UMD, which has yet to win a road game this winter, simply could not come up with enough defensive stops in either game. The Bulldog offense picked up on Saturday night behind junior center Brett Ervin, but UMD could not slow down the Mustang offense enough to climb back into the game. Ervin led the way offensively both nights, dropping 24 against Sioux Falls before adding 22 against Southwest Minnesota State. The Bulldogs are back in action for a rare Tuesday clash with NSIC travel partner St. Cloud State before hosting Concordia-St. Paul and MSU-Mankato on Friday and Saturday at Romano Gymnasium.

MINNESOTA STATE -  Zach Monaghan (G, 6-2, 175, So., Palatine, Ill.) finished the week averaging 21 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in MSU’s two wins over Northern State and MSU Moorhead. Against NSU, Monaghan posted a career-high 29 points, while shooting 72.7% from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line. He also posted four steals and three assists. Against MSU Moorhead, he posted 13 points and six assists. He finished the weekend 13-of-22 (59.1%) from the field and a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe.
With their two wins this past weekend, the Mavericks have extended their winning streak to six games and are now 12-1 on the season and now sit in first place in the NSIC with an 8-1 league record. Zach Monaghan led the Mavericks in scoring averaging 21 points per game. He posted a career-high 29 points in MSU’s win over Northern State. Senior Jarvis Williams averaged 17 points per game, to go along with an average of 4.5 rebounds per game. As a team, the Mavericks shot 50% from the field this weekend as they hit 60-of-120 shots. MSU connected on 36-of-43 (83.7) shots from the line. Gage Wooten posted a team-high 13 rebounds over the weekend and was followed by Connor O’Brien who posted 10. As a team, the Mavericks forced 31 turnovers this past weekend, while committing only 13 themselves. MSU dished out 27 assists in its two wins, while its opponents registered just 16.

MSU MOORHEAD - Tyler Vaughan (6-1, Fr. G, Braham, Minn. / Braham HS) had a strong weekend in helping the Dragons to a 1-1 road trip. He scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the Dragons’ loss at Minnesota State Mankato on Jan. 12. He hit 5-of-9 from three-point range in the game and also added an assist and a steal. A night earlier in a 79-64 win at Concordia, Vaughan had 12 points and four rebounds to go with two assists. For the weekend he averaged 16.5 points, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and shot 55 percent (11-of-20) from the field, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from three-point range.
Two Dragon player surpassed 1,000 points for their collegiate careers during the weekend. Senior forward Alex Novak surpassed 1,000 points for his collegiate career during the Dragons’ 79-64 win at Concordia, becoming the 26th MSUM player to surpass the mark. A night later, senior Anthony Tucker eclipsed the mark for his collegiate career, which has included time at Iowa and Winona State.

MINOT STATE - Minot State had costly stretches to start the second half in each of its two home losses Friday and Saturday night. It was most evident in the Beavers 84-56 loss to Upper Iowa Friday as the Peacocks stretched a two-point halftime lead into an 84-56 win. In Saturday’s game against Winona State, the Warriors expanded on a 15-point halftime lead into an 84-55 win at the Minot State Dome. #3 E.J. Williams (G, 6-0, Jr., Raleigh, N.C. / Capitol Hill High School / Cape Fear Community College)  was a bright spot on offense for the Beavers as the junior guard scored 15 points in each game, raising his team-leading scoring average to 11.1 on the season. Williams also pulled down five rebounds in each game for MISU. Fellow guard - and Williams’ cousin - #0 Dominique McDonald (G, 6-0, Fr., Raleigh, N.C. / Wake Forest-Rolesville High School) combined for 25 points and five assists in the two games. The Beavers lone big man #4 Kelvin Fraser (F, 6-9, Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y. / International Business School / Imperial Valley College) had a solid night Saturday, finishing with 11 points and three rebounds. He added eight boards and two blocked shots on Friday, bringing his career total to 105 blocks in his career.

NORTHERN STATE - Dustin Tetzlaff (F, 6-7, 210, Sr., Watertown, S.D., Watertown HS/Univ. of South Dakota) notched a season-high 23 points to lead the Wolves to a 79-73 overtime win over a tenacious Concordia-St. Paul team on Saturday to salvage a weekend split for NSU.  The Wolves dropped a hard-fought 76-83 decision to No. 11 Minnesota State on Friday, a game in which Tetzlaff scored 14 points to help NSU overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to pull within one late in the game.  Tetzlaff, who leads the league in offensive rebounds, notched double-double efforts in both games, finishing with 10 rebounds in the loss on Friday and a season-high 12 in Saturday’s win.  For the week, Tetzlaff averaged 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Wolves while shooting 62.5 percent (15 of 24) from the floor.  He also had three steals, a block and four assists on the weekend.

SIOUX FALLS - #11 A.J. Holland (G, 6-3, 185, Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala.) turned in consecutive double digit performances for Sioux Falls over the weekend. He posted 10 points, including two timely 3-pointers down the stretch and a game-high 8 rebounds in the Cougars 76-55 win over Minnesota-Duluth Friday night in Sioux Falls.  The following night, Holland led USF with 17 points, including 10 points in the final two minutes of USF’s 83-73 loss to St. Cloud State Saturday night. The Cougars went 1-1 over the weekend and dropped to 6-7 overall, 2-7 in league play. USF seeks their first road win of the season, as they travel to Minnesota State-Moorhead Friday, Jan. 18 and Northern State Saturday, Jan. 19.

SMSU - Junior center Nick Smith (6-9, Johnston, Iowa) averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games last weekend, while shooting 75 percent (15 of 20) from the field and making 3 of 4 free throws.  He also recorded five assists, two blocked shots and two steals. In SMSU’s 71-69 loss to St. Cloud State, a game in which SMSU led for 34 minutes, Smith scored 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, to record his fourth double-double of the season.  In SMSU’s victory over UMD, Smith had 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting with five rebounds.

ST. CLOUD STATE - Damarius Cruz (Jr., G, Robbinsdale, Minn.) averaged 17.5 points, shot 70.6 percent (12-17) from the field and 63.6 percent (7-11) from three-point range in a pair of road wins at Southwest Minnesota State and the University of Sioux Falls. Cruz scored a career high 25 points against the University of Sioux Falls, making eight of 10 field goals including five (also a career game high) of six from beyond the arc in an 83-73 win. The night before he scored ten points in a 71-69 come from behind win at SMSU. With the road wins the Huskies improved to 11-2 overall and 7-2 in the NSIC and have won four of their last five games. Shaun Jensen (Sr., G, Spring Lake Park, Minn.) scored the Huskies final seven points to lead SCSU in the win over the Mustangs. The Huskies took their first lead of the game at the 5:26 mark of the second half on a Theo Rothstein (Sr., F, St. Michael, Minn.) layup. A layup and one by Jensen gave the Huskies their largest lead of the game, 69-63 with 1:52 remaining. The Huskies continue on the road with a game at travel partner Minnesota Duluth Tuesday night. The Huskies opened the NSIC with a 97-68 win over the Bulldogs at Halenbeck Hall. Five Huskies scored in double figures in that win, led by a 22-point performance from Rothstein.

UPPER IOWA - Joey Woods (G, 6-3, 201, R-Jr., Naples, Fla.) led the Peacocks to a weekend sweep thanks to 14.5 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds per game.  The redshirt junior hit 55.6% (10-18) from the floor and added 9 free throws in 12 attempts.  Woods scored a season-high 18 points versus Minot State on Friday and followed with 11 points at U-Mary.
The Peacocks improved to 11-4 overall and 7-2 in the NSIC with a pair of NSIC wins on the road.  Upper Iowa shot 47.7% (52-109) from the floor and converted 42.9% (12-28) from behind the arc and 81.4% (35-43) at the charity stripe.  UIU’s defense forced 30 turnovers, while the offense committed less than 10 per game.  In addition to Woods, Tucker Wentzien averaged 14 points and 7.5 boards per game, while Jake Hughes netted 11.5 points 2 assists a contest and Grant Lang chipped in 11 points and 2 rebounds per game.  This week, the Peacocks will host three games welcoming Winona State on Tuesday night, Minnesota, Crookston on Friday night and Bemidji State on Saturday night.

WAYNE STATE - Derrell Williams, a 6-4 senior forward from St. Clair Shores, Michigan (Wayne County CC), was the lone Wildcat player to score in double figures in both games during the weekend as the Wildcats swept NSIC road games at Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji Sttae.  Williams accounted for 10 points in Friday’s 66-41 win at Minnesota, Crookston and added a team-high 16 points to lead three double digit scorers as WSC rallied for a 64-62 win Saturday at Bemidji State.  For the weekend, Williams was 8 of 12 from the field (66.7%) and 10 for 15 (66.7%) at the charity stripe in the two wins, helping WSC improve to 10-5 on the season and 4-5 in the NSIC.

WINONA STATE -  Clayton Vette (C, Sr., 6-9, Waverly, Iowa / Waverly-Shell Rock) averaged 20 points and nine rebounds while also playing excellent defense as Winona State earned victories over Mary and Minot State. Vette began the weekend with 23 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals against Mary. He followed with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals against Minot State. On the weekend Vette shot 58 percent (14-of-24) from the floor and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line as the Warriors moved to 13-3 overall on the season.

Past NSIC Players of the Week
11/13/12: Anthony Tucker - MSUM
11/20/12: Amry Shelby - WSC
11/26/12:  Theo Rothstein - SCSU
12/3/12: Dustin Tetzlaff - NSU
12/10/12: Cameron McCaffrey - Augie
12/17/12: Anthony Tucker - MSUM (2)
1/2/13: Terez VanPelt - CU
1/7/13: Collin Pryor - NSU
1/14/13: Zach Monahgan - MSU

#NSIC#