For Immediate Release
Monday, Nov. 18, 2013

NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#0 Samuel Johnson

F, 6-6, 200, Sr.,
Las Vegas, Nev. 
Legacy HS
Minot State

Samuel Johnson averaged a double-double finishing with 34 points and 22 rebounds  in a pair of Minot State University nonconference wins this past week. Johnson hit for a game-high 21 points in an 83-63 win over Presentation College Sunday and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds as the Beavers toppled former rival Dickinson State 77-52 Tuesday. He was 13 of 25 shots from the floor and hit 8 of 9 foul shots. On the season, Johnson is averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds for the 3-0 Beavers.
 

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE - Augustana was idle last week. The Vikings will host two non-conference games this week, starting with Presentation College on Wednesday, Nov. 20, following Augustana’s NSIC Volleyball Tournament game against Northern State. Augustana will then host Dakota State on Saturday at 7 p.m.

BEMIDJI STATE - #1 Brock Lutes (G, 6-4, 215, Jr., Portland, Ore. / Clackamas CC (Ore.)) finished his first contest as a Beaver with a  game-high 23 points on 9-for-12 (75%) shooting from the field and a 4-for-7 (57.1%) performance from 3-point land Wednesday against Mayville State. He added three rebounds, three steals and an assist in 27 minutes.
The Bemidji State men’s basketball team is 1-0 in 2013-14 after a decisive 95-60 victory Nov. 13 against Mayville State. The Beavers shot 54.0 percent from the field, knocked down 12-of-27 (44.4%) shots from beyond the arc and totaled 16 steals. BSU moved the ball well against the Comets with 23 assists, the most by a BSU team since Jan. 2, 2008. Junior college transfer DJ Hervy, scored 17 points and added four rebounds and three assists. BSU continues its four home nonconference games Tuesday against Finlandia University at 8 p.m. before hosting College of St. Scholastica Nov. 23 at 4 p.m.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - #11 Cole Olstad (G, 6-5, 195, Jr., Elgin, Minn. / P-E-M HS) was solid all-around in leading Concordia to a 2-0 start to the season, averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game while also adding two blocked shots. While he shot 44.4% (8-18) from the floor, he did his damage at the foul line where he hit 90.9%  of his 11 attempts. He scored 17 points on just seven shots (5-7) with five rebounds in the season opening win over Mayville State on Monday night before scoring 10 points with four rebounds, three assists and three steals in the second win over Waldorf on Saturday night.
Concordia is off to a 2-0 start to the 2013-14 season and will play Northwood University and Ferris State on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. at McCown Gymnasium in Winona … Concordia is 1-0 against Northwood, last meeting in 1977 at the NLCAA National Tournament in Norfolk, Neb. … Concordia has never faced Ferris State.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY -  Jalen Jaspers (G, 6-3, 200, Sr., Minneapolis, MN / DeLaSalle) led the Marauders in scoring for the second straight game when he again posted 18 points while leading U-Mary to a 75-61 home win over Presentation College. The senior guard knocked down 7-of-9 shots and had a game-high seven rebounds. After two games this season Jaspers is averaging 18 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 77.8 per cent from the floor... 11 different Marauders scored in the win over the Saints... Next up for U-Mary are three games at the Alaska Invitational on Nov. 21-23. The Marauders open against host University of Alaska Fairbanks before playing Fresno Pacific University and Emporia State University.

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON  - The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball team picked up a split last week with a win over Northland College 76-68 and a 65-47 loss to Valley City State University. The Golden Eagles were led against the LumberJacks by a pair of breakout performances as junior center Tomas Parker had a career-night with 15 points and six rebounds while Derrick Redd added 11 points in a fast-paced game for the Golden Eagles. UMC will face Finalndia University on Wed., Nov. 20 and Jamestown College on on the road Sat., Nov. 23 to round out non-conference play.

MINNESOTA DULUTH  - The Bulldogs dropped to 1-1 after falling to the defending GLIAC champions in Michigan Tech. The Bulldogs opened a seven-point lead early in the first half but the Huskies whittled away and eventually took the lead, and the game. Junior Reece Zoelle had 16 points, four rebounds, and a pair of steals. Junior Kristofer Jackson led UMD with six rebounds.

MINNESOTA STATE - #24 Tanner Adler (G, 6-5, 200, Sr., Deadwood, S.D./Lead-Deadwood/Black Hills State) averaged a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds per game in MSU’s two wins this past weekend. Against Waldorf, Adler dropped in 21 points and posted seven rebounds, while shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. Against Jamestown, Adler posted a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 6-of-10 from the field.
Minnesota State improved to 4-1 on the season after posting a pair of wins against Waldorf (94-50) and Jamestown (81-59). MSU shot 53.6% from the field this past weekend and 42.2% from behind the three point line. The Mavericks outrebounded their opponents 86-53 this past weekend and dished out 41 assists. A total of six Mavericks averaged at least 10.5 points per game last weekend, including Tanner Adler who led the team with an average of 20 points per game.

MSU MOORHEAD - Ngijol Songolo (G, 6-3, So., Madison, Wis. / Madison Memorial HS) poured in 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting to help the MSUM men defeat Northland College, 94-38, on Saturday. In just 24 minutes of action off the bench, Songolo finished a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range and also added a team-high five assists and two steals.
MSUM resumes its crosstown rivalry with Concordia College on Friday night in its effort to start the 2013-14 campaign 3-0. The Dragons have won the last two meetings, including a 70-57 victory a year ago. Fourth-year MSUM head coach Chad Walthall is a 1991 Concordia graduate and is 2-1 against his alma mater.

MINOT STATE - #0 Samuel Johnson (F, 6-6, 200, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev. / Legacy / Montana State-Billings) averaged a double-double finishing with 34 points and 22 rebounds  in a pair of Minot State University nonconference wins this past week. Johnson hit for a game-high 21 points in an 83-63 win over Presentation College Sunday and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds as the Beavers toppled former rival Dickinson State 77-52 Tuesday. He was 13 of 25 shots from the floor and hit 8 of 9 foul shots. On the season, Johnson is averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds for the 3-0 Beavers.
Minot State pulled away in the second half of both its 77-52 win over former Dakota Athletic Conference rival Dickinson State and against NAIA Presentation in an 83-63 win Sunday. The Beavers are 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2004-2005. #15 Thomas Korf (F, 6-5, 199, Jr., St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Tech) knocked down eight 3-pointers on his way to 35 points in the double header and #3 E.J. Williams (G, 6-0, 190, Sr., Raleigh, N.C. / Capitol Hill / Cape Fear Community College) continued a solid start to the season with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists over the two-game stretch. The Beavers have one more nonconference game, taking on Valley City State Sunday.

NORTHERN STATE - Seth Bachand (Jr., F, Sturgis, S.D., Sturgis Brown HS) led the Wolves with 14 points per game and also pulled down 4.7 rebounds per contest as the Wolves went 3-0 over the week to push their record to 4-1 on the season. Bachand also recorded four blocks and five steals throughout the week while shooting 70 percent from the floor (12-for-17).

SIOUX FALLS - The Sioux Falls men’s basketball team turned as cold as the recent temperatures in the second half Saturday night, shooting just 26.7 percent (3-of-30) before falling to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 82-74. The game was tied at 36 at halftime and the Cougars (1-1) would get within three points with just over a minute to play but the Hardrockers (2-2) iced the game from the free throw line. SD Mines outscored the visiting Cougars, 43-35, in the second half. The Cougars shot 35.5 percent (22-of-62) from the floor for the game and struggled mightily from long range, connecting on just 7 of 23 three-point attempts for a 25.9 percent clip. The Hardrockers went 26-for-53 from the field (49 percent). Goffney finished with 18 points on 2-for-11 shooting to lead the Cougars’ offensive efforts. The senior guard did most of his damage from the charity stripe, where he went 13-for-14. Charles Ward’s nine points was matched by reserves Mack Johnson and Preston Rayburn, who helped the Cougars win the battle of the bench 31-24. Derek Brown went 2-for-6 from three and 2-for-2 from the line to finish with eight points. The loss snaps USF’s four-game winning streak against their intra-state rival. The Cougars return home this weekend where they will wrap up non-conference play against Grand View University and Waldorf College.

SMSU - The Southwest Minnesota State men’s basketball team return to action on Monday night playing at Division I South Dakota State. SMSU is 3-12 all-time versus Division I programs. SMSU is 1-1 on the season following a loss to Fort Hays State and a victory over Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 9-10 in Marshall. William Giddings led SMSU in the two games averaging 15 points and six rebounds per game, while Vinard Birch averaged 14.5 ppg and 4.0 assists. Nick Smith also averaged double figures with 11.5 ppg and averaged 8.5 rpg. Giddings scored a team-high 16 points versus FHSU in the season opener, while Birch poured in 18 points in the win over NWMSU. SMSU?shot 48.1 percent from the field in the two games and held a plus-12.5 rebound advantage. SMSU?shot 61.2 percent from the field in the win over Northwest, including 71 percent in the second half.

ST. CLOUD STATE - St. Cloud State improved to 3-0 in the young season with a pair of wins in the St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Classic Saturday and Sunday. The Huskies defeated Saint John’s 80-74 on Saturday and came back with an 88-56 win over Mayville State on Sunday. Jordan Poydras (So., G, DePere, Wis.) averaged 17.0 points in the two games. He scored a career high 19 points in the win over Saint John’s and dished out eight assists over the two games. Kevin Levandoski (Jr., G, Appleton, Wis.) and Matt Craggs (Sr., F, Kimberly, Wis.) each averaged 14.0 points. Craggs led all scorers with 23 points against the Johnnies and averaged 5.5 rebounds. Levandoski had a team high seven steals and shot 75 percent from the free throw line. Connor Niehaus (Jr., F, Fremont, Neb.) and Chris Larson (Sr., C, Hudson, Iowa) averaged 6.5 rebounds. Niehaus had a team high nine rebounds and five assists against Mayville and led the team with nine assists over the two games. Larson added seven rebounds in the Mayville contest.

UPPER IOWA - The Peacocks dropped their only matchup this past week as they traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to face the Tritons of the University of Missouri – St. Louis. After a back-and-forth opening eight minutes, UIU took control of the game and played at a quick tempo. Bo Pagel (G, 6-2, 210, Jr., Sumner, Ia./Sumner- Fredericksburg HS) hit a trey to push the Peacocks out in front by six, 20-14, with 11:16 remaining in the first half. Three and a half minutes later, Joey Woods (G, R-Sr., 6-2, 210, Naples, Fla.) gave the Peacocks their largest lead of the game at nine points with a fast-break layup off a long rebound. Woods – who led UIU in scoring with 11 points – converted another bucket and two of his five free throws in the game to keep UIU out in front by nine at the six-minute mark. That’s when UMSL mounted its comeback. The Tritons finished the half on a 13-8 run and trailed by just four at the break, 40-36. Despite a good start to the second half, UIU’s momentum started to fade as the Peacocks started to miss their shots. The Tritons went on a momentum-shifting 25-9 run over the next nine minutes as UIU converted just 4-of-12 shots from the field and turned the ball over three times during that stretch. UIU couldn’t post a comeback and fell to the Tritons, 79-69, moving their record to 0-3 this season. The Peacocks will now look forward to facing the Tritons again as the teams will meet in Fayette this Tuesday night. The rematch will be Upper Iowa’s 2013 home opener and the Peacocks’ only non-conference game at home this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Dorman Gym.

WAYNE STATE - Adol Aluong, a 6-1 senior guard from Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Roosevelt HS), scored a career-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 29 minutes of playing time to lead the Wildcats in a 85-64 win over Mount Marty College Friday evening at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.  Aluong was 6 for 11 from the field and 5 of 6 at the free throw line while grabbing four offensive rebounds in the win.

WINONA STATE -  Mark Blacklock, F, So., 6-6, 210, Winona, Minn. (Winona) had a career game against Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Blacklock averaged 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games for WSU this week, with the Warriors posting a 2-1 mark in those contets. Blacklock shot 55 percent (11-of-20) from the floor while also passing out six assists, making four steals and blocking a shot. The sophomore ended his week with five points and five rebounds against Cardinal Stritch while starting it with three points and four boards against Puerto Rico-Bayamon.