AUGUSTANA COLLEGE - Augustana advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament with an 85-61 win over Northern State on Saturday. The Vikings hit a season-high 31 free throws while corralling a season-high 10 steals in the win over the Wolves. Cameron McCaffrey led the Vikings with 26 points, hitting a career-high 14 free throws, in 14 attempts, in the game. McCaffrey scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half alone. Freshman Zach Huisken added a career-high 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting, hitting two 3-pointers and 3 of 7 from the free throw line. The Vikings opened the second half on a 16-5 run and never looked back, out-scoring the Wolves 50-28 in the second half. Augustana will play Minnesota State in the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament on Friday night beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Taylor Arena in Rochester, Minn.  

BEMIDJI STATE - The Bemidji State University men’s basketball team will play an NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament Semifinal game for the second consecutive season when it travels to Rochester, Minn. to battle NSIC South No. 4 seed Upper Iowa University March 8 at 2:30 p.m. The Beavers earned the No. 3 seed in the NSIC North and hosted Wayne State College (South No. 6 seed) Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s first round match up. BSU scored the first bucket and never looked back, en route to a 71-54 victory against the Wildcats. The win moved the Beavers on to the quarterfinals against No. 21 Winona State University Saturday. The contest was close from opening tip to the final buzzer, as the Beavers posted a 74-72 win to advance to the semifinals. Senior Mason Walters averaged 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in the two games, which included a 21-point, 18-rebound performance Saturday in the quarterfinal game. The 18 rebounds ranks tied for second all-time at Bemidji State for most rebounds in a game. BSU is riding a five-game winning streak and are 8-2 in its last 10 games heading to Rochester. Both Bemidji State and Upper Iowa were picked to tie for 12th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll and now they are apart of the final four teams left. Earlier this season the Beavers fell to Upper Iowa 81-67 in Fayette, Iowa to snap a three-game winning streak against Peacocks. Since that loss, Bemidji State is 9-3, while Upper Iowa holds a 7-5 record in its last 12 games. BSU is 8-5 all-time against UIU and 3-2 in the last five meetings. The teams have met once on a natural court at the NSIC Holiday Hoops Fest in 2008. UIU won the game 84-68.    

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - The Golden Bears’ season came to a close with a 95-90 loss at St. Cloud State on Wednesday at Halenbeck Hall. The Golden Bears led for most of the second half, with SCSU finally pulling ahead with under three and a half minutes to play. Concordia shot 65% (13-20) from three-point range for the game, but SCSU was 94.1% from the line while amassing 34 free throw attempts to offset Concordia’s hot shooting.
Concordia was led in scoring by sophomore Terez VanPelt (Osseo, Minn.) with 24 points and nine assists while playing 40 minutes. He set the school record for most free throws in a season with 150, and became the fourth player in program history to produce a 500-point season. His 521 points ranks second in school history, just eight points off the record held by Brian Jamros (529, 2003-04). His 19.3 season scoring average sets a new school record and 128 assists ties for fifth in a season.
Senior Isaiah Thomas made four three-pointers and finished with 12 points and wrapped a career as one of Concordia’s top three-point shooters in program history. He finished third with 195 career three-pointers made and fifth in percentage (.407) while firing 479 attempts. He scored 928 points, and had his playing time, scoring average and three-pointers made increase each of his four years as a college player, capping out at 33.1 minutes, 11.5 points per game and 69 three-pointers made as a senior.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY - In a matchup of extremes, the University of Mary fought past several disadvantages to throw a scare into one of the top teams in the nation. The Marauders grabbed an early lead and led at intermission but #21 Winona State University claimed a 77-64 win in the opening round of the Northern Sun / Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Marauders entered the tournament as the seventh seed in the NSIC North and has two players on the roster that stand taller than 6-4. Winona State finished a game out of first place in the conference, is ranked second in the region and started four players 6-5 or taller. The Warriors also had history on their side, owning a 12-1 record over the Marauders, including 2-0 playoff mark.

MINNESOTA, CROOKSTON  -  The University of Minnesota, Crookston men’s basketball team fell 86-60 to the top-seed Minnesota State University, Mankato Wednesday night at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn., in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament. UMC ends the 2012-13 season with a 4-23 (1-21 NSIC) mark with Wednesday’s loss. The Mavericks, ranked No. 7 nationally, moves to 23-4 on the year and will play fourth-seed Minnesota State University Moorhead in the quarterfinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament.

MINNESOTA DULUTH  - UMD saw its season come to a close Wednesday in the opening round of the Sanford Health/NSIC Tournament in an 89-81 loss to 25th-ranked Augustana. Junior center Brett Ervin (24 points) and sophomore guard Reece Zoelle (26 points) combined to score 50 points in helping the Bulldogs keep pace with the Vikings high-octane attack before the hosts pulled away from a 70-70 tie in the final seven minutes of regulation. UMD finishes the 2012-13 campaign with an overall record of 8-19 after displaying visible improvement as a team from the beginning of the season and winning three of its last four outings to wrap up the regular season.

MINNESOTA STATE -  Assem Marei (F, So., 6-9, Cairo, Egypt) finished the week averaging 12.5 points and a team-leading 10.0 rebounds per game in MSU’s two wins in the NSIC Tournament this past week. He also connected on 10-of-19 (.526) shots from the field and passed out four assists. Against MSU Moorhead, Marei notched his sixth career double double with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. He also passed out four helpers against the Dragons while shooting 58.3% (7-of-12) from the field.
Minnesota State finished the week with a pair of wins in the NSIC Tournament over Minnesota, Crookston (86-60) and MSU Moorhead (87-63).
As a team, MSU shot 64-of-121 (.529) from the field, including a mark of 18-of-35 (.514) from beyond the arc.
The Mavericks hauled in 78 rebounds this past week and passed out 29 assists, while forcing their opponents to commit 24 turnovers.
Sophomore Zach Monaghan averaged a team-leading 16 points per game, while passing out a team-high seven assists.

MSU MOORHEAD - Alex Novak (F, 6-9, Sr., Oxford, Iowa / Cleark-Creek-Amana) wrapped up a stellar Dragon career with two strong performances last week. Novak had 20 points and 17 rebounds in the Dragons’ 87-78 win over Southwest Minnesota State in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Feb. 27. Novak was 8-of-10 from the free-throw line and 6-of-12 from the field in the win. In a loss at No. 7 Minnesota State on Saturday, Novak had 13 points and nine rebounds. For the week the senior averaged 16.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. He finished as MSUM’s career record holder in rebounds (1,054) and blocks (223). He also finished with 1,219 career points.


MINOT STATE - Minot State University was outscored 46-34 in the second half to end its upset bid at Upper Iowa in the first round of the NSIC / Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Beavers fell 86-72. Minot State ended the 2012-13 season with a 10-17 overall record in head coach Matt Murken’s first season at the helm, six better than the previous year and won nine games in the program’s first season in the Northern Sun. MISU was led by a pair of seniors in its final game as #24 Josh Johnson (F, 6-5, Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Lufkin High School / Cedar Valley College) scored a team-high 22 points and pulled down five rebounds. #11 Anthony Enriquez (G, 6-2, Sr., Tacoma, Wash., Lakes High School / Tacoma Community College) added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in his final game with MISU.

NORTHERN STATE - Hosting their first post-season games since 2008, Northern State played host to both in-state rivals in the 2013 NSIC/Sanford Health men’s basketball tournament.  The Wolves claimed a physical first round win over league newcomer Sioux Falls before falling to No. 25 Augustana in the quarterfinals.  Senior Collin Pryor notched 21 points in Wednesday night’s win, which gave the Wolves their first 20-win season under third-year head coach Paul Sather.  Pryor also had 16 points in Saturday’s season-ending loss.

SIOUX FALLS - 22 Robert Goffney (G, 6-1, 180, Jr., Houston, Texas) had his best game when Sioux Falls struggled to find offense in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament at Northern State University. Goffney was nearly unstoppable off the dribble, as he either scored or earned shots at the free throw line each drive. He made his freebies count, converting 11 of his first 12 attempts at the stripe. Goffney’s 23-point total led all scorers and stands as his best scoring night as a Cougar. He also posted a career-high in rebounds with five. However his efforts weren’t enough as he represented USF’s only scorer in double-digits. USF’s 63-60 heart-breaking loss in Aberdeen, S.D. Wednesday meant the end of the Cougars’ season. They finished their first year in the NSIC with an 8-15 conference mark, 12-15 overall.   

SMSU - MSU Moorhead put together a critical 15-0 run late in the second half to rally back and earn a 87-78 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament in Moorhead, Minn. It was the final game for six Mustang senior players, including Tramel Barnes, Jordan Buddenhagen, Jordan Miller, Michael Appel, Lavione West and Tyler Peschong.  SMSU is now 14-12 all-time in the NSIC Tournament, including 8-5 in the first round, since its inception in 2000.

ST. CLOUD STATE -  For the second straight year St. Cloud State was knocked out of the NSIC/Sanford Tournament in the quarterfinal round as the Huskies fell to Upper Iowa University 73-55 on their home court.  Three days earlier SCSU, the NSIC North Division Champion, defeated Concordia-St. Paul 95-90 to advance to the quarters. St. Cloud State is 9-3 all-time NSIC tournament games since joining the league in 2008-09. Kevin Levandoski (So., G, Appleton, Wis.) scored a career high 30 points in the win over CSP and had a career high eight rebounds. He was eight of 15 from the field, made a career high five three-point baskets and was nine of ten from the charity stripe. St. Cloud State’s leading scorer Theo Rothstein (Sr., F, St. Michael, Minn.) has missed the last five games with a season ending injury. He averaged 17.0 points for the Huskies and was second in steals with 40 this season.The Huskies, 20-8 overall, posted the ninth 20-win season under head coach Kevin Schlagel. It is the second straight 20-win season for the Huskies and the fourth in the last five seasons. St. Cloud State is 10-4 at Halenbeck Hall this season.  St. Cloud State, ranked #7 in last week’s Central Region poll and receiving votes in the NABC Division II poll will await this week’s regional poll in determination of their post-season fate. Last season the Huskies did advance to the regional tournament as the #6 seed.

UPPER IOWA - Tucker Wentzien (C, 6-8, 240, Sr., Solon, Iowa) averaged 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as the Peacocks advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament with a pair of wins.  Wentzien netted 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Saturday at St. Cloud State leading Upper Iowa to a 74-55 win over the #1 team in the NSIC North Division.  UIU defeated Minot State, 86-72, on Wednesday night in Fayette to set up the second match up with the Huskies.  The Solon, Iowa native hit 57.1% (12-21) of his shots and 80% (12-15) at the free throw line.
 Sam Elgin also had a huge week for UIU averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while shooting 60% (12-20) from the floor with four trifectas and a perfect 12 of 12 at the charity stripe.  Joey Woods (11 ppg, 2 apg) and Jake Hughes (10.5 ppg, 4.5 apg) contributed to the big wins as well.  The Peacocks shot 51.4% as a team, while holding their opponents to 40.2% from the floor.  UIU also claimed a 66-54 advantage in rebounds over the two-game span.  Upper Iowa (20-10) reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since moving to NCAA Division II.  The last time the Peacocks won 20+ games was in the 1998-99 season when they won 23, claimed the IIAC title and earned a berth into the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.

WAYNE STATE - The Wayne State men’s basketball team ran into a hot shooting Bemidji State club last Wednesday evening in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament in Bemidji as the Beavers raced out to a 40-22 halftime lead thanks to 62 percent shooting in the first half and BSU never let WSC back in the game as the Beavers topped the Wildcats 71-54.  WSC ends the season at 17-12, the school’s first winning season since 2007-08 and the most wins by a Wildcat team since 1999-2000 when WSC was 26-6 in Greg McDermott’s final season at the school.  Senior guard Amry Shelby closed out a stellar career for the Wildcats as he scored 21 points and moved into third place on the WSC all-time scoring list with 1,582 points, passing Dennis Siefkes, who had 1,576 points from 1969-73.  Seniors Derrell Williams and Ayron Worthington also reached double digits in their final games as a Wildcat with 10 points apiece.
 
WINONA STATE -  The Winona State men’s basketball team won a game in the NSIC Tournament for the tenth consecutive season, knocking off Mary 77-64. The team then fell to Bemidji State in the second round of the conference tournament on Saturday 74-72. Clayton Vette averaged 21 points and nine rebounds in the two games while Taylor Cameron netted 13 points and nine rebounds. The Warriors, who are currently second in the NCAA Central Region Rankings, will learn their postseason fate on March 10.

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
1/21/13: Cameron McCaffrey - Augie (2)
1/28/13: Collin Pryor - NSU (2)
2/4/13: Clayton Vette - WSU
2/11/13: Clayton Vette - WSU (2)
2/18/13: Matt Zager - SMSU
2/25/13: Tucker Wentzien - UIU

#NSIC#