For Immediate Release
Monday, November 28, 2016
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)



NSIC Men's Basketball Players of the Week

NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#14 Aaron Lien
(G, 6-4, Sr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
MSU Moorhead
- Averaged 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two Dragon road wins
- Shot 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the field, including 55.6 (5-of-9) from three-point range
- Hit 12-of-14 foul shots (85.7 percent)
- Had 19 points, hitting 6-of-7 from the field, in 107-74 win over Concordia College
- Followed with a season-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting in 93-92 win at Northern State
- Had five rebounds, four assists and three steals in NSU win
 
NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#23 Jordan Spencer
(G, 6-2, 165, Jr., Milton Keynes, England / Shenley Brook End School)
Augustana
- Averaged 17.0 points, 9.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds leading Augustana to a pair of wins last week
- Shot 43.5 percent from the field and hit five 3-pointers while going 9-of-11 from the free throw line
- Nearly posted back-to-back double-doubles after finishing with 23 points, nine assists and four rebounds against Wayne State last Monday
- Followed with an 11-point, 10-assist, six rebound performance against Peru State
- Picked up his third career double-double against Peru State
- Has dished out 10 or more assists in a game 10 times in his career
- Has now handed out five or more assists in 58 of 74 career games played at Augustana
 
 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 94-87 vs. WSC OT W 89-66 vs. Peru State	5-1, 0-0 NSIC	W2	2nd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- Augustana went 2-0 last week, including picking up a win in its NSIC opener against Wayne State - The Vikings and Wildcats tipped-off NSIC action on Monday night at the Sioux Falls Arena - Steven Schaefer converted a 3-point play with 54 seconds remaining to tie the game at 86 and eventually send it to overtime - The Vikings out-scored Wayne State 8-1 in the overtime period to pick up a 94-87 win in the NSIC opener for both teams - Augustana returned to action on Friday, Nov. 25, hosting Peru State at the Elmen Center - The Vikings hit a season-high 15 3-pointers and got a career-high 23 points from sophomore guard John Warren in an 89-66 win over Peru State - Augustana had four players in double-figures against Peru State, including Jordan Spencer who recorded his third career double-double
Top Performer(s)
- Jordan Spencer averaged 17.0 points, 9.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds leading Augustana to a pair of wins last week - Spencer also shot 43.5 percent from the field and hit 5 3-pointers on the week while going 9 of 11 from the free throw line - Spencer nearly posted back-to-back double-doubles after finishing with 23 points, nine assists and four rebounds against Wayne State on Monday - He followed that with an 11-point, 10-assist, 6-rebound performance against Peru State on Friday picking up his third career double-double - Spencer has dished out 10 or more assists in a game now 10 times in his career - He has now handed out five or more assists in 58 of 74 career games played at Augustana - Sophomore guard John Warren registered his first career 20-point game in Friday’s win over Peru State - He hit a career-high five 3-pointers and put up a career-high 23 points finishing the game 9 of 16 from the field - Warren also had five rebounds and three steals for the Vikings in the win
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 vs. Concordia-St. Paul - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. Minnesota State - 6 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 104-67 vs UWS	1-3, 0-0 NSIC	W1	14th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
- Bemidji State earned its first win with a 104-67 decision over UW-Superior - The Beavers scored over 100 points for the first time since November of 2014 - BSU recorded a season-high in shooting percentage, 3-point shooting, free throw percentage, assists and steals
Top Performer(s)
- Junior guard Sharif Black led the Beavers with 26 points, 14 in the first half and 12 in the second - Junior forward Will Harvey scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds
Up Next
Tuesday, Nov. 29 vs. Wisconsin-Superior – 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at Minnesota Duluth – 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at St. Cloud State – 6 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 92-81 vs Augsburg	2-3, 0-0 NSIC	W2	11th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
- Golden Bears caught fire from deep as their 14 made threes tied for sixth most in program history and represented the most made since the team knocked down 15 at Winona State in 2013 - Concordia’s starting five all scored in double figures as the unit scored 86 of the team’s 92 points in the win - CSP held a 38-30 edge in rebounding, 11-0 edge in fast break points and a 38-24 edge in points in the paint
Top Performer(s)
- Matt Ambriz led the way from beyond the arc as his six threes made also tied for sixth in single-game CSP history, two shy of the record, while his 66.7% tied for fourth best in CSP history - Diallo Powell became the first CSP player to pick up a 20-10 game since Cole Olstad did it against Wayne State on Jan. 10 2015 as Powell led all scorers with 25 points to go along with 10 boards
Up Next
Monday, Nov. 28 vs Michigan Tech – 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at Augustana – 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Wayne State – 6 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 85-53 vs. Yellowstone Christian L 77-63 vs. SDSM W 81-72 vs. Minot State	2-4, 1-0 NSIC	W1	10th Overall,4th North
Team Notes
- Playing at home for the first time this season, the Marauders won 2-of-3 games at the McDowell Activity Center - All three home games were close at intermission. Mary led SD Mines by two points and were tied with Minot State and Yellowstone Christian - All ten Marauders who played against the Beavers scored in the game - The Marauders play their next two games on the road at MSU Moorhead and Northern State before returning home for three straight games
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. forward Bryan Jefferson scored in double-figures each game last week, including a season-high 22 points against SD Mines. He averaged 17 PPG and 7.3 RPG - Sr. G Damonta Henry scored  a career-high 26 points against Yellowstone Christian and had 19 against Minot State. He averaged a team-high 17.7 PPG last week over three games, shooting .475 from the field and making ten treys - Sr. G Pat Thomas posted a double double against Yellowstone Christian with 10 points and 10 assists - The 10 assists was one shy of the Marauders NCAA-era record. He also had 10 points against Minot State - For the week he averaged 6 assists/game, hit 7-of-12 shots and went 9-of-11 at the free throw line
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 at MSU Moorhead - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Northern State - 6 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 73-69 vs. UJ	3-2, 0-0 NSIC	W2	16th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
- The Golden Eagles shot 41.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc in a 73-69 win over Jamestown - UMC had 14 assists on 26 baskets in the win over the Jimmies  - Harrison Cleary hit four free throws down the stretch to help UMC to a win over Jamestown      - Gable Smith and Jim Warmack were crucial in the first half, especially. Smith would finish with his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Warmack had 16 points on 8-of-10 from the field
Top Performer(s)
- Harrison Cleary tallied 23 points and seven boards against Jamestown - Jim Warmack had a career-high 16 points against the Jimmies - Gable Smith had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds
Up Next
Wednesday, Nov. 30 at South Dakota State – 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at St. Cloud State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Minnesota Duluth – 6 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 65-71 at NMU L 65-68 vs. MTU	0-4, 0-0 NSIC	L4	12th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- UMD was defeated in a pair of close games and has lost by six or less points in each game this season - The Bullldogs shot 45.7% from the three-point line over two games - UMD has turned the ball over 11 or fewer times in every game this season
Top Performer(s)
- Logan Rohrscheib scored 35 points, including 19 against Northern Michigan, added 11 rebounds - Kyle Schalow averaged 14.5 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists per game - Trevor Entwisle picked up 11 assists, totaling 42% of the team's assists on the week
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 vs. Bemidji State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. Minnesota Crookston - 6 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	2016-17 Standings
W 79-62 at SCSU	4-1, 0-0 NSIC	W3	1st Overall, 1st South
Team Notes
- Minnesota State won its third straight game this past Saturday as it defeated St. Cloud State 79-62 on the road in a non-conference game - All five Maverick starters recorded at least 10 points against St. Cloud State - Minnesota State shot 45.8% from the field against SCSU and went 19-of-25 (.760) from the free throw line - MSU currently has six players averaging 10 points a game this season. Sophomore Joey Witthus leads the Mavericks in scoring with an average of 18.8 points per game - Senior Jon Fuqua is averaging a team-leading 7.6 rebounds a game, with sophomore Joey Witthus following with six rebounds a game. Four Mavericks are averaging at least 5.6 rebounds a game - Minnesota State is shooting 50.2% from the field this season
Top Performers
Senior Jon Fuqua – 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 50.0 FG% Sophomore Cole Harper – 14 points, 9 rebounds, 55.5 FG%
Next Week
Friday, Dec. 2 at Wayne State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Augustana -  6 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 107-74 vs. CC W 93-92 at NSU	5-1, 1-0 NSIC	W4	3rd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- The Dragons earned a pair of wins on the road last week to improve to 5-1 - MSUM beat crosstown rival Concordia 107-74 thanks to 23 points from senior Ayob Ayob - Five Dragons scored in double figures as Dragons hit 17-of-26 from three-point range in win - Junior G Tanner Kretchman hit the game-winning three at the buzzer to lift MSUM to thrilling 93-92 win at Northern State on Saturday in NSIC opener for both teams - Senior guard Aaron Lien had 28 points while Kretchman added 19
Top Performer(s)
- Senior G Aaron Lien led MSUM by averaging 23.5 points, 3.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds last week - Senior F Ayob Ayob and junior guard Tanner Kretchman each averaged 17 points per game for the week - Ayob hit 7-of-10 threes on the week and shot 55.6 percent from the field overall - Senior G Jon Doss and freshman G Matt Anderson each averaged 12 points a game for the week for MSUM - Ayob led at 6.0 rebounds per game - Kretchman led at 5.5 assists per contest
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 vs. UMary -  8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. Minot State - 6 p.m.

 Minot State University B

Minot State University Beavers

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Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 75-60 vs. VCSU L 72-81 at UMARY	4-3, 0-1 NSIC	L1	T12th Overall, 5th North
Team Notes
- Finished non-conference schedule with a 75-60 win over Valley City State, going 4-2 in non-league games - Took 10 more shots than the Vikings as the Beavers out-rebounded VCSU 10-3 on the offensive end - Fell 81-72 at the University of Mary to start NSIC play - Had three players in double figures and out-rebounded the Marauders 37-36
Top Performer(s)
- Tyler Rudolph averaged 22.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocks on the weekend, hitting 17 of 34 shots and 9 of 11 from the free throw line - Luis Ricci Maia scored a season-high 20 points at the University of Mary and finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists in two games - Stevan Jovanovic scored 21 points and added 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the two games
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 at Northern State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at MSU Moorhead – 6 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 81-59 vs. Mayville; L 93-92 vs. MSUM	4-3, 0-1 North	L1	7th Overall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- Northern went 1-1 on the week with a win over Mayville State and a crushing loss to MSU Moorhead - The Wolves shot 51.8 percent from the floor, 54.5 percent from the arc, and 61.1 percent from the foul line versus the Comets - In the NSIC opener, NSU shot 51.7 percent from the floor, 53.8 percent from the arc, and 69.2 percent from the foul line - Northern came back with 62 points in the second half versus the Dragons after trailing 30-47 through the first - The Wolves also shot 71.4 percent from the floor in the second half and took the lead, after tying the game three times, with just two seconds remaining in the game
Top Performer(s)
- Mack Arvidson led the team with 58 points in the two games, including a career high matching 37 versus MSU Moorhead - The Northern senior knocked down nine 3-pointers against the Dragons and hit what could have been the game winning three with just two seconds left - Logan Doyle led the team on the boards in each game, notching his second double-double of the season versus MSUM with 11 rebounds and 13 points
Up Next
Friday Dec. 3 vs. Minot State – 8 p.m. Saturday Dec. 2 vs. U-Mary – 6 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 69-52 vs PR-Mayaquez L 44-42 vs St. Rose L 56-52 vs PR-Rio Piedras	3-4, 0-0 NSIC	W1	6th Overall, 3rd South
Team Notes
- USF has outshot its opponents in 6-of-7 games with a 3-3 record - In total, USF has had 24 double digit scoring games with Clint Thomas leading the way with six games while Mack Johnson, Daniel Hurtt and Drew Guebert have five - USF ranks second in the NSIC scoring defense at 67.0 ppg and second in field goal percentage defense at 38.8 - USF leads the league in three rebounding categories including overall rebounds at 43.7; rebound defense, 29.7 and defensive rebounds at 32.2 -  Clint Thomas ranks seven in the league in three point shooting at 54.8 percent on 23-of-42 conversions -  In four its four losses, USF has lost by a combined 15 points with three losses by four points or less -  Sophomore Drew Guebert leads the team in scoring at 15.3 and rebounding at 7.7 while Daniel Hurtt is averaging 14.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg, Mack Johnson at 13.4 ppg and Clint Thomas, who has six double digit games in seven contests, is at 12.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg -  Drew Guebert (19 points, 14 rebounds vs. Puerto Rico-Mayaquez) and Clint Thomas (13 points and 10 rebounds, Presentation College) have recorded double doubles this season
Up Next
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at  Southwest Minnesota State - 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at Upper Iowa  - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Winona State 6 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
Idle	5-0, 0-0 NSIC	W5	8th Overall, 4th South
Up Next
Tuesday, Nov. 29, vs. Sioux Falls - 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 at Upper Iowa - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Winona State - 6 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 95-77 vs SJU L 79-62 vs MSU	3-5, 0-0 North	L1	3rd Overall, t-1st North
Team Notes
- The Huskies extended the winning streak to three games with the win over Saint John’s before falling to Minnesota State on Saturday -The 62 points scored against Minnesota State was only the second time the program has been held below 70 points this season -Kurt Hall became the fifth SCSU player (second this season) to record a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Minnesota State -Gage Davis led the team in scoring in both games and has led the team in scoring in seven straight contests -He had 17 points against Minnesota State and 21 points and 10 rebounds against Saint John’s -The double-double was Davis’ second of the season and 12th of his career
Top Performer(s)
- Gage Davis – 21 points, 11 rebounds at Saint John’s / 17 points and nine rebounds against Minnesota State - Andy Foley – 18 points and eight assists at Saint John’s - Mark Hall – 19 points at Saint John’s - Kurt Hall – 16 points and 11 rebounds against Minnesota State
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 vs. Minnesota Crookston - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. Bemidji State - 6 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 76-72 vs. Grand Valley State W 91-76 at St. Joseph's	3-3, 0-0 NSIC	W2	9th Overall, 6th South
Team Notes
- Won the Championship at the St. Joseph's College Thanksgiving Classic in Rensselaer, Ind. with victories over Grand Valley State and the host Pumas - UIU shot 54.7% from the floor over the weekend and 50% (19-38) from three to average 83.5 points per game - Upper Iowa allowed their opponents to just 28.6% (14-49) from behind the arc and won the rebounding battle 31-29.5
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Josh Weeber led the team in points with 15.5 per game including 20 against Grand Valley State and knocked down 8 triples in 11 attempts - Weeber was joined in double figures for the weekend by Jimmy Roth (12.5 ppg/4 apg), Dennis Austin III (12.5) and Luke Lenhart (10) - Jordan Hay led UIU's effort on the glass with 7.5 rebounds per contest and added 9 points a game, while Carson Parker scored 9.5 points, pulled down 4.5 boards and handed out 3 assists per game - Kam Rowan also scored 9.5 per game with 3 rebounds per as well
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 2 vs. Southwest Minnesota State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. Sioux Falls - 6 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week 0-3	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 94-87 OT at AUGIE L 92-74 at WTAM L 89-86 vs. ENMU 2OT	1-4, 0-1 NSIC	L4	15th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
- Wayne State lost two of three games during the week in overtime - WSC made 14 3-pointers in double OT loss to Eastern New Mexico-
Top Performer(s)
- Junior Jordan Cornelius scored 21 points at Augustana and had double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds vs. Eastern New Mexico - Junior Matt Thomas had team-high 20 points in 92-74 loss at West Texas A&M - Junior Brian Goodwin led six double digit scorers with 19 points in 89-86 double OT loss to Eastern New Mexico
Up Next
Monday, November 28 at Nebraska-Kearney - 7 p.m. Friday, December 2 vs. Minnesota State - 8 p.m. Saturday, December 3 vs. Concordia-St. Paul - 6 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 90-52 vs SMU L 77-61 vs KWC W 73-69 vs CNC	3-1, 0-0 NSIC	W1	5th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- Averaged 74.7 points per game - Shot 47.9% from the field - Three Warriors averaged at least ten points per game - Team had 46 assists on 90 made shots - Scored 49 points off turnovers on the weekend
Top Performer(s)
- Riley Bambenek averaged 15.7 points per game - Bambenek  dished out ten assists - Bambenek shot 45.9% from the field and hit ten threes
Up Next Friday, Dec. 2 vs. Sioux Falls - 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. SMSU - 6 p.m.