For Immediate Release
Monday, December 12, 2016
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)



NSIC Men's Basketball Players of the Week

NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#5 Ayob Ayob (F, 6-7, Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada / Kildonan East HS)
MSU Moorhead
- Averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals as MSUM went 2-0
- Shot 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from three-point range and 57.7 (15-of-26) from the field overall
- Hit game-winning three-pointer with four seconds left in 82-81 win over Minnesota Crookston
- Had 17 in the UMC win and 22 points in 90-84 win at Bemidji State
- Had scored 20 points or more four times this season and has been in double figures in every game this season
 - Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (11/22/16)

NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#24 Jordan Hay (F, 6-6, 215, R-Sr., Stanwood, Iowa / North Cedar HS)
Upper Iowa
- Led UIU to a pair of road NSIC wins, 92-71 at CSP and 82-77 at MSU
- The forward led the way in scoring to give Upper Iowa its first six-game winning streak in Division II program history, and its first 4-0 start in NSIC play since joining the league
- Averaged 17.0 points for the weekend, including a career-high 23 points on Friday at CSP, his first career 20-point game
- Led the team with six rebounds in each game
- Converted 72.2% (13-17) from the field in two games, including his first three-pointer of the season
- Totaled four blocks and five assists in two games


 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 88-84 at MISU W 89-75 at U-Mary	8-2, 4-1 NSIC	W1	2nd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- Augustana split a pair of road games in North Dakota last weekend - The Vikings lost to Minot State for the first time ever on Friday night, falling to a hot-shooting MISU squad - Minot State shot 54 percent from the field, including hitting 7 of 14 3-pointers - Augustana had three players in double-figures, led by Mike Busack who scored a career-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds - Minot State was led by Tyler Rudolph who scored 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting while hitting 7 of 8 free throws - MSU out-scored Augustana 36-28 in the paint - Augustana bounced back with an 89-75 win over U-Mary on Saturday in Bismarck - The Vikings shot 56 percent from the field and were led by Adam Beyer’s career-high tying 24 points - Augustana knocked down 10 3-pointers in the win over the Marauders - The Vikings also got 24 points off the bench in the win over U-Mary
Top Performer(s)
- Adam Beyer led the Vikings on the weekend averaging 21.0 points and 6.0 rebounds - Beyer was hot from all over the place on the weekend shooting 71.4 percent from the field, including hitting 6 of 7 3-point field goals - Beyer was also 6 of 7 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line - Mike Busack put up a career-high 25 points in Friday night’s loss at Minot State - Busack finished the weekend averaging 20.5 points and 4.5 rebounds - Busack shot 60 percent from the field and hit 8 of 15 3-pointers - Junior guard Jordan Spencer averaged 17.5 points, 8.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Wayne State - 6 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 88-61 vs NSU L 90-84 vs MSUM	3-6, 1-3 NSIC	L3	14th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
- Bemidji State was swept by Northern State and MSU Moorhead in its conference home opening weekend - BSU opened the weekend with an 88-61 loss to NSU - Bemidji State allowed Northern State to 70.8 percent shooting in the second half - The Beavers lost, 90-84, to the Dragons after trailing by three points with under one minute in the game - BSU held a 44-37 lead at halftime before allowing MUSM to shoot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half
Top Performer(s)
- Senior forward Ben Best led BSU with 15.5 points per game on 54.2 percent shooting and totaled eight rebounds, six on the offensive side - Freshman guard Jai’Vionne Green averaged 13.5 points, including a 19-point game against MSU Moorhead
Up Next
Thursday, Dec. 15 at Minnesota Crookston – 7 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 71-92 vs UIU W 82-75 vs WSU	4-6, 1-3 NSIC	W1	11th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
- Shot 46.7% (50-107) from the field, 43.9% (18-41) from deep and 77.8% (35-45) from the line en route to averaging 76.5 points on the weekend - Held a 67-65 edge on the glass in the two games, including a 48-44 edge on the defensive glass - CSP’s win against WSU was just their sixth in 48 meetings and second in 20 meetings in St. Paul against the Warriors
Top Performer(s)
- Bryndan Matthews averaged 20.0 points and 9.0 boards on an efficient 60.9% (14-23) from the floor as he picked up his third double-double and second 20-10 game against Winona State - Matt Ambriz caught fire from deep, knocking down 9-15 (60.0%) from beyond the arc as he averaged 16.0 points per game on the weekend
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 16 vs Bethel – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 vs Minnesota State – 4 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 96-78 vs. Peru State W 85-78 vs. WSC L 89-75 vs. #21 Augie	5-6, 3-2 NSIC	L 1	10th Overall,4th North
Team Notes
- Mary extended its win streak to three games overall and three straight wins at home in the 85-78 win over Wayne State. Both streaks ended in the loss to #21 Augustana - The Marauders had four players average double figures in points last week and two others just missed: Pat Thomas (15.0), Bryan Jefferson (14.3), Damonta Henry (12.0) and Trevor Zacher (10.3) - During their three home games Mary shot 51.4 percent, including a 23-of-50 effort behind the arc - The Marauders are 11th in the country in fewest turnovers per game (10.4) and 13th in NCAA and 1st in the NSIC in turnover margin (+5.7) - In their final game of the 2016 calendar year, the Marauders look to extend their three-game win streak against the Beavers in a road game at Minot State
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. F Bryan Jefferson averaged 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds plus distributed 11 assists in three games last week. He had a career-high eight assists in the win against Peru State. Jefferson has now scored 982 points in his career - Sr. G Pat Thomas led the Marauders win scoring (15 PPG), assists (5 APG) and steals (6) in three games last week. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds/game and shot 57.7 percent from the floor. For the season Thomas is 17th in the country in assists to turnover ratio (3.33) and 40th in total assists (40) - Sr. F Isaac Lindquist scored a season-high 16 points against Augie, making both 3-point attempts and hitting 7-of-10 shots in the game
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Minot State - 6 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 82-81 vs MSUM L 109-68 vs NSU	3-6, 0-4 NSIC	L4	16th Overall, 8th North
Team Notes
- The Golden Eagles lost a heart-breaker to perennial NSIC North power MSU Moorhead on Friday as Ayob Ayob hit a long three-pointer with 0.8 seconds to beat UMC. - UMC shot 28-of-56 for 50 percent from the field on Friday against MSUM - The Golden Eagles were 15-of-26 for 57.7 percent from beyond the arc against the Dragons - UMC tied the record for most three-pointers in a game with 15 on Friday. The mark they tied was originally set in 2003 against MSU Moorhead - The Golden Eagles had 18 assists to eight turnovers on Friday - Minnesota Crookston was 24-of-55 from the field on Saturday against NSU for 43.6 percent - The Golden Eagles were just 5-of-21 for 23.8 percent from beyond the arc - UMC had nine assists to 11 turnovers on Saturday
Top Performer(s)
- Harrison Cleary averaged 19.0 points and 3.0 assists. He shot 37.0 percent from the field and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe - Jim Warmack tallied 12.0 points per game and shot 66.7 percent from the field - Kobe Critchley averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 assists per game
Up Next
Thursday, Dec. 15 at Bemidji State - 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 vs Oak Hills Christian - 1 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 94-76 at SMSU L 83-70 at USF	1-7, 1-3 NSIC	L2	12th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- UMD dropped a pair of NSIC cross-division matchups to Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls - The Bulldogs tied a season-high with 12 three-pointers made on 24 attempts against SMSU - UMD has turned the ball over 15 or fewer times in every game this season - Four players notched double-digit points over the weekend - Despite their record, the Bulldogs have been outscored by just 5.4 points per contest
Top Performer(s)
- Luke Harris led UMD in scoring both games, including a career-high 25-point performance against Southwest Minnesota State. Harris’ burst was the first 20+ point performance for the Bulldogs this season - Kyle Schalow averaged 11.5 points while adding 5.5 rebounds per game - Logan Rohrscheib picked up 24 points and three rebounds in two games
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. St. Cloud State – 4 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 89-64 vs. WSU L 82-77 vs UIU	5-4, 1-3 NSIC	L3	1st Overall, 1st South
Team Notes
- Minnesota State went 0-2 this past weekend as it fell to Winona State 89-64 and Upper Iowa 82-77 at home - As a team, MSU shot 43.8% from the field last weekend, including a 39% showing from behind the arc - Senior Aarias Austin led the Mavericks last weekend with 14.5 points a game - Four Mavericks averaged at least 12 points in MSU’s two games last weekend
Top Performers
Senior Aarias – 14.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 50.0 FG%, 50.0 3pt% Senior AJ Patty – 12.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 52.6 FG%
Next Week
- Saturday, Dec. 17 at Concordia-St. Paul, 4 p.m. - Monday, Dec. 19 vs. Waldorf, 4 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 82-81 at UMC W 90-84 at BSU	9-1, 5-0 NSIC	W8	3rd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- The Dragons stretched its winning streak to eight with a pair of road wins last weekend - MSUM beat Minnesota Crookston 82-81 thanks to a three-pointer by Ayob Ayob with seconds left - MSUM followed with 90-84 win over Bemidji State on Saturday thanks to 22 points from Ayob - Four Dragons averaged in double figures for the week - MSUM shot 52.6 percent from the field for the week
Top Performer(s)
- Senior F Ayob Ayob averaged 19.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two road wins; Ayob shot 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from three-point range - Sophomore F Addison Park averaged 15 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and was a perfect 13-of-13 from the field on the week - Junior G Tanner Kretchman averaged 11.5 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds for the week - Senior G Jon Doss averaged 11.0 points per game
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. Northern State - 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19 vs. Mayville State - 7 p.m.

 Minot State University B

Minot State University Beavers

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Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 88-84 vs. AUGIE L 80-85 vs. WSC	5-6, 1-4 North	L1	T12th Overall, 5th North
Team Notes
- In an up and down weekend, Minot State earned one of the program’s biggest win in knocking off defending NCAA Division II champion and #21 ranked Augustana University Friday and have one of the seasons most disappointing losses, giving up a 19-point lead in an 85-80 setback against Wayne State College Saturday - Shot 54 percent from the field and 53.8 percent on 3s to earn its second win over a top 25 team since joining NCAA Division II in the win over Augie - Hit at an even better clip Saturday, sinking 56 percent from the field, but allowed 56 percent shooting from the Wildcats in the loss. - Saturday was the fourth straight game and the eighth time in 11 games scoring at least 80 points
Top Performer(s)
- Nathan Mertens led Minot State Saturday with 21 points and averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds on the weekend - Tyler Rudolph had a big night against Augutana scoring 22 points and adding eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists, finishing with a 18.0 scoring average over the two games - Luis Ricci Maia scored a season-high 21 points in the win against the Vikings and dished out 10 total assists over two games - Russ Davis knocked down six of 8 3-pointers, scoring 19 combined points with 13 combined rebounds on the weekend
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. University of Mary – 6 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 88-61 vs. BSU W 109-68 vs. UMC	7-4, 3-2 North	W2	7th Overall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- The Northern State University men’s basketball team recorded their first weekend sweep of the season, defeating Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston on the road - The Wolves shot 53.6% from the floor, 44.0% from the arc, and 89.5% from the foul line versus the Beavers holding their largest lead of 31 points late in the game - NSU shot 57.6% from the floor, 52.6% from the arc, and 92.0% from the foul line against UMC in their 41 points victory - The Wolves also tallied a season high 50 points off the bench in the game - The both out-rebounded and forced more turnovers in each of the wins with their opponents shooting under 45.0% from field goal range
Top Performer(s)
- Bo Fries led the team versus the Beavers with a career high 18 points. He shot 64.7% from the floor and 61.5% from the arc averaging 15.0 points per game - Ian Smith also tallied back-to-back career highs, dishing out six assists in each of the victories - Logan Doyle led the team against the Golden Eagles with 17 points
Up Next
Saturday Dec. 17th vs. MSU Moorhead – 6 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 90-74 vs SCSU W 83-70 vs. UMD	5-7, 2-3 NSIC	W1	6th Overall, 3rd South
Team Notes
-  USF has lost five games by four points or combined 12 points before the 16 point loss. In its seven losses USF has lost by combined 35 points or 5.0 ppg. In its five wins, the Cougars have won by 106 total points or 21.2 ppg  -USF is third in the league in scoring defense at 72.3 and second in field goal defense at 42.1 percent in NSIC stats. USF, which has won the rebound battle in 9-of-12 games, leads the NSIC in rebounding at 39.8 per game. USF ranks fifth in three point shooting at .367 percent
Top Performer(s)
- Daniel Hurtt scored a career high 33 points, hitting 11-of-17 from the field and 5-of-6 from three point range, as the Cougars defeated Minnesota Duluth on Saturday at the Stewart Center - With 17.6 points per game, sophomore forward Drew Guebert is seventh in the league in scoring. He ranks 13th with 5.8 rebounds per game. - Junior forward Tom Aase ranks seventh in the league with 6.8 rebounds per game. - Senior guard Clint Thomas is third in the league at 54.2 percent from three point range (32-of-59).
Up Next
Tuesday, Dec. 13 vs. Mount Marty - 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. SMSU - 6 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 94-76 vs. UMD W 84-82 vs. SCSU	9-1, 4-1 NSIC	W3	8th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- SMSU’s 9-1 record is the best in team history after 10 games - SMSU has played just three home games and will play just three of its first 13 games of the season at home  - SMSU defeated UMD for the 13th time in the last 15 games; SMSU has won eight straight at home versus UMD since Dec. 12, 2004 - SMSU senior forward Mitch Weg has scored 992 career points - SMSU combined to make 22 3-pointers in the two victories last weekend - SMSU held a 23-4 advantage in points off of turnovers in the victory over UMD last Friday
Top Performer(s)
- Senior forward Mitch Weg scored the game-winning field goal as time expired to defeat St. Cloud State on Saturday night - Sophomore forward Michael Lee scored 11 points—all in the second half—on 4 of 6 shooting to help SMSU defeat SCSU on Saturday night - Junior center Carter Kirk scored 16 points with 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season in SMSU’s win over UMD on Friday - Sophomore guard Taylor Schafer finished the weekend averaging 15.5 points and shot 12 of 28 from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Sioux Falls - 6 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 90-74 at USF L 84-82 at SMSU	6-6, 3-1 NSIC	L1	3rd Overall, t-1st North
Team Notes
-The Huskies split their two games on the week with a 90-74 victory over Sioux Falls and an 84-82 loss to Southwest Minnesota State -The program shot a season-high 57.9 percent from the field against Sioux Falls and 52.9 percent from three-point range -The program scored 90 points against Sioux Falls for the then third straight game and fifth time this season -The Huskies lost on a shot at the buzzer to Southwest Minnesota State, 84-82 -The loss snapped the team’s three game-winning streak
Top Performer(s)
- Scottie Stone scored a team season high 28 points vs. Sioux Falls -  Jon Averkamp had 16 points and eight rebounds against Sioux Falls (12/9) and 17 points against Southwest Minnesota State - Gage Davis had 17 points vs. Sioux Falls (12/9) plus 20 points and 11 rebounds vs. Southwest Minnesota - It was Davis’ fifth double-double of the season and 15th of his career - Andy Foley had 16 points and eight rebounds against Southwest Minnesota State
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17at Minnesota Crookston - 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19 vs. Jamestown - 7 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W, 92-71 at CSP W, 82-77 at MSU	7-3, 4-0 NSIC	W6	9th Overall, 6th NSIC South
Team Notes
- Upper Iowa swept their second consecutive NSIC weekend of the season with road wins over CSP and MSU - The Peacocks are 4-0 to start the Northern Sun season for the first time in program history - UIU’s six-game winning streak is the longest such streak since joining NCAA Division II in 2003 - Upper Iowa connected on a new Division II program-record 71.4% (15-21) from the three-point line on Friday at CSP - The Peacocks scored a season-high 92 points at CSP, and have now won 5 straight games at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn. - Upper Iowa’s outscored the Mavericks 52-18 in the paint on Saturday en route to their second-ever win over MSU - UIU converted 66-117 (56.4%) of their shots on the weekend
Top Performer(s)
- Redshirt senior Jordan Hay averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for the weekend, including a career-high 23 points on Friday at CSP, his first career 20-point game - Hay totaled 4 blocks, 5 assists, and shot 13-17 (72.2%) from the field including his first three-pointer of the season - Senior Josh Weeber averaged 15.5 points in two games, converting a perfect 5-5 from behind the arc at Concordia-St. Paul - Redshirt sophomore Dennis Austin III averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and converted a season-best 7-11 from the field on Saturday at Minnesota State - Junior Carson Parker picked up 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game - Luke Lenhart averaged 12.0 points, including a perfect Friday night at CSP from distance (4-4) - In both games UIU had 5 players score in double-figures, becoming their second and third games of the season accomplishing that feat
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. Winona State – 6 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 85-78 at UMary W 85-80 at MISU	3-7, 2-3 NSIC	W1	15th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
- WSC road win at Minot State was first in league play since January 30, 2015 (W77-75 at Mary) - WSC erases 17-point halftime deficit shooting 62.5% in 2nd half (20-32) for 85-80 win at Minot State - Season-high six players in double figures in Saturday win at Minot State
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore forward Kendall Jacks scored team-high 17 points in 85-78 loss at Mary - Sophomore guard Vance Janssen had team-high 16 points in comeback win at Minot State - Redshirt freshman Ben Hoskins scored career-high 12 off bench canning 4 of 7 3-pointers in 85-80 win at Minot State -  Jacks and Janssen each average 14.5 points per game on North Dakota road trip
Up Next
Saturday, December 17 vs. Augustana - 6 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 89-64 at MSU L 82-75 at CSP	4-4, 1-3 NSIC	L1	5th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- Team shot 72% from the field vs Minnesota State - It was highest for the Warriors since joining the Northern Sun and the highest known percentage in school history - It is the highest in the NSIC dating back to 1998-99 - Four Warriors scored in double figures against the Mavericks - Winona State had 15 offensive rebounds and 17 second chance points against Concordia
Top Performer(s)
- Isaiah Gray shot 10-11 vs MSU and scored 26 points - Riley Bambenek scored 35 points on the weekend - Kyle Bauman had 34 points and is now at 990 in his career - Corey Jeffs scored in double figures in both games
Up Next
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Upper Iowa – 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19  vs Upper Iowa – 6 p.m.