For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)



NSIC Men's Basketball Players of the Week

NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#20 Gage Davis (G/F, 6-4, 185, R-So., Bolingbrook, Ill./ Bolingbrook HS)
St. Cloud State
- Averaged 29.5 points and 12.5 rebounds with four assists
- Shot 52.5 percent from the field (21-for-40) and 89.5 percent from the free throw line (17-for-19)
- Scored a career-high 38 points with 17 rebounds in an 82-71 win over Minot State
- Scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and five assists in 88-73 win over UMary
- The 38 points were the most points for the program since the 2011 season
- His 15 made field goals is the third-most in a single game in school history
- His 17 rebounds are one off his career high of 18
- Has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season and 25 games in his career
- His double-double was his sixth of the season and the 16th of his career
- Davis also recorded a total of three blocks and a steal along with 59 points
- In conference games, Davis is averaging 22.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (12/5/16)

NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#3 Ryan Bruggeman (G, 6-0, 177, So., Pelican Rapids, Minn. / Pelican Rapids HS)
Southwest Minnesota State
- Averaged 26 points, five rebounds, three assists and 2.5 steals in two road wins
- Shot 57 percent (16-of-28), including 4-of-8 from 3-point range and making 16-of-22 free throws
- Scored a career-high 27 points with a career-high seven rebounds in an 85-73 win at Augie
- The win at Augie handed the Vikings their first home loss in 39 games
- Scored a game-high 25 points in SMSU’s 85-73 win at Wayne State
- Leads the team with 52 assists and leads the team in scoring at 13.8 ppg
- Is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line this season and also has a team-high 20 steals
- For his career, ranks fourth in team history in assists per game (4.3), eighth in free throw pct. (.813) and ninth in steals per game (1.7)
 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 78-76 vs. SMSU L 69-62 vs. USF	10-4, 5-3 NSIC	W3	2nd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
-Augustana lost two heartbreakers last weekend falling in the final minute of back-to-back contests -On Friday night, Southwest Minnesota State hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining in the game to give the Mustangs a 75-72 lead. SMSU held on for a 78-76 win at the Sioux Falls Arena -On Saturday, USF’s Drew Guebert hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left in the game to give the Cougars a 65-62 lead. USF held on for the 69-62 win -Augustana had not lost back-to-back games since the 2013-14 season prior to this past weekend -Saturday’s loss marked Augustana’s first home loss to USF since Nov. 22, 1994 -Friday night’s loss snapped Augustana’s 38-game home winning streak -Augustana had not lost a home game since Feb. 15, 2014 -The loss snapped a 32-game win streak at the Sioux Falls Arena and gave Augustana its first loss at the Arena since Feb. 21, 2007
Top Performer(s)
- Mike Busack led the Vikings on the weekend averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game - Busack recorded his first double-double in a Viking uniform on Friday night finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds against SMSU - Busack finished with 18 points and six boards against USF on Saturday - Jordan Spencer averaged 14.5 points and 4.5 assists per game on the weekend - Spencer had 18 points and seven assists against SMSU on Friday before putting up 11 points and four rebounds against USF on Saturday
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. Minnesota State  - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Concordia-St. Paul  - 6 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 80-61 at UIU L 95-80 at WSU	3-9, 1-6 NSIC	L6	14th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
- Bemidji State was swept against NSIC South opponents Upper Iowa, 80-61, and Winona State, 95-80 - The Beavers gave away 24 turnovers and 25 points off turnovers to the Peacocks in the first game versus a NSIC South foe - BSU grabbed over 40 rebounds for the second time this season and outrebounded UIU on the night, 45-30 - Bemidji State shot over 66.0 percent from the field in the second half versus Winona State and fell for the third time while shooting over 50 percent during the game - BSU had two players score at least 16 points in the second half
Top Performer(s)
- Freshman Jai’Vionne Green led BSU in scoring over the weekend with 18 points per game, including a 19 point effort against the Warriors - Green shot 48.1 percent from the field and averaged 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game - Junior guard Sharif Black shot 6-for-9 from the field against Winona State, totaling a team-high 21 points while adding six assists
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. St. Cloud State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Minnesota Duluth – 6 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 75-76 at NSU L 60-74 at MSUM	4-10, 1-6 NSIC	L4	11th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
- Shot 47.7% (51-107) from the floor and 42.4% (14-33) from three-point range compared to 42.1% (51-121) from the floor and 32.7% (16-49) from deep for their opponents - Outrebounded by a margin of 78-62 (32-17 on the offensive glass) leading to a 35-13 edge in second chance points for their opponents - Saw a double-digit second half deficit shrink to one in the loss to NSU before being outscored 42-31 after the break at MSUM
Top Performer(s)
- Bryndan Matthews paced the Golden Bears with 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while knocking down 4-7 from deep on the weekend - Ted Brown put up 13.5 points and 5.0 boards per game in 22.5 minutes per game on an efficient 60.0% (9-15) from the field on the weekend
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs Wayne State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Augustana – 6 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 86-84 at UMD L 88-73 at SCSU	5-9, 3-5 NSIC	L 4	10th Overall,4th North
Team Notes
- The Marauders continue to be one of the top teams in the nation in terms of not committing turnovers. Mary is 10th nationally at 10.4 turnovers/game - Mary leads the NSIC and are 22nd nationally in turnover margin at +4.5. Only three times this season have the Marauders committed more turnovers in a game than their opponent - At 6.6 steals per game the Marauders are 3rd in the NSIC
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. F Bryan Jefferson averaged a double double last weekend with 17.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG (he made 14-of-25 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws) Jefferson posted 21 points and nine rebounds while making 8-of-12 shots from the floor and all five free throw attempts at UMD - He posted his second double double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds against SCSU - Jefferson increased his career points scored to 1,038 and is 14th all-time at Mary. He also has 500 career rebounds, 7th all-time - Sr. G Damonta Henry cracked 20 points for the fourth time this season with 23 points at Minnesota Duluth - He hit three treys in the game. Henry had 25 points the previous game against Minot State - Held scoreless the previous two games, Sr. F Rickey Suggs reached double figures in both games over the last weekend - Suggs hit all four of his field  goals and posted 10 points at UMD. He followed up with a season-high 17 points at SCSU, adding in seven rebounds and three assists
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. Northern State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. MSU Moorhead - 6 p.m.

 
 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 64-51 at WSU L 79-68 at UIU	5-8, 1-6 NSIC	L2	16th Overall, 8th North
Team Notes
- UMC shot 36.3 percent from the field against Winona State - The Golden Eagles fell 79-68 to Upper Iowa - Minnesota Crookston lost 64-51 to Winona State - UMC shot 37.1 percent from the field against Upper Iowa - The Golden Eagles shot 30.3 percent from beyond the arc versus Upper Iowa
Top Performer(s)
- Chase Knickerbocker led the way with 15 points on 5-of-12 from the field against Upper Iowa - Kobe Critchley had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Upper Iowa - Gable Smith had nine points and 10 rebounds against Upper Iowa - Connor Gamble had 11 points off of the bench against Upper Iowa - Harrison Cleary had 14 points against Winona State - Kobe Critchley had 10 points and seven boards against Winona State
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6  vs. Minnesota Duluth - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7  vs. St. Cloud State - 6 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 86-84 vs. Mary L 67-56 vs. MSU	2-10, 2-5 NSIC	L1	12th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- UMD put together perhaps its best offensive performance of the season against U-Mary, scoring 86 points while shooting 50 percent from the field (both season bests), including 63 percent in the second half - Five players scored double-digit points in the victory over Mary - The Bulldogs picked up 16 assists (second highest output of season) and six steals (season-high) against Mary
Top Performer(s)
- Jake Wilson scored a career-high 24 points against Mary, including a run where he scored 13 of 14 points for UMD in a five-minute span - Luke Harris scored 27 points in two games and leads the Bulldogs in scoring - Brandon Myer broke double-digit points in both contests, averaging 11.5 points and six rebounds
Up Next
Tuesday, Jan. 3 vs. Wisconsin-Superior – 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 at Minnesota Crookston – 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Bemidji State – 8 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 74-65 at MSUM W 90-85 at NSUC	9-4, 4-3 NSIC	W4	1st Overall, 1st South
Team Notes
- Minnesota State went 2-0 this past weekend on the road as it defeated MSU Moorhead (74-65) and Northern State (90-85) - This is the first time Minnesota State has swept a weekend road series against MSU Moorhead and Northern State - Minnesota State averaged 82 points this past weekend as it shot 45.7% from the field - Sophomore Joey Witthus averaged a team-leading 24.5 points per game this past weekend - Sophomore Cole Harper averaged a team-leading 7.5 rebounds a game this past weekend - MSU shot 72% from the free throw line - The Mavericks forced 25 turnovers, while committing just nine themselves
Top Performers
- Sophomore Joey Witthus – 24.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 51.9 FG%, 60.0 3pt%, 93.8 FT% - Senior Jon Fuqua – 15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg - Sophomore Cole Harper – 11 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 50.0 FG%
Next Week
- Friday, Jan. 6 vs. Augustana - 8 p.m. - Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Wayne State - 6 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 65-74 vs, MSU W 74-60 vs. CSP	11-3, 6-2 NSIC	W1	3rd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- The Dragons went 1-1 at home last weekend - MSUM lost to Minnesota State, 74-65 on Friday before rebounding with 74-60 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday - MSUM is in second place in NSIC North, just a half game behind St. Cloud State - Dragons are alone in 4th in league overall and are just one game out of first place - The 60 points surrendered against CSP was the lowest allowed by MSUM in conference play this season - Dragons have four players averaging in double figures on the season and three are averaging more than 16 points a game: Aaron Lien (17.1), Tanner Kretchman (16.1) and Ayob Ayob (16.1)
Top Performer(s)
- Junior G Tanner Kretchman averaged 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists for the week - Senior G Jon Doss averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds - Senior F Ayob Ayob averaged 11.5 points and a team-best 9.5 rebounds per contest - Senior G Aaron Lien (10.5) and sophomore F Addison Park (10.0) also averaged in double figures - Lien finished a perfect 9-of-9 from the FT line
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 at Minot State- 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Mary - 6 p.m.

 Minot State University B

Minot State University Beavers

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Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 71-82 at SCSU W 67-56 at UMD	7-7, 3-5 NSIC	W1	T12th Overall, 5th North
Team Notes
- Split a pair of Northern Sun road games, falling 82-71 at St. Cloud State Friday, before knocking off Minnesota Duluth 67-56 Saturday - Led 26-31 at St. Cloud State before a slow second half allowed the Huskies to take the home win - Also led at halftime against UMD, 37-28 and limited the Bulldogs to just 28 points in each half to take their first NSIC road game of the season - Played just seven players with five scoring and three reaching double figures at UMD - Head coach Matt Murken earned his 100th career win Saturday night
Top Performer(s)
- Tyler Rudolph reached 500 career rebounds Friday and reached 1,000 career points Saturday as he led MISU with 35 points and 26 rebounds including a big 26 and 16 effort in the win over UMD - Nathan Mertens finished with 29 total points, seven assists and five rebounds. Pacing MISU with 17 points Friday - Trevor Rothstein scored all of his 11 points on the weekend in the first half of the St. Cloud State game and finished with 16 rebounds in two games
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. MSU Moorhead - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Northern State – 6 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 76-75 vs. CSP L 90-85 vs. MSU	9-5, 5-3 NSIC	L1	7th Overall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- After leading a majority of the game, the Wolves were able to come away with the 76-75 victory over the Golden Bears in their first cross division contest of the season - Northern shot 37.9 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from the arc, and 69.2 percent from the foul line in the win - In night two, NSU battled with Minnesota State however turnovers and poor free throw shooting led to the Wolves 90-85 demise - Northern shot 54.5 percent from the floor, 46.2 percent from the arc, and 63.3 percent from the foul line versus the Mavericks - The Wolves out-rebounded their opponents in each contest and notched more points off the bench
Top Performer(s)
- Ian Smith led the team with 18 points against the Golden Bears, while also pulling down a team second best nine rebounds - Logan Doyle tallied his second and third double-doubles of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds against the Golden Bears and 19 points and ten rebounds versus the Mavericks - Mack Arvidson led the team against MSU with 22 points, while DJ Pollard tallied a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. U-Mary – 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan 7 vs. Minot State – 6 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 64-58 at WSC W 69-62 at Augie	8-8, 4-4 NSIC	W2	6th Overall, 3rd South
Team Notes
- With a weekend road sweep of Wayne State (64-58) and Augustana (69-62), the Cougars have won 4-of-5 games and moved back to .500 overall and in NSIC play - USF’s road sweep of WSC and Augustana was a first in school history - The victory over Augustana snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Vikings, dating back to a 70-58 win on Feb. 15, 2013 at the Stewart Center - They also ended a 22-year drought of defeating the Vikings on Augustana’s home floor - The last win for USF at Augie was a 93-87 decision at the Elmen Center on Nov. 22, 1994
Top Performer(s)
- Zach Wessels had a big weekend for USF, averaging 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the two wins - Against Augustana, he scored 20 points for the first time in his career and also had a career best with nine rebounds - He hit four straight free throws in the final 21 seconds to ice the win over Augustana - USF’s all-time leader in made three’s with 210, Mack Johnson scored 41 points with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals - He is 10th in scoring all-time at USF with 1,434 points
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs Upper Iowa  - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 vs Winona State - 6 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 78-76 at AU W 85-73 at WSC	12-1, 7-1 NSIC	W6	8th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- SMSU’s 12-1 record is the best in team history after 13 games - SMSU is ranked No. 19 in the D2SIDA poll and No. 25 in the NABC poll - SMSU has played just three home games all season. SMSU has played more games in Sioux Falls, S.D. (four) then in Marshall  - SMSU has seven “true” road wins this season, matching the 2013-14 team for the most road wins in a season since 2009-10 - SMSU last recorded double digit road wins in 2008-09, finishing 11-2 - SMSU plays six of its next eight games at home - SMSU’s win at Augustana on Friday snapped AU’s 38-game home winning streak and was AU’s first loss at the Sioux Falls Arena since moving back full time to the building prior to 2014-15 season - SMSU tied a season-high with 28 free throws made at Wayne State on Saturday - SMSU shot 52% or better in the two victories last weekend
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Mitch Weg became the 21st player in team history to reach 1,000 career points during SMSU’s win at Augustana on Dec. 30. He currently ranks 19th in team history with 1,022 points - Weg averaged 13 points and four rebounds in two SMSU road wins this past weekend. He made 11 of 16 field goals - Junior Carter Kirk averaged eight points and nine rebounds in the two road wins. He recorded his fourth double-double of the season in the win over Wayne State
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 vs. Winona State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Upper Iowa - 6 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 82-71 at MISU W 88-73 at UMary	10-6, 6-1 North	W2	3rd Overall, t-1st North
Team Notes
- The Huskies won both games over the weekend with an 82-71 victoryover Minot State and an 88-73 win over Mary - The program has now won four games in a row and seven of the last eight contests - The program has scored 80 or more points in 10 of the last 12 games - Gage Davis led the team in scoring in both games in scoring a career-high 38 points and pulling down 17 rebounds against the Beavers and then 21 points and eight rebounds against Mary - His 38 points were the most for the program since the 2011 season when Taylor Witt scored 39 against Augustana - Scottie Stone scored 22 points against Minot State and then 18 points against Mary - SCSU needed to rally in the second half in both games and have three second comeback wins in the last four games
Top Performer(s)
- Gage Davis - 38 points and 17 rebounds against Minot State / 21 points, eight rebounds plus five assists against Mary - Scottie Stone – 22 points against Minot State / 18 points against Mary - Trevon Marshall a career-high 19 points against Mary - Jon Averkamp tied his career high with 10 rebounds against Mary
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 at Bemidji State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Minnesota Crookston - 6 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 80-61 vs. BSU W 79-68 vs. UMC	10-4, 7-1 NSIC	W3	9th Overall, 6th South
Team Notes
- Upper Iowa swept their first cross-division weekend of the season, picking up home wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston - The Peacocks used their two best defensive performances of the season, holding the Beavers to a season-low 61 points, and holding UMC to 68 points - UIU held BSU to a season-low 24 first-half points, and 37% shooting from the field - The defense held its opponents to 38.6% shooting from the field for the weekend, including 27.6% from behind the arc - Upper Iowa is 7-1 to start NSIC play for the first time since joining the NSIC in 2006 - The Peacocks have won 10 games before the turn of the calendar year for the first time as a member of NCAA Division II - UIU forced 38 turnovers over the weekend, including 24 against BSU on Friday night - Upper Iowa used a 25-2 advantage in points off turnovers on Friday, while outscoring UMC 46-24 in the paint on Saturday
Top Performer(s)
- Redshirt senior Jordan Hay averaged 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the weekend, including a 20-point, 8-rebound, and 4-block effort against the Golden Eagles - Saturday’s night 20-point game was the second such of Hay’s career, and the second of the season - Senior Luke Lenhart averaged 15.0 points, and connected on 7-15 shots from distance - Jimmy Roth averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, while Josh Weeber averaged 10.0 points on 5-10 shooting from behind the arc - Sophomore Munachiso Okonkwo scored a career-high 15 points on Friday night against BSU on a perfect 7-7 from the field - Six different Peacocks scored in double-figures in a game over the weekend, the most in a conference weekend this season for UIU
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 at Sioux Falls – 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Southwest Minnesota State – 6 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week 0-2	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 64-58 vs USF L 85-73 vs SMSU	4-10, 2-6 South	L2	15th Overall, 8th South
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore forward Kendall Jacks averaged team-best 15.0 points per game vs. USF and SMSU, shooting 50 percent (12-24) from the field - Junior guard Matt Thomas scored 19 points vs. SMSU and averaged 13.5 during the weekend - Junior forward Jordan Cornelius had 10 rebounds vs. Sioux Falls, second time this season with double digit rebounds in a game
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 6 at Concordia-St. Paul - 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan.7 at Minnesota State - 6 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 64-51 vs UMC W 95-80 vs BSU	7-5, 4-4 NSIC	W2	5th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- Scored 95 points, most this year, in win over Bemidji State - Tied season high two game winning streak - Improved to 4-1 following a loss - Shot over 50% on the weekend - 11-21 from three against Bemidji State - Averaged 15 assists per game
Top Performer(s)
- Riley Bambenek scored a season high 30 points against Bemidji State. Finished the weekend with 40 points - Isaiah Gray had 29 points in two games, including 18 against Minnesota Crookston - Tommy Gathje scored in double figures both games - Connor Flack had 12 points off the bench on Saturday vs Bemidji
Up Next
Friday Jan. 6 at Southwest Minnesota State - 8 p.m. Saturday Jan. 7 at Sioux Falls - 5 p.m.