For Immediate Release
Monday, February 13, 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 35 points, 9.5 rebounds and seven assists per game
- Shot 25-for-47 from the field (53.2 percent), 50 percent from three-point range (7-for-14) and was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line
- Recorded two double-doubles and now has 12 double-doubles on the season and 22 in his career
- Started his week with a 36 points and 10 rebound effort against UMary
- The 36 points was two off his career-high set earlier in the season
- Then played 42 minutes and scored 34 points with 11 assists and nine rebounds against Minot State
- He shot 13-for-21 from the field (61.9 percent) and 5-for-7 from three points range (71.4) to help lead SCSU overcome a 17-point deficit and get the overtime victory
- Has now scored 30 or more points in three games this season and five times in his career
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season (12/5/16, 1/3/17, 1/30/17, 2/13/17)

NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#23 Jordan Spencer (G, 6-2, 180, Jr., Milton Keynes, England / Shenley Brook End School)
Augustana
- Averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in two road wins
- Shot 53.1 percent from the field, hitting 17-of-32 shots
- Was also 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) from the free throw line
- Opened the weekend with 10 points, eight assists and three steals at USF
- Went off for a career-high 39 points in a 97-79 win at SMSU on Saturday
- The 39-point game marks Spencer’s second career 30-plus point performance
- Was 14-of-21 from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the win over SMSU
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (11/28/16 & 1/23/17)

 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 80-78 at USF W 97-79 at SMSU	19-7, 14-6 NSIC	W4	2nd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- Augustana extended its winning streak to four with two big road victories last weekend - Augustana opened the weekend with an 80-78 win over USF at the Stewart Center - The Vikings had four players in double-figures in the win over USF, led by Mike Busack who finished with a career-high 27 points and nine rebounds - Busack was 8 of 16 from the field and came up big at the free throw line for the Vikings, connecting on 8 of 10 shots from the stripe - Augustana finished the game 22 of 28 (78.6 percent) from the free throw line, hitting 14 of 16 in the second half - Steven Schaefer pitched in with 14 points off the bench while hitting 3 of 4 from behind the arc - Taking on the top team in the South Division on the road Saturday at SMSU, the Vikings were red hot from 3-point range to pick up a 97-79 win over the Mustangs - The Vikings shot 59.3 percent and hit 16 of 27 3-pointers in the win - Augustana finished the game shooting 54.8 percent from the field and got a career-high 39 points out of Jordan Spencer to improve to 19-7 on the year
Top Performer(s)
- Jordan Spencer averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals on the weekend - He shot 53.1 percent from the field, hitting 17 of 32 shots in a pair of wins - Spencer was also 8 of 9 (88.9 percent) from the free throw line - Spencer opened the weekend with 10 points, eight assists and three steals at USF before going off for a career-high 39 points at SMSU on Saturday - The 39-point game marks Spencer’s second career 30-plus point performance - Spencer was 14 of 21 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range in the win over SMSU - He also was 6 of 6 from the stripe while dishing out two assists and grabbing two steals - Mike Busack averaged 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on the weekend for the Vikings - Busack nearly recorded his fourth straight double-double on Friday night finishing with a career-high 27 points and nine rebounds - Busack was 8 of 16 from the field at USF and hit three from behind the arc - Steven Schaefer averaged 13.5 points on the weekend, putting up 14 at USF on Friday and 13 at SMSU on Saturday - Schaefer shot 69.2 percent from the field, hitting 9 of 13 shots, including 6 of 18 3-pointers - Adam Beyer averaged 12.5 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds in the two wins
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 vs. Winona State  - 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. Upper Iowa  - 6 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 102-78 at MSUM W 63-59 at NSU	10-15, 8-12 NSIC	W1	14th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
- Bemidji State took a split for the fifth weekend in a row beginning with a 102-78 loss at No. 24 MSU Moorhead and ending with a 63-59 win at Northern State - BSU and MSUM each shot over 56.5 percent from the field during the first half as MSUM exited the first half with a 44-30 lead - Despite the Beavers also shooting over 50.0 percent in the second half, the Dragons finished shooting 71.9 percent in the second half and 66.1 percent for the night in their win - Bemidji State allowed just 19 second-half points to Northern State to stay alive for a home playoff game - The Beavers held the Wolves to 22.0 percent shooting from the field in the second half and BSU outscored NSU from the bench, 19-4 - Bemidji State currently sits one game behind U-Mary in the North Division standings and is tied with Minot State. If BSU sweeps next weekend at home against U-Mary and MiSU, the Beavers will host their first playoff game since 2014
Top Performer(s)
- Freshman guard Jai’Vionne Green led BSU for the sixth consecutive game and 15th overall this season while scoring 16 points against MSU Moorhead and 21 against Northern State - Green averaged 18.5 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor - Junior guard Christian Pekarek finished with 16 points against Northern State, including 11 in the first half - Senior forward Shane White and freshman forward Lucas Wendt followed Green in scoring Friday off the bench. White finished with 13 points and Wendt totaled 12
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 vs U-Mary – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 vs Minot State – 6 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 67-82 at WSU L 61-75 at UIU	5-22, 2-18 NSIC	L2	11th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
-CSP held a massive 72-48 edge on the glass (23-10 on the offensive glass) as they averaged out to a +12.0 in the rebounding column in the two losses -The Golden Bears were doomed by three-point shooting on Friday as WSU held a 16-4 advantage in made threes to grab an 82-67 win -Turnovers were the difference on Saturday as Upper Iowa turned 21 CSP turnovers into 22 points while Concordia collected just seven points off of turnovers in the 75-61 loss
Top Performer(s)
- Bryndan Matthews grabbed his fourth and fifth double-doubles of the year to give him an average of 17.5 points and 10.5 boards to go along with 3.0 steals on the weekend - Ted Brown was highly efficient in the two contests as he averaged 14.0 points on an impressive 80.0% (12-15) from the floor to go along with 4.5 rebounds per game
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 vs Sioux Falls – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 vs Southwest Minnesota State – 6 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 99-79 v SCSU W 81-66 v UMD	11-15, 9-11 NSIC	W2	10th Overall,4th North
Team Notes
- Took sole position of 4th place in the NSIC North with two games to go in regular season - Swept home weekend over St. Cloud State (99-79) and Minnesota Duluth (81-66) to sweep season series - The 99 points and 60.9 FG% against SCSU were season highs - Rickey Suggs (25) and Damonta Henry (22) combined for 47 points against SCSU - Marauders hit 12-of-24 3-pointers in win over UMD. Defensively Mary held Bulldogs to 39 FG%
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. G Damonta Henry averaged 24.5 PPG in weekend sweep, making 18-of-32 shots (56.3%) from field and 11-of-22 three pointers - Had eight assists and six rebounds. Scored 22 points vs. SCSU (8-of-14 FG, 4-9 on treys) with five rebounds and five assists. Set career-high with 27 points (7-of-11 on treys) and added three assists - Sr. F Rickey Suggs posted a career-high 25 points against SCSU, making 11-of-12 field goal attempts - Also had nine rebounds and two assists and steals vs. Huskies - Sr. F Bryan Jefferson averaged 17 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, made 14-of-20 shots and all six free throws - Had 14 points (6-of-9 FG) and added nine rebounds. Scored 20 points (8-of-11 FG, 4-of-4 FT) with three assists and four rebounds
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Bemidji State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18  at Minnesota Crookston - 6 p.m.

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week Season Record Streak Preseason Poll L 85-80  at NSU OT L 103-68 at MSUM 7-17, 3-15 NSIC L2 16th Overall, 8th North Team Notes - The Golden Eagles were down just 46-36 at the half against MSU Moorhead until a big second half by the Dragons - MSU Moorhead would outscore the Wolves 57-32 in the second half to pick up the win - UMC shot 41.0 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from beyond the arc and 60.0 percent from the charity stripe against the Dragons - UMC would lead by 11 points with 5:45 left over Northern State - The Wolves would outscore UMC 15-2 over a five minute period going into the final seconds - Northern State would lead 72-70 with four seconds left before Kobe Critchley would send it to overtime with a jumper for UMC. The Wolves would outscore UMC 13-8 in overtime to capture the win - Minnesota Crookston shot 37.8 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc and 69.2 percent from the charity stripe against the Wolves   Top Performer(s) - Harrison Cleary had 33 points on 11-of-26 from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe against Northern State - Kobe Critchley notched 12 points including the game-tying shot against Northern State - Gable Smith notched six points and 12 rebounds against Northern State - Harrison Cleary had 16 points and four rebounds versus MSU Moorhead - Gable Smith notched 15 points on 7-of-11 from the field against the Dragons Up Next

Fri., Feb. 17 vs Minot State - 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 18 vs U-Mary - 6 p.m.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 79-63 at MISU L 81-66 at Mary	4-22, 3-17 NSIC	L12	12th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- In its loss to Minot State, UMD posted a 57.7 percent first half field goal percentage (15-for-26) - The Bulldogs turned the ball over just six times against the Beavers and currently rank third in the NSIC for fewest turnovers per game - UMD outshot its opponents 28-8 from the free throw line on the weekend - The Bulldogs picked up a season-high 11 steals in the defeat to Mary
Top Performer(s)
- Brandon Myer, returning from an 11-game absence due to injury, scored 20 points in his first game back and averaged 15 points over the two games - Luke Harris has scored double-digit points in five straight games, netting an average of 13.5 points per game last weekend - Cody Tomlinson scored 14 points and added four rebounds and three assists in the loss to Mary
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 vs. Northern State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. MSU Moorhead – 6 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 83-73 at UIU OT W 69-68 at WSU	18-8, 13-7 NSIC	W1	1st Overall, 1st South
Team Notes
- Minnesota State went 1-1 this past weekend as it fell to Upper Iowa 83-73 in overtime, before defeating Winona State 69-68 - MSU’s win at Winona State is its first round victory at WSU since 2014 - Four Mavericks averaged at least 10 points a game this past weekend - As a team, MSU shot 42.4% from the field last weekend - The Mavericks recorded 11 blocks and 16 steals last weekend - Senior Jon Fuqua recorded the game-winning shot vs. Winona State with four seconds left
Top Performers
Freshman Cameron Kirksey – 11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 bpg, 75.0 FG% Sophomore Cole Harper – 9.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
Next Week
Friday, Feb. 17 vs. Southwest Minnesota State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. Sioux Falls – 6 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 102-78 vs. BSU W 103-68 vs. UMC	22-4, 17-3 NSIC	W5	3rd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- The Dragons clinched share of NSIC regular-season title with two home wins, which is first title since 2014-15 - MSUM won NSIC North Division title for fourth straight season - MSUM scored 205 points in the two wins and shot a blistering 62.4 percent from the field on the weekend - Four Dragons averaged in double figures on the weekend - MSUM moved up to No. 24 in the latest NABC poll released Feb. 7
Top Performer(s)
- Junior G Tanner Kretchman averaged 18.0 points and 7.5 assists per game for the week - Senior G Aaron Lien averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 63.2 percent from the field - Senior F Ayob Ayob averaged 11.5 points per game - Senior G Jon Doss averaged 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game - RFr. G Matt Anderson led MSUM at 8.5 rebounds per game
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at St. Cloud State - 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 at Minnesota Duluth - 6 p.m.

 Minot State University B

Minot State University Beavers

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Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 79-63 vs. UMD L 91-96 vs. SCSU	12-14, 8-12 NSIC	L1	T12th Overall, 5th North
Team Notes
-Earned a split of its final two NSIC regular season home games -Held Minnesota Duluth to 29 second-half points to pull away for a 79-63 win Friday -Hit a 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining to force overtime, but were outscored 17-12 in the extra session in a 96-91 loss to St. Cloud State Saturday -Hit a DII era record 16 3-pointers to outscore UMD 48-15 from beyond the arc in the win Friday
Top Performer(s)
- Nathan Mertens averaged 12 points, 10 assists and 2.5 rebounds, setting a school record with 13 assists Friday and finished the weekend with just one turnover - Tyler Rudolph notched MSU’s first 20-20 night in the DII era, scoring a game-high 26 points and pulled down 21 rebounds Friday in the win over UMD. Averaged 21.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists on the weekend - Luis Ricci Maia was efficient all weekend, hitting 12 of 20 shots for a combined 24 points with 10 rebounds and two assists total
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Minnesota Crookston – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at Bemidji State – 6 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 85-80 vs. UMC OT L 59-63 vs. BSU	19-7, 9-3 NSIC	L1	7th Overall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- NSU battled at home over the weekend defeating Minnesota Crookston, 85-80, in overtime and falling to Bemidji State 63-59 - After trailing most of the game versus the Golden Eagles, the Wolves notched 33 points in the second half and another 13 in overtime to secure the victory - The Wolves notched 42 points in the paint versus UMC and another 20 points off the bench - Despite holding a ten point leading, the Wolves struggled through the second half scoring just 19 points against the Beavers - NSU shot a season low 32.4 percent from the floor and recorded just one made 3-pointer in the final 20 minutes of action
Top Performer(s)
- Logan Doyle and Ian Smith both tallied career rebound highs versus Minnesota Crookston with 20 and 15 respectively The duo also notched double-doubles with 23 and 12 points - Smith led the team in night two with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Doyle added another 17 rebounds to his season total
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Minnesota Duluth – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at St. Cloud State - 6 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 80-78 vs Augie L 80-68 vs WSC	13-15, 9-11 NSIC	L6	6th Overall, 3rd South
Team Notes
- The USF Men’s Basketball Team remains fifth in the NSIC South at 9-11 - USF, which has lost six straight games, has been snake bit with eight losses of two points or less, including five in NSIC play - Head Coach Chris Johnson is tied for the USF school mark for career wins with 154 (Shane Murphy) and USF’s next win gives him  the all-time mark - Prior to the start of the Wayne State game, USF recognized and honored its six seniors including Mack Johnson of Roseville, Minn.; Clint Thomas of McCall, Idaho; Daniel Hurtt of Kansas City, Mo.; Kebu Johnson of Hopkins, Minn.; Cutler Finneman of St. Paul, Minn,; and Tyler Thielges of Lamoure, N.D. - The seniors have accumulated 53 wins overall and 37 in league play - The group helped USF reached the NSIC quarterfinals for the first time a year ago
Top Performers
- Daniel Hurtt concluded his career at the Stewart Center with 38 points in two games - He had 20 points and four rebounds against Wayne State - It was his fourth 20 point game of the season and 17th double digit game - Mack Johnson scored 25 points this weekend - He pushed his career total to 1,572 points for ninth on the USF scoring list, 17 behind Luther Hippe (1983-87) for eighth at 1,589 - He has added to his school record of threes which sits at 224
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Minnesota State - 8 p.m. Saturday Feb. 18 at Concordia-St. Paul - 6 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 85-82 vs WSC L  97-79 vs Augie	20-5, 15-5 NSIC	L1	8th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- SMSU has recorded 20 victories in a season for just the fifth time in program history and first since 2008-09 - It’s the first 20-win season for head coach Brad Bigler - SMSU can win at least a share of its first NSIC South Division title with two victories this weekend - SMSU was ranked No. 21 in last week’s D2SIDA Top 25 poll - SMSU has 10 “true” road wins this season, tying the 2000-01 team for the second most in team history - The school record was set in 2008-09, when SMSU finished 11-2 in road game
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore guard Ryan Bruggeman averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in SMSU’s home split last weekend - Bruggeman scored 17 points with five assists in the win over WSC, then scored 18 points with four assists in the loss to AU - Senior forward Mitch Weg has moved into second all-time at SMSU with 739 rebounds
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Minnesota State - 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at Concordia-St. Paul - 6 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 99-79 at UMary W 96-91 MISU OT	18-11, 14-6 NSIC	W1	3rd Overall, t-1st North
Team Notes
- The 99 points was the most allowed by the program since giving up 104 to Upper Iowa last season (2/6/16) - The team then played and won a 96-91 overtime game over Minot State (2/11) - It was the first overtime game the team had played since the 2013-14 season against MSU Moorhead (1/25/14) - The victory in overtime was the first for the team since defeating Minot State earlier that season (1/18/14) - Gage Davis scored over 30 points in each game and also picked up a pair of double-doubles on the week - Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds against Mary and then flirted with a triple double in getting 34 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds against Minot State - Davis was the first SCSU player to get to 10 or more assists in a game since Jordan Poydras picked up 10 helpers during the 2015 season - Scottie Stone hit two threes on the week and now has 98 made threes this season. He is only two from tying Joel McDonald’s 100 made threes in a single campaign (1994-95)
Top Performer(s)
- Gage Davis – 36 points / 10 rebounds vs. Mary (2/10) and 34 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds against Minot State (2/11) - Jon Averkamp - career-high 28 points against Mary and 23 points against Minot State - Scottie Stone – 20 points against Minot State - Andy Foley – seven points / nine rebounds vs. UMary and nine points and nine rebounds vs. Minot State
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 vs MSU Moorhead -8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 vs Northern State - 6 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 83-73 vs. MSU OT W 75-61 vs. CSP	18-8, 15-5 NSIC	W2	9th Overall, 6th NSIC South
Team Notes
- Upper Iowa wrapped up its home schedule with two big conference wins over Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul on senior weekend - The Peacocks trailed by 15 points with 8:41 remaining on Friday against the Mavericks, and after Head Coach Brooks McKowen put all five of his seniors in the game, UIU outscored their guests 37-12 over the final 13 minutes of game time, including 17-7 in overtime - UIU picked up a 14-point victory on senior night after putting together nearly identical halves against CSP, with the five seniors combining for 51 of the team’s 75 points - Upper Iowa shot 49.5% from the field for the weekend, including 16-37 (43..2%) from behind the arc; the Peacocks were stellar at the free throw line, converting 30-39 attempts (76.9%) - The Peacocks move into a tie for first place in the NSIC South division with the victories, but have two wins over SMSU this season - UIU finishes their home schedule 10-2, their best record in Dorman Gymnasium at the NCAA Division II level (moved up in 2003)
Top Performer(s)
- Redshirt senior Jordan Hay averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for the weekend, including matching a career-high of 26 points on Friday against MSU; Hay hit a free throw to tie the game at 66 with 7 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime - Senior Josh Weeber averaged 13.5 points for the weekend, connecting on 11-18 from the field including 5-9 from behind the arc - Senior Jimmy Roth was held scoreless on Friday night, but still averaged 12.5 points after a 25-point night on Saturday against CSP; Roth hit 7-9 from the field and 9-11 from the foul line in the win - Senior Luke Lenhart averaged 10.0 in two games, including a 17-point effort against the Mavericks, moving him closer to 1,000 career points; Lenhart is 29 points away from the 1,000-point club - Junior Carson Parker averaged 9.5 points per game, and continued his late game heroics on Friday night; Parker scored 8 points in overtime, including two triples to put the Peacocks up 8 points
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Wayne State – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at Augustana – 6 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 85-82 at SMSU W 80-68 at USF	9-17, 7-13 NSIC	W1	15th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
- Seven league wins are the most for WSC since the 2012-13 season - Six road wins this year are more than the combined three seasons (five)
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore forward Kendall Jacks averaged 21 points and 5.5 rebounds per game - Jacks scored 25 points at SMSU and 17 vs. Sioux Falls - Jacks shot 60.7 percent (17-28) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-6) from the free throw line - Sophomore guard Vance Janssen averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists per game
Up Next
Friday, February 17th vs. Upper Iowa - 8 p.m. Saturday, February 18th vs. Winona State - 6 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 82-67 vs CSP L 69-68 vs MSU	11-13, 8-12 NSIC	L1	5th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- Shot 50.9% from the field against Concordia, including 16 made three-point field goals -  The 16 made three-point field goals were the most this season in a game - Tied a season high with 19 assists against Concordia - The bench scored 45 points this weekend - Friday night was the tenth game this season the Warriors shot over 50% in a game
Top Performer(s)
- Riley Bambenek scored his 1,500 point in his career. He now ranks 12th all-time in scoring - Connor Flack had a career high 21 points vs Concordia - Riley Bambenek scored a total of 44 points on the weekend - Caleb Wagner scored a career high 10 points against Concordia
Up Next
Friday, Feb. 17 at Augustana – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at Wayne State – 6 p.m.