For Immediate Release
Monday, February 20, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)

NSIC Men's Basketball Players of the Week

NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#0 Harrison Cleary (Fr., G, 6-1, Oak Creek, Wis. / Oak Creek HS)
Minnesota Crookston
- Averaged an NSIC high 28.5 points per game against Minot State and U-Mary
- Tallied 33 points on 14-of-17 from the field in win over U-Mary
- He had 24 points on 8-of-20 from the field versus Minot State
- Cleary was 22-of-37 from the field for 59.5 percent on the weekend
- He shot 5-of-10 from the three point range for 50 percent
- Cleary was 8-of-10 from the line
- He averaged 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (11/15/16)

NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#4 Mike Busack (F, 6-5, 205, Sr., Belview, Minn. / Redwood Valley HS)
Augustana
- Averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in an 87-80 win vs. WSU and a 92-87 OT win vs. UIU
- Shot 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from the field and hit 11 3-pointers while shooting 52.4 percent from behind the arc
- Scored 22 points with nine rebounds while hitting 6-of-9 from 3-point range vs. WSU
- Followed that with his fifth double-double of the season in the win over Upper Iowa
- Matched his career-highs in points (27) and rebounds (14) on Saturday
- Went over 1,000 career points in Saturday’s win over Upper Iowa
- Has scored 445 points this season for the Vikings and now sits at 1,018 career points having scored 573 in three seasons at Minnesota State, Mankato
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the third time this season (1/9/17 & 2/6/17)

 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 87-70 vs. WSU W 92-87 (ot) vs. UIU	21-7, 16-6 NSIC	W6	2nd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- Augustana ended the regular season on a high note with a pair of home wins to extend its current win streak to six games - On Friday night against Winona State, Augustana jumped out to a 9-2 lead and never trailed the rest of the night picking up an 97-70 win - The win gave Augustana its 20th of the season, marking the seventh time in the last 10 seasons Augustana has won 20 games - The Vikings have won 20 or more games in three straight seasons - Augustana out-rebounded Winona State 40-23 and finished the game shooting 48.3 percent from the field - The Vikings knocked down 11 of 26 from 3-point range, making it three straight games with 10 or more 3-pointers - Augustana entered the weekend ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Central Region and had a big date set for Saturday night against No. 7 Upper Iowa - The Vikings went to overtime with Upper Iowa and came away victorious following a 92-87 win in front of 3,371 fans on Senior Night - Upper Iowa held a seven point advantage at halftime and came out in the second half and matched every Viking attempt at closing the lead - Augustana broke through with an 11-3 run to tie the game with 16:10 remaining and the two teams went on to play to seven more tie scores before needing overtime to decide a winner - The Vikings came out firing in overtime, hitting 4 of 5 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to build a six point lead at 86-80 -Augustana made all six of its free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the hard-fought 92-87 win
Top Performer(s)
- Mike Busack had a big weekend for the Vikings averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a pair of wins - Busack shot 48.6 percent (17 of 35) from the field and hit 11 3-pointers while shooting 52.4 percent from behind the arc - He was also 4 of 4 from the free throw line on the weekend - Busack grabbed 23 rebounds, including 22 on the defensive glass - He opened the weekend with 22 points and nine rebounds while hitting 6 of 9 from 3-point range in the win over Winona State - Busack followed that with his fifth double-double of the season in the win over Upper Iowa - He matched his career-highs in points (27) and rebounds (14) on Saturday - Busack also went over 1,000 career points in Saturday’s win over Upper Iowa - Busack has scored 445 points this season for the Vikings and now sits at 1,018 career points having scored 573 in three seasons at Minnesota State, Mankato - Zach Huisken had a huge weekend for Augustana putting up double-digits on back-to-back nights - Huisken was 4 of 5 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line finishing with 15 points against Winona State Friday night - Huisken then set a career-high with 18 points against Upper Iowa on Saturday night - Huisken shot 66.7 percent (12 of 18) from the field and 90 percent (9 of 10) from the free throw line on the weekend - John Warren averaged 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals - Warren put up 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in the win over Winona State Friday night
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. Bemidji State - 8 p.m. - (at Sanford Pentagon)

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 87-82 vs Mary L 86-69 vs MSU	10-17, 8-14 North	L2	14th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
- Bemidji State was swept in its final weekend of regular season play - BSU opened the weekend with an 87-82 loss to U-Mary - Bemidji State went to halftime up 48-44 after leading by as many as 13 in the first half - The Beavers were outshot from the free throw line, 22-31 compared to 9-16, including 18 free throw conversions by the Marauders in the second half - Bemidji State’s weekend finished on an 86-69 loss to Minot State - After trailing 38-24 at halftime, BSU pulled to within six points several times in the second half
Top Performer(s)
- Freshman Lucas Wendt led BSU in scoring with 14.0 points per game off the bench, including a team-high 19 points against U-Mary. He shot 66.7 percent from the floor while averaging 4.0 rebounds and two assists per game - Junior guard Sharif Black followed Wendt with 13.0 points per game and totaled 20 points, eight assists and four rebounds against Minot State - Four Beavers reached double-figure scoring against the Marauders, including Wendt, senior forward Ben Best with 16, senior forward Shane White with 12 off the bench and freshman Peyton Dibble with 10 off the bench
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Augustana – 8 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 69-73 vs USF L 76-89 vs SMSU	5-24, 2-20 South	L4	11th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
-CSP erased a double-digit second half deficit to take the lead in the final two minutes before falling to USF 73-69 on Friday night -The Golden Bears turned a 28-point game into a seven point game in the final minute in an 89-76 loss to SMSU in the regular season finale on Saturday night -CSP continued their solid play on the glass as they held an 80-72 rebounding edge, including an impressive 31-20 edge on the offensive glass
Top Performer(s)
- Bryndan Matthews fell a rebound short of a double-double both nights as he led the team with 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game on the weekend - Brandon McRoy shattered his career-best on Friday night with 17 points and nine rebounds as he knocked down 10-12 at the free throw line
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at #21 MSU Moorhead – 8 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 87-82 at BSU L 91-80 at UMC	12-16, 10-12 NSIC	L1	10th Overall,4th North
Team Notes
- 3-game win streak snapped in season-finale loss at Minnesota Crookston - Marauders to open NSIC / Sanford Health tournament at Minnesota State on Wed., Feb. 22 - Mary has won last two games against MSU, last year in the NSIC quarterfinals and earlier this season in Mankato - Scored 80 or more points in five of last six games - Damonta Henry (25), Rickey Suggs (19) and Bryan Jefferson (19) combined to score 63 points in 87-82 win at Bemidji State - Suggs (26) and Jefferson (25) combined for 51 points at Minnesota Crookston
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. G Damonta Henry was 12-of-16 at the free throw line and scored 25 points at BSU - Sr. F Rickey Suggs posted a career-high 26 points at Minnesota Crookston after scoring 19 the night before at Bemidji State - He averaged 22.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG while making 18-of-32 shots in the two games (9-of-16 each game) - Suggs also had two steals each game - Sr. F Bryan Jefferson averaged 22.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 2.0 assists while making 19-of-29 shots (.655 shooting percentage) - He scored 19 points with six rebounds at BSU and closed with 25 points and ten rebounds against UMC, making 11-of-16 shots
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Minnesota State - 7 p.m.

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week Season Record Streak Preseason Poll L 75-73 MINOT W 91-80 U-Mary 8-20, 4-18 NSIC W1 16th Overall, 8th North Team Notes - The Golden Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak with a 91-80 win over U-Mary on Saturday - UMC shot 34-of-58 from the field for 58.6 percent. They were 6-of-15 from beyond the arc for 40 percent and 17-of-25 from the charity stripe for 68 percent - UMC fell 75-73 in overtime to Minot State. The Golden Eagles came back from a 38-25 deficit at the half by outscoring the Beavers 43-30 in the second half. Minnesota Crookston would tie up the game with a layup by Cleary with 48 seconds left. Minot State would edge the Golden Eagles 7-5 in the overtime period to win 75-73. - The Golden Eagles shot 46.0 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from beyond the arc and 70 percent from free throw against the Beavers - Harrison Cleary set the school record with points in a season, field goals in a season - He currently has 617 points and 222 field goals, surpassing records set by Joe Hasz during the 2001-02 season Top Performer(s) - Harrison Cleary tallied 33 points on 14-of-17 from the field on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc versus U-Mary. He also notched seven assists - Chase Knickerbocker notched a career-high 27 points on 9-of-14 from the field and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe - Harrison Cleary notched 24 points on 8-of-20 from the field versus Minot State - Connor Gamble had 14 points and six rebounds off of the bench against Minot State Up Next

Wednesday, Feb. 22 - at Upper Iowa - 7 p.m.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 93-80 vs. NSU L 62-56 vs. MSUM	4-24, 3-19 North	L14	12th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- UMD held the top scoring NSIC offense in MSU Moorhead to just 62 points – 28 points below its average - The Bulldogs shot 51.8 percent (29-for-56) from the field against Northern State, tying their season-best field goal percentage - UMD turned the ball over just nine times in each game and rank third in the NSIC in that category - The Bulldogs shot 43.2 percent from the three-point line on the weekend, including a 50 percent (8-for-16) against Northern State
Top Performer(s)
- Logan Rohrscheib averaged 13 points and 3.5 rebounds per game - Luke Harris led all Bulldogs with 22 points in the loss to Northern State. The freshman averaged 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds over two games - Cody Tomlinson netted 19 points against the Dragons, tying his career-high - Since returning from injury, Brandon Myer is averaging 13 points per game
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Southwest Minnesota State – 7 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 67-64 vs. SMSU W 79-67 vs. USF	19-9 (14-8 NSIC)	W1	1st Overall, 1st South
Team Notes
- Minnesota State went 1-1 at home this past weekend as it fell to Southwest Minnesota State 67-64, before defeating Sioux Falls 79-67 - The Mavericks will host the University of Mary on Wednesday in the first round of the NSIC Tournament - As a team, Minnesota State shot 48% from the field last weekend, including a 45.2% showing from behind the arc - Senior Jon Fuqua led the Mavericks last weekend with an average of 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game - Minnesota State passed out 21 assists and forced 19 turnovers last weekend - Both seniors Aarias Austin and Jon Fuqua recorded at least 20 points in a game last weekend - Austin posted 22 points vs. USF and Fuqua tallied 20 points against SMSU
Top Performers
Senior Jon Fuqua – 17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 61.9 FG%, 88.9 FT% Junior Charlie Brown – 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 46.7 FG%
Next Week
Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. University of Mary – 7 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 104-97 at SCSU OT W 62-56 at  UMD	24-4, 19-3 NSIC	W7	3rd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- Dragons wrapped up NSIC title outright with two road wins to close regular season - MSUM won second league title in past three seasons - MSUM won NSIC North Division title for fourth straight season - MSUM completed season sweep of St. Cloud State for fourth straight year with 104-97 OT win on Friday - Four Dragons averaged at least 14.5 points per game on the weekend - MSUM moved up to No. 21 in the latest NABC poll released Feb. 14 and is ranked fifth in first Central Region poll.
Top Performer(s)
- Junior G Tanner Kretchman averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 assists per game for the week - Senior G Aaron Lien averaged 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 63.2 percent from the field - Senior F Ayob Ayob averaged 14.5 points per game - RFr. G Matt Anderson averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and scored a career-high 22 points in win over St. Cloud State
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. Concordia-St. Paul - 8 p.m.

Minot State University Beavers

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Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 75-73 at UMC OT W 86-69 at BSU	14-14, 10-12 North	W2	T12th Overall, 5th North
Team Notes
- Ended the regular season with a pair of road wins to secure the No. 4 seed for the first round of the NSIC Tournament and MSU’s first ever NSIC home playoff game - Edged Minnesota Crookston 75-73 in overtime as Nathaniel Moore hit the game winner off an offensive rebound as time expired - The win in overtime in Crookston was the first win for the Beavers in the extra session in three tries this season - Shot 60 percent from the field and held Bemidji State to just nine first-half field goals to roll to an 86-69 win to end the season
Top Performer(s)
- Nathaniel Moore scored a combined 35 points and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals in two games including a game-winner off an offensive rebound in overtime to top UMC - Tyler Rudolph continued a fantastic season averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds – falling just eight rebounds short of the NSIC single season record – including a huge 32-point, 16-rebound night in the win over UMC - Luis Ricci Maia scored 21 points, with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in  two games - Nathan Mertens finished the weekend with 14 assists and just two steals to go along with a combined 15 points and three rebounds, giving him 45 assists and just six turnovers in his past six games
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. Sioux Falls – 7 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 93-80 at UMD W 75-64 at SCSU	21-7, 17-5 NSIC	W2	7th Overall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- The Northern State University men’s basketball team swept the final weekend of the regular season defeating Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State - The Wolves finished the year second in the NSIC North and will host the seventh seeded Warriors from Winona State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament - NSU shot 50.0 percent from the floor in each of the wins with strong performances off the bench - The Wolves took care of the ball versus Minnesota Duluth, giving up just six turnovers in the win - Northern was strong in the paint versus St. Cloud State, notching 42 points and out-rebounding the Huskies 46-30 in the win - NSU opened the week earning the ninth seed in the first NCAA Central Region rankings
Top Performer(s)
- Junior DJ Pollard tallied his 1,000th career point versus St. Cloud State on Saturday with his first bucket of the game. Pollard recorded 27 points over the weekend for the Wolves - Mack Arvidson continues to get one step closer to his 1,000th point notching a team leading 34 points in the two wins. Arvidson tallied ten made 3-pointers over the weekend, including seven against Minnesota Duluth - Carter Evans was a force for the Wolves off the bench scoring 30 points and recording 17 rebounds. He also shot 76.5% from the floor in the two games
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. Winona State – 8 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 73-69 at CSP L 79-67 at MSU	14-16, 10-12 NSIC	L 1	6th Overall, 3rd South
Team Notes
-  The USF Men’s Basketball Team finished fifth in the NSIC South at 10-12. USF has been snake bit with eight losses of two points or less, including five in NSIC play - Head Coach Chris Johnson became USF all-time wins leader for USF men’s basketball with 155 (Shane Murphy, 154, 2001-08)
Top Performer(s)
- Mack Johnson moved into 8th place on USF’s all-time scoring chart with 1,621 points. Johnson is 12 points from 7th (Herb Buckner, 1,633, 1966-70). He also leads USF all-time in three point field goals with 229 - Against MSU he had a triple for the 100th time in his career - He also reached double digit points for the 80th time. He had back-to-back 20 point games and now has 22 career 20 point or better games - Zach Wessels averaged 13 points, six rebounds and 3.0 assists in the weekend action. He had eight points in the final 2:21, including the go-ahead three, as USF defeated CSP, 73-69
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Minot State - 7 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 67-64, MSU W 89-76, CSP	22-5, 17-5 NSIC	W2	8th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- SMSU’s 22 victories is the third highest in team history - SMSU’s NSIC South title is the program’s first - SMSU was ranked No. 3 in the first NCAA Central Region rankings released last week - SMSU has set a school record with 12 “true road” victories this season and is 14-2 in all games away from home. - SMSU will host Minnesota Duluth in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament.
Top Performer(s)
-Sophomore guard Taylor Schafer scored a career-high 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting with five 3-pointers in the win at CSP on Saturday
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22, vs. Minnesota Duluth - 7 p.m.

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 104-97 vs MSUMOT L 75-64 vs NSU	18-13, 14-8 North	L2	3rd Overall, t-1st North
Team Notes
- The team’s overtime game against MSU Moorhead was the second consecutive overtime contest after the program had gone 97 straight games without playing one - The team lost to MSU Moorhead for the eighth straight time - Gage Davis scored more than 30 points for the third straight game in the loss to MSUM as he had 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists - It was also his third straight double-double and his 13th double-double of the season - The loss to MSUM at home snapped the program’s 10 game home winning streak - Scottie Stone broke the school’s single season record for three pointers in the contest against the Dragons and has now hit 104 threes this season - The 104 points allowed to MSUM was a season high for the program and also marked the team’s first time suffering a loss when scoring 90 or more points this season - The program then suffered a 75-64 loss to Northern State - The team was down by 21 after the first half but fought back to get to within four in the second 20 minutes before falling - Andy Foley had his first career double-double against Northern State with 18 points and 11 rebounds - He is the first player other than Gage Davis or Scottie Stone to lead the team in scoring this season
Top Performer(s)
- Gage Davis – 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists against MSUM / 14 points, eight rebounds plus seven assists against NSU - Jon Averkamp – 27 points against MSUM / eight points and three rebounds against Northern State - Scottie Stone – 15 points and eight rebounds against MSUM / 13 points, four rebounds and four assists against Northern State - Andy Foley – 18 points and 11 rebounds vs. Northern State
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22, vs. Wayne State - 7 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W, 67-65 at WSC L, 92-87 (OT) at AUGIE	19-9, 16-6 NSIC	L1	9th Overall, 6th NSIC South
Team Notes
- Upper Iowa wrapped up the regular season with a split on the road at Wayne State and Augustana - The Peacocks finish the NSIC schedule with a 16-6 record, their best since joining the league in 2006 - UIU picked up a hard-fought, two-point win on Friday night at WSC; Carson Parker hit a pair of free throws late, and the Peacocks made a late defensive stand to hold on for the 67-65 win - Upper Iowa held three different 9-point leads at Augustana on Saturday, but the Vikings were able to fight back to force overtime; Augie outscored the Peacocks 17-12 in the extra period - The Peacocks finish in second place in the NSIC South division, holding the tie-breaker over Augustana - UIU converted 47.7% from the field, but committed 28 turnovers in the two games to split the weekend - Upper Iowa will host in the first round of the 2017 NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament, marking the fifth straight season UIU will host in the first round
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Josh Weeber averaged 13.5 points for the weekend, connecting on 8-14 from the field including 7-13 from behind the arc - Redshirt senior Jordan Hay averaged 12.5 points, including a 20-point effort at Augustana; Hay totaled the 20-point plateau for the sixth time this season - Junior Carson Parker averaged 12.0 points per game, including the team’s final 11 points on Friday night to defeat Wayne State - Parker converted all 10 free throw attempts in the two games, and is shooting 85% from the stripe this season - Senior Luke Lenhart is now 18 points away from the 1,000-point club
Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. Minnesota Crookston – 7 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 67-65 UIU W 74-59 WSU	10-18, 8-14 South	W1	15th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
- Wayne State has doubled last year’s win total (10-18 this year from 5-24 last year) - Eight league wins are the most for WSC since the 2012-13 season
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore forward Kendall Jacks averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game - Junior reserve guard Austin Esters averaged 14.0 points per game - Jacks and Esters each had 15 points vs. Upper Iowa - Jacks led three double digit scorers in 74-59 win over Winona State with 14 points - Junior forward Jordan Cornelius had 10 points in both games vs. Upper Iowa, Winona State
Up Next
Wednesday, February 22 at St. Cloud State -  7 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 87-70 at AUGIE L 74-59 at WSC	11-15, 8-14 NSIC	L3	5th Overall, 4th South
Team Notes
- Made 20 three-point field goals on the weekend - Averaged 15 assists per game - Shot better from three-point range than overall from the field - 39 points off turnovers on the weekend - 15 losses in a season for first time since 1996-97
Top Performer(s)
- Riley Bambenek scored 14 points per game on the weekend - Isaiah Gray scored 11.5 points and led the team with five rebounds per game - Josh Mongan had 11 points per game - Mongan scored 13 points, second best this season, against Augustana - Mongan’s streak of six straight games without a turnover ended - In his last seven games Mongan has 30 assists and one turnover Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Northern State – 8 p.m.