Cameron McCaffrey led Augustana to a 70-58 win over rival University of Sioux Falls on Saturday night pouring in a career-high 36 points. McCaffrey finished the game 10 of 21 from the field, knocking down 3 of 7 3-pointers. The senior was lights out from the free throw line as well, going 13 of 13. On Friday night, McCaffrey led the Vikings with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting, while knocking down 5 of 7 free throws in the contest. McCaffrey averaged 26.0 points and 2.0 rebounds over the weekend while shooting 48 percent from the field and 90.0 percent from the free throw line. He has scored 20 or more points in a game now 26 times, and has scored 25 or more points nine times in his career. McCaffrey has reached double-digits in all seven games this season and 73 times in his career. 

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE -#1 Cameron McCaffrey (G, 6-1, 170, Sr., Portland, Ore./Century) led Augustana to a 70-58 win over rival University of Sioux Falls on Saturday night pouring in a career-high 36 points. McCaffrey finished the game 10 of 21 from the field, knocking down 3 of 7 3-pointers. The senior was lights out from the free throw line as well, going 13 of 13. On Friday night, McCaffrey led the Vikings with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting, while knocking down 5 of 7 free throws in the contest. McCaffrey averaged 26.0 points and 2.0 rebounds over the weekend while shooting 48 percent from the field and 90.0 percent from the free throw line. The senior guard has scored 20 or more points in a game now 26 times, and has scored 25 or more points nine times in his career. McCaffrey has reached double-digits in all seven games this season and 73 times in his career. 

BEMIDJI STATE - #23 Mason Walters (F, 6-7, 225, Sr., Milton, Wis. / Milton HS) posted back-to-back double-doubles in a 1-1 NSIC road weekend Dec. 7-8 at No. 14 St. Cloud State (L, 68-60) and Minnesota Duluth (W, 66-55). He averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.5 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. He added a steal and an assist with just two turnovers in 28.5 minutes per game. The senior scored 17 points and tied a career-high 11 rebounds with 70 percent shooting from the field at SCSU before 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win against UMD. The double-doubles were his second and third of his career.
BSU (4-3; 2-1 NSIC, 2-1 NSIC North) split its first NSIC road weekend Dec. 7-8 with a 68-60 loss at No. 14 St. Cloud State and a 66-55 victory at Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers led for the entire contest at SCSU, until the home team opened a two-point, 58-56 lead with 5:52 remaining in regulation. The nationally-ranked Huskies never relinquished the lead, en route to staying undefeated in 2012-13. BSU bounced back the next day in a battle with the Bulldogs. BSU and UMD sat tied at 29-29 at halftime, but a 12-3 start by the Beavers to the second half guided it to an 11-point victory and a win against their former coach, Matt Bowen. Senior Mason Walters tallied back-to-back double-doubles on the weekend with 17 points a 11 rebounds at SCSU and 14 points and 10 rebounds versus UMD. BSU hosts University of Mary (2-5; 1-2 NSIC, 1-2 NSIC North) and Minot State University (1-5; 0-3 NSIC, 0-3 NSIC North) Dec. 14-15 to close the calendar year and break for the holidays. BSU is 4-9 all-time against U-Mary, but won both contests last season, including a 82-61 victory at home. The Beavers hold a 7-3 all-time advantage against Minot State. Last season BSU hosted the fellow Beavers and defeated the NSIC-newcomers 74-45.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - #25 Terez VanPelt (G, 6-1, 165, So., Osseo, Minn./HS), the league’s third leading scorer at 20.0 ppg,  continued his pace over the weekend by averaging 20.5 points in two games for the Golden Bears. VanPelt shot 46.2% (12-26) from the floor while making 75.0% (3-4) from three and 77.8% (14-18) at the foul line. He also averaged 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds while averaging 36.5 minutes. He topped 20 points in each game, scoring 21 with five assists on Friday against Upper Iowa before scoring 20 points with three assists on Saturday against Winona State when he made all of his three’s for the weekend and was 9-of-10 at the stripe. VanPelt is also fourth in the NSIC in assists, averaging 4.0 per game.
While VanPelt led the team in scoring over the weekend, senior Isaiah Thomas wasn’t far behind, averaging 18.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while knocking down nine three-pointers. Thomas leads the NSIC by averaging 3.0 three’s made per game and has connected at a 48.6% (18-37) rate on the season. He’s also eighth in the league in scoring (15.3).
Concordia saw a 4-game win streak against UIU come to a close, as the Golden Bears slip to 11-4 against UIU since 2004 (11-7 all-time). The Golden Bears were denied their first home win against Winona State on Saturday in their 16th home game against WSU as the all-time series is now 38-2 in favor of the Warriors in 40 meetings.
Concordia will look to get back on track this weekend at Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Golden Bears are 3-6 all-time against Sioux Falls, with eight of the nine meetings occurring between 1972 and 1975. The teams revived the series last year in St. Paul, with Concordia winning 99-79 at Gangelhoff Center in a non-conference game. Concordia is just 7-20 all-time entering the 28th meeting against the Mustangs. SMSU has captured wins in the last three meetings which snapped a three-game winning streak for Concordia as the teams have split the last six contests. All but one of the 27 prior games have been played during Concordia’s Division II and NSIC era (1999-00 to present). In Marshall, Concordia holds a 2-12 all-time record with its last win on January 16, 2010 (75-71). SMSU has won the last two against Concordia in Marshall.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY - Marc Musungayi (F, 6-6, 220, Jr., Toronto, Ontario / Iowa Central CC) was perfect on Saturday, connecting on all 11 field goal attempts and making each of his three free throws in a loss to MSU Moorhead. The junior forward scored 25 points and hauled down 12 rebounds while adding an assist and a block. He did not commit a turnover. Since joining the NCAA Musungayi is the first U-Mary player to be perfect from the field (minimum eight attempts). For the weekend he averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 82.4 per cent from the field and 80 per cent from the line. Musungayi is second in the NSIC in shooting percentage (65.2) and seventh in rebounding (7.1/game).

MINNESOTA, CROOKSTON  - Brandon Burns (Sr., F, Baton Rouge, La.) averaged 16 points in two games this weekend against University of Minnesota Duluth and No. 14 St. Cloud State University. Burns tallied 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field in a hard-fought 66-61 loss at UMD Friday. He tallied 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in Saturday’s loss to the No. 14 Huskies. Burns also led the Golden Eagles in the game with six rebounds. He currently leads all UMC scorers averaging 15.9 points per game in his first season with the Golden Eagles after transferring from junior college.

MINNESOTA DULUTH  - UMD drew even on the weekend, slipping past Minnesota Crookston 66-61 Friday evening before faltering down the stretch in a 66-55 loss to Bemidji State on Saturday. The Bulldogs grinded out a tough win on Friday night, making several clutch free throws down the stretch to hold off a late charge by the Golden Eagles. Senior guard Jake Hottenstine led UMD with 16 points offensively, while junior center Brett Ervin contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs did not get the same second-half effort on Saturday night, letting the latter frame get away after going into the locker room tied 29-29. Hottenstine paced the offense once again with17 points, and was joined by senior forward Dylan Rodriguez (11 points) in double figures. UMD (3-4 overall; 1-2 NSIC) will wrap up the first half with road engagements at MSU-Moorhead and Northern State this Friday and Saturday.

MINNESOTA STATE -  Minnesota State saw its 12-game winning streak against Upper Iowa snapped Saturday…The Mavericks are now 12-1 all-time against Upper Iowa…MSU snapped a two-game winning streak against Winona State…Senior guard Jarvis Williams recorded a double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds…Sophomore center Assem Marei added a double-double in the loss to Upper Iowa with 17 points and 12 rebounds…MSU is 32-12 all-time against SMSU and 11-7 under head coach Matt Margenthaler…Against USF, MSU is 5-2 all-time and 1-1 under Margenthaler.

MSU MOORHEAD - Jordan Riewer (G, 6-2, So., Staples, Minn. / Staples-Motley HS) had back-to-back solid performances in helping the Dragons to a 2-0 week on the road. Riewer had 16 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in an 84-53 rout at Minot State on Dec. 7, and followed with 19 points, three rebounds and five assists in an 82-70 win at Mary on Dec. 7. For the week Riewer averaged 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game and also shot 50 percent (9-of-18) from three-point range. He also had a a 6-to-1 assists to turnover ratio for the week.
Junior Taylor Filipek was consistent for the Dragons in their wins over Minot State and Mary. Filpek had 16 points and four rebounds in an 84-53 win over Minot State, and followed with 19 points and five rebounds in an 82-70 win at Mary. Filipek shot 50 percent from three-point range on the week (6-of-12).

MINOT STATE - Minot State continues to struggle to score points as they were swept in NSIC play at home, falling 84-53 against MSU Moorhead and 77-58 to Northern State. In Minot State’s five losses, the Beavers (1-5 overall, 0-3 NSIC) failed to reach 60 points three times and MISU hasn’t scored 70 points in any of the its three NSIC games. #11 (G, 6-0, 154, Sr.. Tacoma, Wash. / Lakes High School / Tacoma Community College) was the lone bright spot on offense, scoring 31 points and pulling down nine rebounds on the weekend. He finished with a season-high 19 points against Northern State.

NORTHERN STATE - Collin Pryor (F, 6-6, 190, Sr., St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East HS) led the Wolves to a pair of road wins over U-Mary and Minot State last weekend, helping the Wolves stretch their win streak to seven straight in the process.  The senior averaged 21.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in the weekend sweep while going 16-for-29 (55.2 percent) from the floor and 10-for-12 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.  Pryor currently ranks second in the NSIC in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per game in three league contests, and is averaging 19.2 points per game over the last five games, all NSU wins.
NSU now owns a 7-game win streak, tied for longest in the NSIC... With two conference road wins last weekend, the Wolves have already matched their NSIC road win total from 2011-12... NSU was just 2-9 on the road last season, but is 2-0 thus far in 2012-13.

SIOUX FALLS - #3 A.J. Holland (G, 6-3, 185, Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala.) had a career weekend for Sioux Falls, leading the team in scoring in back-to-back tough losses. He ignited the Cougars’ offense Friday night at Wayne State, where he poured in 13 points in the second half, including a clutch 3-pointer which gave USF a one point lead with 40 seconds to go. Holland finished that game with a career-high 21 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Holland turned in another strong performance Saturday night at Augustana College. He was good for a team-high 16 points, three assist and three steals against the Vikings. Augustana marked the fourth opponent Holland has posted double-digit scoring against in the last five games. Holland and USF looks to bounce back this weekend when they host Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State.

SMSU - Senior guard Jordan Miller (6-5, Mitchell, S.D.) averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent (12 of 24) from the field in two road games last weekend.  Miller connected on four 3-pointers and also recorded four assists and two steals. Miller scored a season-high 24 points on 10 of 20 shooting with eight rebounds in SMSU’s 70-65 loss to Augustana.  He then scored eight points on 2 of 4 shooting with six rebounds and three assists in SMSU’s victory over Wayne State. During Friday’s game, Miller moved into seventh on the SMSU all-time scoring list and now has 1,246 points in 95 career games.

ST. CLOUD STATE - The 14th-ranked Huskie swept a home NSIC series, beating Bemidji State 68-60 on Friday and Minnesota, Crookston 79-55 on Saturday. The Huskies improved to 6-0 and 3-0 in the NSIC. Theo Rothstein (Sr., F, St. Michael, Minn.) scored a career high 30 points in the win over Minnesota, Crookston, making 12 of 15 field goals, including three of five from three point range and all three of his free throw attempts. He also added five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists. On Friday he scored 11 points and had seven rebounds in a tightly contested game with the Beavers. He finishes with a career high five blocked shots and also had four steals. Rothstein has scored in double figures in every game this season and averages 20.5 points a game. He also has ten blocks this season. The last SCSU player to score 30 points in a game was guard Taylor Witt who scored 39 against Augustana College on Mar. 2, 2011. In the win over Minnesota, Crookston the Huskies shot 60 percent (30-50) from the field and 52.6 percent (10-19) from three-point range. Chris Larson (Jr., C, Hudson, Iowa/Oregon State) had career highs in points with 11 and rebounds with six against UMC. In Friday’s win over Bemidji State, Shaun Jensen (Sr., G, Spring Lake Park, Minn.) scored  season high 21 points to lead the Huskies. After trailing the Beavers, 38-30 at halftime, the Huskies went on a 6-0 run to start the second half that included back to back baskets from Rothstein.

UPPER IOWA - Jake Shonka (P, 6-6, 270, Sr., Tripoli, Iowa) picked up two new career-highs in Friday night’s win at Concordia-St. Paul.  The senior post came off the bench to score 23 points and pull down 9 rebounds eclipsing his old career highs of 6 points and 5 boards.  Shonka finished the weekend with 13.5 points and 6 rebounds per game as the Peacocks won both games including a second win over a top-25 team on the road at Minnesota State.  Jake Hughes hit a driving layup with .4 seconds on the clock to hand UIU the 61-60 upset of the Mavericks.  Shonka shot 78.6% (11-14) from the floor and 83.3% (5-6).
Upper Iowa is now 3-0 in the NSIC with all three victories coming on the road.  The Peacocks are off to their best start since moving up to NCAA Division II.  Tucker Wentzien averaged 13 points and 3.5 rebounds, while Sam Elgin scored 9.5 points and grabbed 6 boards a game over the weekend.  UIU will return to Dorman Gym this weekend for the first time since its season opener against William Jewell.  Wayne State will visit Fayette on Friday for an 8 p.m. tip and Augustana will come in on Saturday for a 6 p.m. start.

WAYNE STATE - LaTroy Wright, a 6-4 junior guard from Greensburg, Indiana (Olney Central College), averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as WSC split NSIC home games over the weekend.  Wright had 12 points and six rebounds in Friday’s 55-53 win over Sioux Falls and poured in a career-high 26 points with four steals and three assists in a 74-73 setback to Southwest Minnesota State.  For the weekend, Wright shot 58.3 percent from the field (14 of 24) and 77 percent (7 of 9) at the foul line.

WINONA STATE -  Xavier Humphrey, G, Sr., 6-2, Oak Park, Ill. (Fenwick) led the Warriors by averaging 17.5 points per game while hitting 60 percent of his attempts from behind the 3-point line as WSU split games at MSU and Concordia-St. Paul. Humphrey began the weekend by scoring a career-high 21 points at Minnesota State. He followed that performance with 14 points of 4-of-6 shooting from behind the 3-point line against CU. He made 6-of-10 3-point attempts on the weekend while also passing out 6 assists and collecting 3 steals.

Past NSIC Players of the Week
11/13/12: Anthony Tucker - MSUM
11/20/12: Amry Shelby - WSC
11/26/12:  Theo Rothstein - SCSU
12/3/12: Dustin Tetzlaff - NSU
12/10/12: Cameron McCaffrey - Augie

#NSIC#