For Immediate Release
Monday, January 25, 2021
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#24 Parker Fox (F, 6-8, 210, Jr., Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi HS) - Northern State
- Averaged 22.0 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in two wins at St. Cloud State
- Shot a team leading 57.1% from the floor (16-of-28)
- Added nine blocks, three assists, and one steal
- Recorded his third and fourth double-doubles of the season
- Capped off the weekend with a career high 21 rebounds on Saturday
- Named NSIC North Division Player of the Week for the third straight week
NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#32 Jordan Janssen (F, 6-7, 225, Jr., Lincoln, Neb. / East HS) - Wayne State
- Averaged 17.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game in a home split vs. Upper Iowa
- Had two double-doubles, his third and fourth of the season and 31st of career
- Had 23 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s 99-71 win over UIU
- Added 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in Saturday’s 82-74 setback
- Shot 63.6 percent from the field (14-of-22) and 77.8 percent (7-of-9) at free throw line
- Named NSIC South Division Player of the Week for the third straight week
Other Top Performances - North
#2 Derek Thompson (BSU) averaged 15.0 points in a weekend split versus UMary. He shot 52.0 percent from the field (13-25) and recorded 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists (career-high), 2 blocks and 1 steal Friday.
#2 Trever Kaiser (UMary) averaged 23 points and 6 rebounds per game in a weekend road sweep at Bemidji State. He opened the weekend with 15 points and 6 rebounds in a 80-70 win. He then scored a career-high 31 points on Saturday, the most for a UMary player since All-NSIC forward Bryan Jefferson posted 33 against BSU on Feb. 12, 2016. Kaiser is also the first UMary player to crack 30 points in three seasons.
#22 Drew Blair (UMD) averaged 24 points per game on the weekend on 18-38 shooting (47%). He averaged 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals and three rebounds per game on the weekend. He leads the NSIC with 20.8 points per game and sits ninth in the NSIC in 3-PT field goal percentage at 30.2%.
#24 Dane Zimmer (MSUM) averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the week while shooting 85 percent (17-of-20) from the field. He had a career-high 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting in Saturday’s 103-95 win over UMD. He added 12 points and six rebounds in Friday’s win shooting team-best 67 percent from the field.
#20 Melvin Newbern (MINOT) had an outstanding weekend at Minnesota Crookston, averaging 19.5 points, on 64.3% FG, 11 rebounds (2.5 offensive rebounds), 2.5 assists, 2 steals per game in two games. He recorded a career-high 24 points on Saturday while shooting 57.9 (11-19) percent from the field with nine rebounds. He played a season-high 35 minutes. On Friday, he posted his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 77.8% from the field (7-9) and totaled 22 total rebounds in two games alongside 39 total points.
Other Top Performances - South#1 Dylan LeBrun (AUGIE) led the Vikings with an average of 22 points over a weekend split with Winona State. He tallied 21 points on Saturday in the near comeback, all coming in the second half and shot 50 percent from the field for the game. After finding his comfort zone Saturday, he turned around Sunday and scored 10 of the Vikings first 12 points en route to a game-high 23 points. He shot 69 percent from the field in the game to lead the Vikings to victory. For the weekend he shot 59.3 percent from the field and tallied 9-made 3-point field goals on just 16 attempts, good for a 56.3 3-point field goal percentage. For good measure, he also averaged 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds over the weekend.
#2 Malik Willingham (MSU) averaged 18.5 points per game. He shot 14-of-22 (.636) from the field, including a 6-of-13 (.462) performance from three point range. He led the Mavericks in scoring in MSU’s 60-40 vs. SMSU with 20 points, which matched his career-high. He tallied 17 points in MSU’s second win over the Mustangs.
#12 Nick Dufault (SMSU) averaged 15 points and shot 38 percent in two games last weekend versus Minnesota State. He scored 12 points in Saturday’s loss and then scored 18 points with two 3-pointers in Sunday’s loss.
#20 Joe Smoldt (UIU) posted 37 points on a 12-26 (46.15%) rate from the field and a 8-9 (88.9%) clip from the free throw line in addition to nine rebounds and three assists over the Peacocks’ weekend split. Tied a career-high with 29 points in Saturday’s win over Wayne State, went 5-8 (62.5%) from downtown during the victory. He leads Upper Iowa and ranks 10th in the NSIC in scoring with 16.6 points per game. He holds the sixth-best three-point percentage in the conference at 42.9% and sits in second place in three-point field goals per game with 3.4.
#20 Devin Whitelow (WSU), playing 74 of a possible 80 minutes in a two-game series against (RV) Augustana, had 29 points in two games (14.5 ppg) and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line over the weekend. He averaged five assists a game, while also notching four steals including three swipes in the Warriors’ 87-82 win on Saturday.
Men's Basketball Pages
NSIC Men's Basketball Players of the Week
1/4/21
N: #2
Mason Stark - Northern State
S: #25
Tyler Riemersma - Augustana
1/11/21
N: #24
Parker Fox - Northern State
S: #32
Jordan Janssen - Wayne State
1/18/21
N: #24
Parker Fox - Northern State (2)
S: #32
Jordan Janssen - Wayne State (2)
1/25/21
N: #24
Parker Fox - Northern State (3)
S: #32
Jordan Janssen - Wayne State (3)
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 23 team national championships and crowned 77 individual national champions. For additional information, visit
NorthernSun.org.
About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit
NCAA.org.
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