For Immediate Release
Monday, November 28, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#5 Sam Masten (G, 6-3, 185, Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Rock Canyon HS) - Northern State
- Averaged 17.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in three wins 
- Shot 61.5% from the floor, 50.0% from the 3-point line, and 87.5% from the foul line
- Added two steals and totaled 52 points, 24 rebounds, and 24 assists 
- Extended his double figure scoring streak to seven games 
- Notched a season high nine assists against the Dragons and Javelinas

NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#15 Jake Hilmer (G, 5-11, 175, Sr., Walker, Iowa / North Linn HS) - Upper Iowa
- Led the Peacocks to a 3-0 week with a pair of impressive comeback wins 
- Averaged 27.7 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds for the week
- Scored 34 points in the final game of the Bahama House Shootout
- Hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer for an 82-81 win over WSU
- UIU erased a nine-point deficit over the final 41 seconds against WSU
- Wiped out a 12-point margin in the final three minutes to win in overtime over ECSU

Other Top Performances - North  
#1 Zyon Smith (UMary) led the Marauders to a perfect record in three Thanksgiving week games. He scored a team-leading 18 points on 3-for-5 shooting on three-pointers in the Marauders 72-69 win over Minot State. He posted 15 points in 72-56 win over Trevecca Nazarene and finished the week by scoring 11 points with 3 treys in 82-61 win over PR-Bayamon in the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament championship game to win tourney MVP honors. He averaged 14.7 ppg, 2.3 treys/game and shot 48.6% for the week.
#22 Drew Blair (UMD) averaged 26 points on 50% shooting from the field and 37.5% shooting from three across three games this past week. He also contributed 3.7 assists a game (a team-high during this stretch) and 4.7 rebounds a game. He scored a career-high 38 points against St. Cloud State on Tuesday on 57.1% shooting and 46.2% three-point shooting. He currently leads the team for the season in PPG with 21.1.
#4 Jacob Beeninga (MSUM) finished the week averaging 19.3 points and 3.7 rebounds over three games. He scored a team-high 22 points in MSUM’s loss to Northern State on Tuesday. He led the Dragons in scoring in both of their wins at the CSU Pueblo Thanksgiving Classic. The sophomore scored 16 points against CSU Pueblo and 20 the following afternoon against New Mexico Highlands. He shot 56.8 percent from the field last week including a 40.9 percent clip from long range. Beeninga sank nine three-point field goals over three games.
#1 Camron Dunfee (MINOT) led the Beavers to a pair of wins in the Colorado State Pueblo Thanksgiving Classic, including scoring a game-high and season-best 23 points Saturday in a win over the hosts. Dunfee averaged 17.3 points on the week as Minot State grabbed 2-of-3 wins.
#1 Tommy Chatman (SCSU) played a key role in St. Cloud State’s weekend sweep of Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. Chatman put up 28 total points over the weekend scoring in the double-digits both days. On Saturday’s game Chatman posted his first double-double of his Huskies career with 16 points and 11 rebounds which played a key role in St. Cloud’s 76-69 victory. On Sunday, Chatman posted 12 points going 4-9 from the floor with five rebounds in the Huskies 74-56 win over Michigan Tech.

Other Top Performances - South
#3 Akoi Akoi (AUGIE) averaged 14 points per game over the three-game week while shooting 59.4 percent from the field. He scored a career-high 19 points against Wayne State in the NSIC opener on 8-of-11 shooting. He followed on Saturday with a 9-of-11 shooting performance to tie that career-high in the win over Valley City State. He ranks second in the NSIC with his 62.8 field goal percentage.
#11 Antwan Kimmons (CSP) led the team with 24.0 points on 72.7% (16-22) shooting in CSP’s two games. He hit 66.7% (4-6) from beyond the arc and 80.0% (12-15) from the free throw line. He added 5.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game on the week  as he became the first Golden Bear since 2018 and fourth in the DII era to score 30+ in back-to-back games with 34 points on Tuesday. He haas cleared 30+ points in three of his first six games with CSP and leads the NSIC and ranks fifth in the nation with 25.2 points per game. He also leads the NSIC in steals per game while ranking sixth in field goal percentage and seventh in assists per game.
#2 Malik Willingham (MSU) led the Mavericks with an average of 29.0 points, to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. He shot 54.3% from the field and 11-of-17 (.647) from three point range. He scored a career-high 41 points against Concordia-St. Paul, becoming the first Maverick to reach 40 points or more in a game since Cameron Kirksey did so against MSU Moorhead (2/1/19). He recorded his second career double-double with 17 points and 12 assists against Bethany Lutheran.
#10 Dunwa Omot (SMSU) led SMSU to a pair of victories, including an NSIC win over Sioux Falls. Omot averaged 16 points, 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while shooting 47 percent (9 of 19) from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. He scored 12 points with three steals and was 6 of 6 from the free throw line in a win over Sioux Falls on Tuesday, before scoring 20 points on 6 of 10 shooting with four 3-pointers in a victory over Mount Marty on Saturday.
#32 Jordan Janssen (WSC) led the Wildcats to three road wins averaging 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He had two double-doubles as he scored 18 points with 14 rebounds in a 69-61 win at Augustana Tuesday. He scored 10 points with 11 rebounds in a 72-63 win over Tampa (Fla.). He had a weekend best 25 points with five rebounds, going 9-14 from the field and 7-8 at the line, to help the ‘Cats rally from 17 down in the second half to win 89-87 at Eckerd (Fla.). For the week he shot 56.8 percent (21-37) from the field and 84.6 percent (11-13) at the stripe.
#2 Connor Dillon (WSU) led Winona State in scoring and rebounding in a hard-fought 82-81 loss to Upper Iowa in the only game of the week for the Warriors. He scored 20 points, leading the team, and hauled in eight rebounds. He was 8-for-21 from the floor and led the team with 37 minutes played.

2022-23 NSIC Players of the Week
11/14/22
N: #32 Austin Andrews - Minnesota Duluth
S  #2 Malik Willingham - Minnesota State
11/21/22
N: #23 John Sutherland - Bemidji State
S:  #32 Jordan Janssen - Wayne State
11/28/22
N: #5 Sam Masten - Northern State
S:  #15 Jake Hilmer - Upper Iowa

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 25 team national championships and crowned 96individual 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 can 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.