NSU Leads Nation in Basketball Attendance

June 17, 2008 | Full Story

INDIANAPOLIS - For the second time in three years, the Northern State men's basketball team led the nation for attendance. Released last night by the NCAA, the official attendance report has Northern State leading all Division II teams not only in attendance average, but also in total attendance. The Northern women also led the nation in attendance.

The Wolves played 18 games at Wachs Arena in 2007-08 and drew in 58,869 fans, an average of 3,270 fans per game. This is the second time in school history that Northern has led the nation in attendance. In 2005-06, the Wolves drew in over 70,000 fans and averaged 3,916 backers per contest. Under the direction of head coach Don Meyer both of these years, the Wolves were NSIC runners-up and appeared in the NCAA North Central Region championship game both seasons. 2007-08 was the second most successful season on record for NSU, as the squad went 29-4 overall, with all four losses going to eventual Division II National Champion and conference foe, Winona State.

Basketball has long been a community affair in Aberdeen. Fans have put Northern State in the top eight ranked teams for attendance in all but one year since joining the NCAA in 1995-96. The Wolves have been ranked in the top five for attendance in each of the past four years, and eight out of 13 years under NCAA affiliation. The largest overall season draw came in 1994-95 with 69,050 fans in attendance (NSU was in an NCAA probationary period). The 2005-06 average of 3,916 is still the single season record to beat.

The Northern Sun Conference ranked third among Division II conferences for attendance with an average of 1,378 fans per NSIC game. Winona State was the next-leading NSIC program, ranking eighth with 2,499 fans. The North Central Conference led the nation in attendance, ushering in 1,946 fans per game. The NCC had three schools in the top ten, including Augustana and St. Cloud State, both of which are joining the NSIC this summer.

“It is a credit to the coaches directing our basketball programs that such talented student-athletes play at Northern State every year,” commented NSU athletic director Bob Olson on Northern State sweeping the attendance leaders on the men’s and women’s sides. “We are grateful for the tremendous support and interest given to our athletes by our community and the surrounding areas.”

2007-08 Division II Men's Basketball Attendance Rankings

Rk	School	G	Att.	Avg.
1.	Northern State	18	58,869	3,270
2.	Morehouse	14	42,816	3,058
3.	Elizabeth City St.	12	35,520	2,960
4.	South Dakota	16	46,165	2,885
5.	Augustana (SD)	15	40,882	2,725
6.	Central Missouri St.	15	39,766	2,651
7.	St. Cloud State	16	41,576	2,598
8.	Winona State	23	57,490	2,499
9.	Virginia State	12	29,664	2,472
10.	Washburn	13	31,107	2,392

NSU Men's Basketball Attendance Averages

Year	Rk	G	Att.	Avg.
2007-08	1st	18	58,869	3,270
2006-07	4th	18	56,886	3,160
2005-06	1st	18	70,499	3,916
2004-05	2nd	16	54,529	3,408
2003-04	8th	18	49,340	2,741
2002-03	5th	16	50,451	3,153
2001-02	6th	16	46,242	2,890
2000-01	7th	13	32,588	2,507
1999-00	3rd	15	50,306	3,354
1998-99	6th	17	50,665	2,980
1997-98	2nd	15	56,167	3,744
1996-97	13th	16	40,900	2,455
1995-96	4th	16	55,800	3,488
*1994-95	4th	19	69,050	3,634
*1993-94	8th	16	49,500	3,094

*NCAA probationary period

WSU's Flowers & Smith Invited To Play In Collegiate Basketball Invitational

April 10, 2008 | CBI Website

Kansas City, Mo. --- McCarthy Sports, Inc. is proud to announce the 65 players who will compete in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational in Wadsworth, Ohio, April 24-26.  Below is a listing of the players by team name (Team Sponsor), Head Coach, Assistant Coaches and Host Family. Winona State's Jonte Flowers (Cottage Grove, Wis.) and John Smith (Johnsburg, Ill.) were both selected to participate in the event.

The Collegiate Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a major national basketball event that will gather the finest 65 senior men's basketball players from all of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). 

The event will take place at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and will consist of eight teams of eight players (one team with nine players) in an eight-team tournament. Each team will play a total of three games that will be played Thursday and Friday, culminating with the championship game being played Friday night at 8 p.m. The CBI will conclude with an all-star game Saturday evening in front of a live, ESPNU audience as 20 players will be selected to play in the game. 

“I sincerely congratulate the 65 players that have been selected to compete in this prestigious event,” said CBI Founder John McCarthy.  “I am very excited about these 65 players and I am proud and honored to welcome them to Wadsworth for the Collegiate Basketball Invitational.  I am confident that this class of players will help make the public aware of the high level of talent at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels.”

“I would like to thank our selection committee and the many, many coaches from around the country who have shared their insights and taken their time to provide valuable information about the top seniors in the country.  With approximately 1,000 colleges and universities within these divisions, the selection of players has truly been a challenging task.  Narrowing this field to 65 players has been very difficult, as there are many other players at these levels that are very talented players of high character.  We have worked hard to handle this selection process with class and integrity.”

“The outpouring of support for this event from around the country has reinforced my faith in the value of the Collegiate Basketball Invitational.  The event is simply good for the game of basketball on several levels and this announcement makes me personally proud.” 

The All-Star Game will consist of the top 20 players from among the 65 players selected to compete at the (CBI).  The players at the CBI are the top seniors from all of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA.  At the three-day event, players will have the opportunity to compete in front of the professional team representatives, agents and national media, while competing against the best of the best from around the country.

WSU's Flowers Invited To Play In Prestigious Invitational

March 27, 2008 | PIT Website

PORTSMOUTH, VA -- Winona State University, senior, guard, Jonte Flowers has been invited to play in the prestigious 56th Annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament April 9-12. Flowers will be one of 64 outstanding basketball players who will be showcased.

The P.I.T., the nation's oldest amateur basketball tournament, is recognized by National Basketball Association and European scouts as the premier showcase for future professional players and is the only tournament for college seniors to participate in and be evaluated by the NBA prior to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando, FL.

Flowers helped lead the WSU Warriors to two (2006 and 2008) NCAA Division II National championships and three straight Elite Eight championship games in his career. During Flowers' career the Warriors set a Division II record for consecutive wins with 57 and were 97-3 in his last 100 games.

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 21

March 31, 2008 | PDF Release

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

Winona State Defeats Augusta State 87-76

March 29, 2008 | Box Score | Tournament Website | National Bracket

Springfield, Mass. - Winona State completed its run to a second national championship in three years in stylish fashion by rallying from a 16-point, 53-37, first half deficit en route to an 87-76 victory against Augusta State this afternoon at the MassMutual Center. The Warrior’s 17-point shortfall marks the second largest comeback in an NCAA Division II Championship Game.

Winona State got to today by beating a pair of undefeated teams earlier in the tournament with a 67-54 quarterfinal victory against Grand Valley State on Wednesday and an 86-75 semifinal win versus Bentley on Thursday.

The Warriors (38-1) forced the Jaguars into nine turnovers, which yielded 18 points throughout the second half, and limited them to 14 points throughout the opening 10 minutes of the second stanza; after giving up 44 first half points. On the other end, they shot 41.2 percent (7-for-17) from the arc and 50.0 percent (20-for-40) overall during that span.

“I guess in the first half, we caught ourselves getting behind. It was one thing to be behind two or four points, but when it started to get to double digits, our defense wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do. We then wanted to diminish the deficit in the last few minutes, which were able to do,” said Winona State head coach Mike Leaf. “In the locker room, we said that we’re only down 12 and that it wasn’t that much. We just had to make sure that we did it one possession at a time.”

Senior guard and Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jonte Flowers scored 25 of his 30 points after halftime to lead the Warriors. In the process, he became only the ninth player to score 30 or more points in the NCAA Division II Title Game.

Senior forward John Smith contributed 18 points and five rebounds, senior guard Quincy Henderson finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists; and junior guard Travis Whipple added 13 points for Winona State.

Senior forward AJ Bowman led Augusta State (27-7) with 26 points on 12-for-15 shooting from the floor, while sophomore forward Ben Madgen and junior center Garret Siler tossed in 20 points each to lead Augusta State (26-7). Madgen also pulled down seven boards and handed out five assists.

Henderson foreshadowed the Winona State comeback by knocking down a 3-pointer from the left wing with four seconds remaining that cut the Warriors deficit to 12 points, 44-32, at intermission.

Augusta State boosted its advantage back to 16, 53-37, throughout the opening four minutes of the second half, but then Winona State took off on a 9-2 spurt that brought them to within single digits, 55-46, with 14:43 remaining after Smith, who had 15 treys all season, knocked down one of his four 3-pointers on the afternoon.

Five minutes later, Flower drained a jumper from the left elbow that tied it up, 58-58. The lead swayed both ways during the five minutes, before freshman guard Ben Fischer finished a pair of layups to put the Warriors ahead for good, 69-65, with 5:13 remaining.

After junior guard Steve Smith drained a trey to make it a one point, 69-68, ballgame; Flowers knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers that afforded the Warriors a seven point, 75-68, advantage with 3:58 left. A 3-pointer by Henderson boosted the lead to 10, 80-70, and in the process pretty much removed all doubt about the eventual outcome. They then sealed the victory by converting five of their eight free throws from that point on.

“I told our guys in the locker room that if this is the worst thing they go through in their life, then they’ll have a good life. We accomplished a lot of things this year and just came up short to a great and expericened Winona State team. I think their experience helped a lot,” said Augusta State head coach Dip Metress.

The first half was quite a different story as Augusta State shot 67.9 percent (19-for-28) from the floor, and outscored Winona State 28-4 in the paint. The Jaguars limited the Warriors to four points throughout a five minute span in the latter stages that allowed them to transform a two point, 24-22, cushion into a l0 point, 36-26, lead with 3:34 to go until the break. (Text Courtesy of American International College Website)

All-Tournament Team
Tyrekus Bowman (Augusta State)
Jonte Flowers (Winona State)
Lew Finnegan (Bentley)
Garret Siler (Augusta State)
John Smith (Winona State)

NCAA DII Men's Basketball Elite 8 Semifinals
Deja Vu - #3 Winona State Comes Back to Knock off #1 Bentley

March 27, 2008 | Box Score | Tournament Website

Springfield, Mass. - For the second consecutive evening #3 Winona State rebounded from a halftime deficit to knock off the top team in the nation. Last night they came back from five down at the half to defeat #1 Grand Valley State 67-54, tonight they came back from six down at half to upset #1 Bentley 86-75 in the semifinals of the DII Elite 8 played in Springfield, Mass. Both Grand Valley and Bentley were tied at #1 in the nation and were undefeated going into their games against the Warriors. In addition, an undefeated Bentley team was ousted from the Elite 8 by Winona State in last year's quarterfinals.

With the win Winona State set the DII record for victories in a season (37-1), surpassing Grand Valley State, 2008 (36-1) and Regis University, 1949 (36-3). The Warriors will take on #10 Augusta State (27-6) at 1:30 p.m. live in the NCAA Division II National Championship game aired live on CBS.

Winona State started the game by scoring the first five points. But Bentley responded and eventually built its biggest lead of the night at nine points, 34-25, with 2:58 left in the half. From that point the first half would come to end with Bentley leading 36-30.

Just like in this year's opening-round game with Grand Valley State, WSU trailed at half (that was only by five points) and then came out in the second half to cut into the lead quickly. David's Johnson's three-point field goal and a layup by John Smith brought the Warriors back to within one at 36-35 just 48 seconds into the period.

From there the two teams battled back and forth until WSU finally took the lead at 48-47 on Jonte Flowers jump shot at 13:56.

WSU then built a cushion for itself that the Falcons never really could overcome, as Quincy Henderson connected on a three-pointer and Johnson converted an old fashion three-point play for a 59-54 WSU lead at the 8:42 mark.

Winona State kept is lead at five to seven points until down the stretch when Bentley was forced to foul and the Warriors made eight of ten free throw attempts for their final score and their biggest lead of the night.

Winona State finished with four starters in double figures, led by the game-high 22 points from John Smith. Flowers followed with 20, Henderson tallied 17 and Johnson came up with 16.

NCAA DII Men's Basketball Elite 8
#3 Winona State Ends #1 Grand Valley State Season With 67-54 Win

March 26, 2008 | Box Score | Watch Game Live Online | Tournament Website

Springfield, Mass. - #1 Grand Valley State (36-1) held #3 Winona State (36-1) scoreless the final 11:41 of the first half to come back from a 24-11 deficit to lead 29-24 at the half. But the Warriors had Jonte Flowers,who scored a game high 29 points, to lead the Warriors to a 67-54 win in the Elite 8 quarterfinals. Flowers was 11-17 from the floor and 5-8 from three point range to go with three rebounds, three assists and five steals. The Warriors will take on #1 Bentley Thursday, March 27th at 7:30 p.m. CST. The game will be aired live on CBS College Sports or online. Watch Game Live Online:

The 36 wins for the Warriors ties an NCAA DII record for victories in a season with Regis (Colo.), 1949 (36-3) and Grand Valley State, 2008 (36-1).

For the third straight season in a row No. 3-ranked Winona State University advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament at the Mass Mutual Center. The Warriors did it in fine fashion by defeating unbeaten Grand Valley State University, MI (36-1) 67-54.

The victory set a Warrior (36-1) single-season for wins at 36 and the 37th game they played in is also a single-season team record. Also in the process the Warriors extended their winning streak to 30 games.

It also marks the second straight year the Warriors defeated an unbeaten team in the opening round of the Elite Eight. In 2007 WSU took on undefeated Bentley, MA and came away with a victory.

It was a difficult battle for the Warriors, who saw a, 13-point, 24-11, lead disappear in the last 11:28 of the first half. WSU failed to scored a point over that period and the Lakers rallied to take 29-24 lead at the intermission.

Senior, Jonte Flowes, who sat out the last part of the first half because of an injury, sparked the second-half WSU comeback by scoring the Warriors' first five points of the second period. That tied the game at 29-all at 18:52 and at 18:21 Travis Whipple netted the Warriors' sixth and seventh unanswered points for a 31-29 Winona State lead.

The game would be tied one final time at 31-31 but from there WSU went on a 10-1 run for a 41-32 lead and never handed the lead back to the Lakers.

WSU put its lead up to 11 points at 57-46 with 3:55 left to play and GVSU trimmed that lead to six at 57-51 with 3:23 remaining. From there Quincy Henderson recorded a layup and the Warriors would go on to convert eight-for-ten attempts from the free throw line to ice the game.

WSU hit only 9-of-27 shots in the first half but bounced back to got 14-of-26 in the last 20 minutes of the game.

One of the big keys for the Warriors was their defense against the GVSU three-point field goal shooting. WSU held the Lakers to just 2-of-19 from three-point range for a 10.5 percent for the game.

Flowes came back from his injury to lead all scorers with 29 points, while Henderson finished with a double-double on 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Winona State is now 6-1 in its last three trips to the Elite Eight.
NCAA Bracket | Watch Game Live Online

State Farm/NABC Name Smith Player Of The Year

March 25, 2008 | WSU Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo.- For a second straight year Winona State University senior John Smith has received the State Farm Division II Player of the Year award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Smith won the award last year and this year's award marks only the second time a player has received the award from the NABC in back to back seasons.

This is the third organization that awarded Smith its Player of the Year award. Previously this season Smith received the Daktronics and the Basketball Times Player of the Year honors.

Smith will receive his State Farm/NABC award at the AT&T/NABC Guardians of the Game awards show on Sunday, April 6, in San Antonio, TX.

This marks the third consecutive season that Smith has led the Warriors to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Winona State has won 29 straight games and 95 of its last 100 games entering a quarterfinal contest with Grand Valley State University, MI in Springfield, MA.
Story by: Winona State Sports Information Office

Smith is WSU’s all-time scoring leader, who this season has averaged a career-high 17.7 points in 36 games and also has a career-best 98 assists with 103 blocked shots. He ranks second in Division II with 420 career blocked shots and ranks eighth in career rebounds with 1,317, a 9.2 average.

Basketball Times Names Smith Player of The Year

March 24, 2008 | WSU Release

PINEHURST, NC -- Winona State University's John Smith has been named 2008 Basketball Times NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

It is the second straight year Smith has been honored with the Division II top player of the year award by the publication.

Smith has been a force inside for the Warriors. The, 6-8, senior is averaging 17.7 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game to go along with a 52.0 percent shooting average, 73.0 percent average from the free throw line and 103 blocked shots.

Joining Smith on the All-America First Team was teammate Jonte Flowers. The duo has helped lead WSU to a 35-1 record, a 29-game winning streak and a third straight entrance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament.

Flowers has averaged 17.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg to go along with 105 assists and 110 steals.

JOHN SMITH NAMED 2008 DAKTRONICS MEN’S BASKETBALL DIVISION II PLAYER OF THE YEAR

March 24, 2008 | PDF Release

EDINBORO, PA – John Smith of Winona State University has been named the 2008 Daktronics NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.  Voting was conducted among Division II sports information directors.  Daktronics is a world leader in programmable electronic signs, electronic and digital displays and scoreboards. 

The 2008 Daktronics All-American Team was dominated by seniors, with just three juniors among the 15 players honored.  Three players repeated from last year’s team, with Smith earning a spot on the first team for the second straight year and teammate Jonte Flowers moving up from the third team.  Sean Barnette of Wingate was also a third team selection a year ago.

Smith and Flowers have led Winona State to a 35-1 record and a berth in the Elite Eight for the third straight year.  The Warriors, winners of 29 straight games, will face Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals.  Smith has been a force inside for the Warriors.  The 6’8” senior is averaging 17.7 ppg. and 8.6 rpg., both tops on the team, while shooting 52.0 percent from the floor (222 of 249) and going to the line an incredible 244 times, making 178 free throws (73.0 pct.).  He also has 103 blocked shots, ranking ninth in Division II.  He was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Most Valuable Player.  Smith has scored 2,219 career points along with 1,317 career rebounds and 420 blocked shots, ranking in the top ten in Division II in the last two categories.  A year ago he was named the NABC Division II Player of the Year.  

Flowers is a 6-5 guard who is averaging 17.2 ppg. and 5.4 rpg.  The senior has handed out 105 assists and has 110 steals, ranking second in the country in steals per game.  He is shooting 51.3 perfect from the floor (219 of 427).  Like Smith, he is a 1,000-point scorer with 1,803 points, along with 431 career assists and 403 career steals.  He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the North Central Regional.

2008 DAKTRONICS NCAA DIVISION II MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS

First Team	School	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	Hometown
Sean Barnette#	Wingate	G	6-4	210	Jr.	Rock Hill, SC
Steve Dagostino	St. Rose	G	5-11	160	Sr.	Schenectady, NY
Jonte Flowers#	Winona State	G	6-5		Sr.	Cottage Grove, WI
Jonny Reibel	Rollins	G	6-2	180	Sr.	Chicago, IL
John Smith@	Winona State	F	6-8		Sr.	McHenry, IL
Second Team
Jeremy Black	Tampa	F	6-8	230	Sr.	Tampa, FL
Callistus Eziukwu	Grand Valley State	F/C	6-10	220	Sr.	Muskegon, IL
Chris Gilliam	Pitt-Johnstown	F	6-7	235	Sr.	Baltimore, MD
Anthony Hilliard	Elizabeth City State	G/F	6-4	205	Jr.	Fayetteville, NC
Devin Peal	Humboldt State	F	6-4	230	Sr.	Richmond, CA
Third Team
Cory Abercrombie	Pittsburg State	F/C	6-7	243	Sr.	Piedmont, SC
Chris Commons	USC Aiken	F	6-8	215	Jr.	Toledo, OH
Jeff Fahnbulleh	Kentucky Wesleyan	C	6-7	260	Sr.	Los Angeles, CA
Scooby Johnson	Texas A&M Commerce	F	6-7	230	Sr.	Houston, TX
Michael Sturns	Holy Family	G	6-5		Sr.	Fort Worth, TX
@ 2007 first	team selection
# 2007 third	team selection

 

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 20
NCAA DII Men's Basketball Elite 8
#3 Winona State Takes on #1 Grand Valley State

March 24, 2008 | PDF Release

Springfield, Mass. - The No. 3-ranked Winona State will face Grand Valley State University, which shares the No. 1 ranking in Division II, in the third quarterfinal game of the opening round to the Elite Eight. Tip-off for that contest at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EDT. The Warriors have a 29-game winning streak and have posted a 92-2 record in their last 94 games. Grand Valley State has won a school-record 36 straight games. GVSU is the first collegiate basketball team in state of Michigan history to go 30-0 in the regular season. The Lakers’ 36 victories ties the NCAA DII all-time record for wins in a season. Regis won 36 games during the 1949 season (36-3). This is the first-ever meeting between Grand Valley State and Winona State.
NCAA Bracket | Watch Game Live Online

NCAA DII Men's Basketball North Central Regional Championship
#3 Winona State Defeats #5 Northern State 68-60

March 18, 2008 | Box Score

Winona, Minn. –Jonte Flowers and Winona State University put on quite a display in defeating Northern State University 68-60 for the NCAA Division II North Central Region championship that was held in McCown Gymnasium. Flowers, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, came up with 33 points in leading the Warriors to their third straight region title and third consecutive berth in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament.

The No. 3-ranked Warriors will face Grand Valley State University, MI, which shares the No. 1 ranking in Division II, in the third quarterfinal game of the opening round to the Elite Eight. Tip-off for that contest at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Flowers finished with a game-high 33 points, hitting on 10-of-22 shots from the field and 9-of-10 attempts from the free throw line. Free throws by Flowers held the No. 5-ranked NSU Wolves in check down the stretch, as he made five-of-six and the Warriors netted six-of-eight in the final 48 seconds of the game.

For the contest WSU converted on 19-of-25 charity shots.

John Smith, who was also named to the All-Tournament team, recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, blocking two shots and coming up with one assist.

Northern State's Kevin Ratzsch, who was named to the All-Tournament team, joined up with teammate Levi Hamilton to score 17 points each.

The Warriors now have a 29-game winning streak and have posted a 95-5 record in their last 100 games.

All-Tournament Team
Jonte Flowers (WSU) Most Outstanding Player
John Smith (WSU)
Kevin Ratzsch (NSU)
Corey McIntosh (Augie)
Michael Jenkins (UNO)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 19
NCAA North Central Region Championship Aired Live on FSN North

March 17, 2008 | PDF Release

Winona, Minn. – For the second time in three years two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams will meet in the NCAA DII North Central Region Tournament Championship game. Winona State (34-1) will take on Northern State (29-3) in a rematch of the 2006 North Central Championship game at 7:00 p.m. in McCown Gym on the campus of Winona State University. Winona State won that game 96-86 and went on to win the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championship. Winona State holds a 28 game winning streak coming into the game while Northern State’s three losses on the season have all come at the hands of the Warriors. Winona State is playing in its fifth regional tournament and holds a 15-3 record in NCAA post season play. Northern State is 7-7 in NCAA tournament games and 1-1 in regional championship games as they advanced to the Elite 8 back in 1998 where they lost to Virginia Union 63-67. Tuesday night’s game will be air live on Fox Sport Net North starting at 7:00 p.m. The winner of the North Central Region will face the winner of the Great Lakes Region in the first game of the Elite Eight at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. March 26, 27 and 29. North Central Region Website

NABC North Central All-District Team

March 18, 2008 | Full Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has announced the NABC Division II All-North Central District teams. Three NSIC members were selected to the six member first team, including Winona State's John Smith and Jonte Flowers and Northern State's Kevin Ratsch. The honorees are selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC. Winona State's Mike Leaf was named NABC North Central District Coach of the Year.

2008 NABC All-North Central District First Team
Jonte Flowers, Winona State University
Kevin Ratzsch, Northern State University
John Smith, Winona State University
David Dress, St. Cloud State University
Dylan Grimsley, The University of South Dakota
Atila Santos, Minnesota State University, Mankato

2008 NABC All-North Central District Second Team
Drake Beranek, University of Nebraska-Kearney
Michael Jenkins, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Corey McIntosh, Augustana College
Jake Morrow, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Brian Stamer, Colorado Christian College

2008 NABC North Central District Coach of the Year
Mike Leaf, Winona State University

MBB: Rematch of NSIC Championship Set for Tuesday Night in Regional Finals

March 16, 2008 | Box Score

Winona, Minn. - Winona State University (34-1) put on a scoring flurish in the second half and posted an 80-67 win over the University of Nebraska-Omaha (25-7) in a semifinal game of the NCAA Division II North Central Region Tournament held at McCown Gymnasium.

The win puts the No. 3-ranked Warriors into the region championship for a third consecutive year and will give them the opportunity to win a third straight region title and berth in the Elite Eight. It will also marks the second time in three years that the Warriors will take on Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe Northern State University for the right to advance on to the Division II's championship round.

Winona State was seeded No. 1 coming into the tournament and Northern State had been given the No. 2 seed.

WSU and UNO put on a hard battle in the first half, with the Warriors barely holding on for a halftime lead of 26-25. Then in the second half WSU turned up the offensive gears, especially the three-point field goal shooting of Quincy Henderson and outscored the Mavericks 54-42.

Henderson scored 13 of his team-high 19 points with most of those coming on three, three-pointers. Henderson had connected for two other three-pointers in the opening period to finish the game with a five-for-nine effort from three-point range.

For the game the Warriors finished with five players in double figures. John Smith came up with 15 points, Jonte Flowers and David Johnson each tallied 13 points and Ben Ficher turned in a tremendous relief role by netting 12 points, grabbing four rebounds, dishing out two assists and coming up with one block shot and steal apiece.

The Warriors defense was at it again, as WSU forced the UNO Mavericks into 17 turnovers. The Warriors also had a 36-31 edge on the boards and came up with six blocked shots, led by Smith with three.

MBB: Northern State Beats Augie 75-66 in NCAA Regional Semis

March 16, 2008 | Box Score

Photo Courtesy of NSU SID Melissa Wolf

Winona, Minn. - #5 Northern State, as it did a day before against a team from South Dakota, held off a second half rush to defeat Augustana College 75-66 in the NCAA DII Men's Basketball Tournament Region Semifinals. Northern State led by as many as 16 with 1:52 left in the first half and led 34-23 at the break. But Augustana made a push and pulled within two with eleven minutes to go. Northern State would then push back and extend their lead to ten with six to go before Augie made their last barrage cutting the lead to 66-63 with 1:08 to go. Dan DeWitt would score on a floater in the lane with 36 seconds to go to put the Wolves up four. From there the Wolves hit their free throw (13-for-13 in the game and 11-for-11 in the second half) to secure the win. The Wolves were led by Kevin Ratzsch, who scored a team high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He also grabbed a game high nine rebounds and swatted six shots. Craig Nelson added 19 while Rob Thomas had a solid game with 11 points. Augustana was led by Corey McIntosh, who scored a game high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting (18 in the second half).

Northern State defeated Augustana 75-68 back on Dec. 15th in Sioux Falls, S.D. Northern State defeated the University of South Dakota 70-69 yesterday to advance to the semifinals. Northern State will advance to take on the winner of the Winona State vs. Nebraska Omaha game that is played at 7:30 p.m. Championship game will take place Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in McCown Gym and will be shown live on Fox Sports Net North. (Read More) | Live Stats

MBB: Warriors Roll Past Colorado Christian

March 15, 2008 | Box Score

Winona, Minn. - strong three-point field goal shooting effort in the first half helped propel No. 3-ranked Winona State University (33-1) to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II North Central Region Tournament after a 78-45 win over Colorado Christian University (18-13) in McCown Gymnasium.

The Warriors are the two-time defending region champions and improved their current winning streak to 27 games.

WSU, the tournament’s No. 1 Seed, connected on 10-of-17 three-point attempts in the first half for a 58.8 percent shooting effort. Four of the five starters hit from three-point land in the first half and in the game six different Warriors hit a three-pointer. For the game WSU was 14-23 from beyond the three-point line.

Three-point shooting and defense carried the Warriors, who gave up just 20 points in the first half and led 41-20 at the break. Then in the final 20 minutes of play the Warriors gave up just 25 points. For the game WSU forced CCU into 18 turnovers despite being outrebounded 40-36. (Read More)

MBB: Northern State Hangs on to Beat South Dakota

March 15, 2008 | Box Score

Winona, Minn. - Northern State's Kevin Ratzsch hit a pair of free throws with nine seconds left to put the Wolves up as they hold on for a 70-69 win over South Dakota in the 2008 NCAA DII North Central Regional Basketball Tournament quarterfinals played at McCown Gym in Winona, Minn. Northern State led by as many as 17 with 11:03 to play before the Coyotes went on a 17-2 run over a six minute span to take the lead. USD led by as many as three with just over a minute to go, but Northern State scored the final four points of the game to get the win. They will advance to the semfinals to play the winner of the Minnesota State vs. Augustana game at 5:00 p.m. Ratzsch scored the final eight points of the game for the Wolves and finished with a game high 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He also added a game high 12 rebounds. (Read More)

NCAA MBB North Central All-Region Team

March 12, 2008 | Full Release

Moorhead, Minn. - Jonte Flowers and John Smith of Winona State University have been named 2008 DAKTRONICS NCAA Division II North Central Region Men’s Co-Players of the Year. Flowers and Smith also join Drake Beranek, University of Nebraska-Kearney, David Dreas, St. Cloud State University and Atila Santos, Minnesota State University, Mankato on the five-man first team all-region team. Saluted as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Year for a fourth straight season, Flowers averaged 16.8 points per game, 5.3 rebounds pr game and 3.3 steals per game for the Warriors and helped Winona State capture a fourth straight NSIC regular season championship. Smith averaged 18.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg this winter and was named Most Valuable Player in the NSIC for a second straight year. He helped the Warriors capture a fourth straight NSIC regular season title and earn the number one seed for the approaching regional tournament. Smith was named the NABC Division II Player of the Year as a junior. It is the second straight year both players have been named to the region's first team and a second straight year that Smith has received Player of the Year honors. The duo has helped the Warriors win four straight NSIC regular-season and tournament championships and earn a fourth consecutive berth in the NCAA Division II North Central Region Tournament.

2008 Daktronics All-North Central Region
First Team
John Smith - Winona State
Jonte Flowers - Winona State
Drake Beranek - Nebraska-Kearney
David Dreas - St. Cloud State
Atila Santos - Minnesota State

2008 Daktronics All-North Central Region
Second Team
Geremey Gibson - Regis University
Corey McIntosh - Augustana College
Devon Manning -Fort Lewis College
Kevin Ratzsch - Northern State University
Brian Stamer - Colorado Christian University

NCAA MBB North Central Region Bracket

March 9, 2008 | Full NCAA Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee announced Sunday night the field of 64 teams for the 2008 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. Twenty-two conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 42 teams were selected at large by the committee. Seven of the regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 15, 16 and 18 at regional sites. The West regional will be conducted March 14, 15 and 17. The eight quarterfinalists will advance to the finals at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, March 26, 27 and 29.

The NSIC's Winona State University has been selected to host the 2008 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball North Central Regional Tournament for the third consecutive year.  #1 seed Winona State will play #8 seed Colorado Christian (RMAC) on Saturday, March 15 at 6:00 pm in McCown Gymnasium. The other first round matchups will be: #2 Northern State (NSIC) vs #7 South Dakota (NCC) at noon; #3 Minnesota State (NCC) vs #6 Augustana (NCC) at 2:30 p.m.; and #4 Fort Lewis (RMAC) vs #5 Nebraska-Omaha (NCC) at 8:30 p.m.. Click here for Regional Website

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 18

March 10, 2008 | PDF Release

St. Paul, Minn. - Winona State became the first team to win three consecutive NSIC Tournament titles since its induction in the 1999-00 season. John Smith garnered back-to-back tournament MVP awards, while he and Jonte Flowers earned all-tournament honors for the third straight year. Travis Whipple, who joined Smith and Flowers on the all-tournament team, played 82 minutes in the tournament and had only 1 turnover to 14 assists. The Warriors have now won nine straight NSIC Tournament games and will host the 2008 NCAA North Central Regional Tournament March 15, 16, 18 at McCown Gym in Winona, Minn. The Warriors are the top seed and will host Colorado Christian in the opening round. Northern State comes in as the second seed and will take on the seventh seed from the University of South Dakota. Game times will be announced Monday afternoon.

MBB: Warriors Are NSIC Tournament Champions

March 8, 2008 | Box Score

Winona, Minn. - Junior, guard, Travis Whipple lit a fire under No. 3-ranked Winona State University late in the first half and propelled the Warriors to a 73-40 win over Northern State University in the championship game of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament at McCown Gymnasium.

The win was the 26th in a row for the Warriors, who won their third straight NSIC Tournament championship.

The Warriors had been trying to pull away from the Wolves in the final stages of the first half but NSU would not go away. Whipple then stroked the fire by hitting the last three shots of the half (including one at the buzzer to end the half) for the Warriors, all of which were three-point field goals, in the last 1:45 of the period and gave WSU a 35-18 lead at the break. The Warriors started the game 1-for-16 from three point range, but hit their last four as they ended the first half on a 14-0 run. Northern State's last basket in the first have came at 3:49.

From there the Warriors, the No. 1-ranked team in the NCAA Division II North Central Region, scored the first five points of the second half for a 22-point, 40-18, lead and were never challenged again.

Whipple finished the game with 11 points, by going 4-for-7 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. Whipple also dished out five assists.

John Smith led the Warriors with 19 points and Curtrel Robinson came off the bench to tally 15 points.

Quincy Henderson led the Warriors with 11 rebounds, as WSU outrebounded the Wolves 45-33.

Defensively the Warriors forced the Wolves into 13 turnovers and committed only four of their own.

NSIC All-Tournament Team
John Smith - Winona State (MVP)
Jonte Flowers - Winona State
Travis Whipple - Winona State
Jamar Diggs - Wayne State
Robert Thomas - Northern State

 

MBB: Top Two Teams in Region Meet in NSIC Championship Game

March 7, 2008 | Box Score

Winona, Minn. - #3 Winona State pulled away in the second half to defeat Wayne State College 71-62 in the semifinals of the NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament. The Warriors will host Northern State Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. in the championship game. The two teams in the NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship combine for a 58-3 record this season, with Northern State's only two losses on the season coming at the hands of the Warriors. WSU and NSU are currently ranked one and two in the NCAA North Central Region.

The Warriors trailed 26-21 with 4:32 left to play in the opening half, but WSU turned to a press and outscored the Wildcats 14-9 for a 35-31 halftime lead.

In the second half WSC still hung around and trailed 53-51 with 6:37 left to play before the Warriors built a 70-57 lead with 2:24 remaining.

For the game, John Smith finished with a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors, while Jonte Flowers led WSU with 26 points.

The Warriors are the two-time defending NSIC Tournament champions.

MBB: #4 Northern State holds on for 74-70 win over SMSU in NSIC Tournament Semifinals

March 7, 2008 | Box Score

NSU's Rob Thomas with 2 of his 8 first half points.

Winona, Minn. - Northern State’s Kevin Ratzsch scored with 13 seconds left to snap a 70-70 tie and helped lead the Wolves to a thrilling 74-70 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in the semifinal of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament in Winona, Minn.

NSU, ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 2 in the NCAA regional rankings, improves to 27-2 overall while SMSU, ranked No. 8 in the NCAA rankings, falls to 17-12.

Northern State will now advance to the NSIC tournament championship game on Saturday night.  SMSU will now wait until Sunday night to see if they will be selected into the NCAA tournament. 

It was the second straight loss for Southwest Minnesota State versus Northern State in the final seconds.  On Feb. 2 NSU snapped a tie and won by two points scoring with 12 seconds left in the contest.

NCAA MBB North Central Regional Rankings

March 5, 2008

North Central Region		Division II Overall Record	Division II In-Region Record	Ranking Last Week
1.	Winona State (NSIC)	26-0	22-0	1
2.	Northern State (NSIC)	21-2	20-2	2
3.	Minnesota State Mankato (NCC)	19-5	16-4	3
4.	Fort Lewis (RMAC)	19-5	18-4	4
5.	Augustana (NCC)	18-6	15-6	7
6.	Nebraska-Omaha (NCC)	17-6	14-6	5
7.	South Dakota (NCC)	17-5	12-5	6
8.	Southwest Minnesota St. (NSIC)	15-11	15-8	9
9.	Nebraska-Kearney (RMAC)	14-11	14-11	10
10.	Adams State (RMAC)	16-9	15-9	8
	Dropped Out: None

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 17

March 3, 2008 | PDF Release

St. Paul, Minn. - The NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals took place last Saturday night at the high seed home court. Only one upset occurred as No. 5 Wayne State defeated No.4 Concordia-St. Paul 75-72 in overtime. Top seed Winona State, second seed Northern State and third seed Southwest Minnesota State all rolled on to the semifinals games, which will be played at McCown Gym in Winona, Minn. Match-ups for this Friday, March 7th are No. 3 Southwest Minnesota State vs. No. 2 Northern State at 6:00 p.m. and No. 5 Wayne State at No. 1 Winona State at 8:00 p.m. The NSIC Championship game will be played at 7:00 p.m. on March 8th. All three games are available to view online at www.northernsun.tv

NSIC Men's Basketball All-Conference Release

February 28, 2008 | Full Release

2007-08 NSIC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team
First Team	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	School	Hometown
32 Craig Heiman	F	So.	6-5	Concordia-St. Paul	Marshall, Wis.
13 Kevin Ratzsch	F	R-Jr.	6-5	Northern State	Bloomington, Ill.
30 Bryce Caldwell	G	Sr.	5-11	Wayne State	Davenport, Iowa
21 Jonte Flowers	G	Sr.	6-4	Winona State	Cottage Grove, Wis.
42 John Smith	F	Sr.	6-8	Winona State	Johnsburg, Ill.
Second Team	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	School	Hometown
32 Eric Erdmann	F	So.	6-5	University of Mary	Fargo, N.D.
15 Levi Hamilton	F	Sr.	6-6	Northern State	Lincoln, Neb.
2  Craig Nelson	G	R-Sr.	5-11	Northern State	Mayville, N.D.
22  Matt Fletcher	G	Sr.	6-2	Southwest Minnesota St.	North Branch, Minn.
5 Jamar Diggs	G	So.	6-2	Wayne State	Minneapolis, Minn.
Third Team	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	School	Hometown
30 James Metcalf	G	Sr.	6-3	Concordia-St. Paul	Killeen, Texas
25 Travis Krenske	G	Sr.	6-2	Southwest Minnesota St.	Faribault, Minn.
4  Quincy Henderson	G	Sr.	6-5	Winona State	Madison, Wis.
5 Luke Wicks	G/F	Sr.	6-1	Northern State	Gillette, Wyo.
1 Jude Roybal	G	Sr.	5-9	Upper Iowa	Albuquerque, N.M.
2007-08 NSIC Player of the Year
John Smith, Winona State (Sr., F, Johnsburg, Ill.)
2007-08 NSIC Co-Newcomers of the Year
Justyn Burgess, MSU Moorhead (Jr., G, Minneapolis, Minn.)
Matt Lesan, Upper Iowa (Fr., G, Solon, Iowa)
2007-08 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year
Jonte Flowers, Winona State (Sr., G, Cottage Grove, Wis.)
2007-08 NSIC Coach of the Year
Mike Leaf, Winona State

NSIC Player of the Year
No. 42 John Smith (C, 6-8, Sr., Johnsburg, Ill. / Johnsburg HS)
Winona State University
John Smith repeats as NSIC Player of the Year after leading Winona State to a undefeated NSIC regular season (18-0). Smith, the 2006-07 & 2007-08 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year, led in the NSIC in scoring (18.9), rebounding (8.1) and blocked shots (2.67). Smith became the Winona State all-time leading scorer this season breaking the record that was previously held by David Zellmann (2,059), who along with Smith, helped the Warriors capture the 2005-06 Division II championship. Following the regular season, Smith has amassed 2,130 points in his career. Smith has played in 137 games, a Division II record for games played in a career. Smith broke the previous record of 133 set by former teammate Zach Malvik (2002-03, 2004-07), Gino Bartolone of Kentucky Wesleyan and Pat Morris of Bridgeport. Smith was named NSIC Player of the Week twice this season and was the NCAA DII Player of the Year last season.

Defensive Player of the Year
No. 21 Jonte Flowers (G, 6-8, Sr., Cottage Grove, Wis. / Madison LaFollette HS
Winona State University
Flowers repeats for the fourth straight season as the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. He led the conference with 3.76 steals per game for 64 during the 18 game league season. He was also 7th in the NSIC in rebounding (5.8) and 8th in blocked shots (1.12). On the offensive end, Flowers was third in the league in scoring (17.2), sixth in field goal percentage (.528) and sixth in assists (3.0). Flowers ranks second nationally with 3.5 steals per game. Flowers became the NCAA Division II all-time steals leader when he compiled 10 against Minnesota-Crookston in a 115-75 Winona State victory February 24. Flowers’ 388 career steals eclipsed the 383 by Eddin Santiago of Missouri Southern State. Flowers also moved up to No. 3 on the list for career steals for all NCAA divisions. Tennyson Whitted of Ramapo set the all-divisions record with 448 steals in 108 games. Flowers was Named NSIC Player of the Week three times this season. Flowers scored a career high 40 points on Feb. 16th against MSU Moorhead, the 13th highest scoring out put in DII this season. His ten steals against Minnesota, Crookston on Feb. 23rd tied for the top amount of steals in a single game in DII this season.

NSIC Coach of the Year
Mike Leaf - Winona State University
Winona State Head Coach Mike Leaf makes it four consecutive years he has been named NSIC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Leaf led his squad to the regular season title for the fourth consecutive season with the Warriors finishing 18-0 in league play, tying the NSIC record for regular season victories which they set last season. The title is the fifth for the Warriors since the 1999-00 season and sixth under Leaf. The honor is the fifth in Leaf’s ten year tenure as he was named NSIC Coach of the Year in 1998-99, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.

NSIC Co-Newcomer of the Year
Justyn Burgess (G, 6-3, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn. / North HS)
MSU Moorhead
Justyn Burgess scored in double figures in 15 games this season, including a 23 point outburst against St. Cloud State on Nov. 27th. His best overall game came against Graceland University on Nov. 24th when he scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists. He averaged 12.4 points per game, 3.6 rebounds and shot 48.5% from the field in NSIC contests.

NSIC Co-Newcomer of the Year
Matt Lesan (G, 6-2, Fr., Solon, Iowa / Solon HS)
Upper Iowa
Matt Lesan started all but two of the 27 games during the Peacocks’ 2007-08 campaign. He led the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game. He was second on the team in several categories per game including minutes (28.3), assists (1.7), and steals (1.0). In the offensive half court, Lesan was tenth in the NSIC in scoring, seventh in free throw percentage (79.8%) and 3-point percentage (44.6%), thirteenth in minutes played. The Solon, Iowa native shot 44% from the field and pulled down 2.3 rebounds per game. In Northern Sun games only, Lesan was sixth in scoring (14.6), fifth in free throw percentage (80.8%), eleventh in steals (1.17), fifth in 3-point percentage (45.9%), and ninth in minutes played (30.11). Lesan scored in double figures on 18 games, including a 27 point performance against Bemidji State on Jan. 18th where he was 9-of-12 from the field.

NCAA MBB North Central Regional Rankings

February 27, 2008

North Central Region		Division II Overall Record	Division II In-Region Record	Ranking Last Week
1.	Winona State (NSIC)	25-0	21-0	1
2.	Northern State (NSIC)	20-2	19-2	2
3.	Minnesota State Mankato (NCC)	18-5	15-4	3
4.	Fort Lewis (RMAC)	18-5	17-4	4
5.	Nebraska-Omaha (NCC)	16-5	13-5	5
6.	South Dakota (NCC)	16-4	11-4	6
7.	Augustana (NCC)	17-6	14-6	7
8.	Adams State (RMAC)	17-8	16-8	8
9.	Southwest Minnesota St. (NSIC)	14-11	14-8	9
10.	Nebraska-Kearney (RMAC)	13-11	13-11	NR
	Dropped Out: Colorado Christian (RMAC) - 10

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 16

February 25, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Co-Players of the Week
#32 Craig Heiman
F, 6-5, 223, So.,
Marshall, Wis.
Marshall HS
Concordia-St. Paul

Craig Heiman continued his late season scoring surge, averaging 26.5 points and hitting nine three-pointers to lead the Golden Bears to a pair of critical victories in the final weekend of the regular season, vaulting CU to the No. 4 seed in the NSIC Tournament. In a dominant 73-54 win over Southwest Minnesota State, Heiman poured in 32 points on 12-19 shooting, hitting 5-10 from behind the arc while also adding three steals and three rebounds. The next night vs. Wayne State, he scored 21, shooting 6-13 from the field, but hitting 4-5 from three-point range and 5-6 at the line. He collected four rebounds, had two steals and two assists in the win over the Wildcats. For the weekend, Heiman shot 56.3% (18-32) from the field, 60.0% (9-15) from three-point distance and 80.0% (8-10) from the line and had five steals and seven rebounds. In the race for the NSIC scoring title, Heiman just missed Smith, finishing with 18.7 ppg to Smith’s 18.9 in 18 NSIC games, a total of difference of three points. Heiman is 12 points shy of 500 for the season.

NSIC Co-Players of the Week
#21 Jonte Flowers
G, 6-5, Sr.,
Cottage Grove, Wis.
Madison LaFollette HS
Winona State

Jonte Flowers became the NCAA Division II all-time career for steals when he recorded 10 in the Warriors’ win over the University of Minnesota, Crookston. He now had 388 for his career and ranks No. 3 all-time for all NCAA divisions. Against UMC Flowers scored 36 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. In the win over Bemidji State University Flowers had 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists 1 blocked shot and 2 steals. For the week he averaged 23 ppg, eight rebounds, six steals, and 3.5 assists.

NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament Brackets Released

February 23, 2008

Saturday, March 1 2008 | Full Men's Bracket
NSIC Men’s Basketball Tournament First Round
Site - Highest Seed hosts first round games

Game 1	No. 5 Wayne State	at No. 4 Concordia-St. Paul	8:00 pm
Game 2	No. 6 Upper Iowa	at No. 3 Southwest Minnesota St.	7:00 pm
Game 3	No. 7 MSU Moorhead	at No. 2 Northern State	7:00 pm
Game 4	No. 8 University of Mary	at No. 1 Winona State	8:00 pm

Semifinal Games - Hosted by highest remaining seed - Friday, March 7th - 6:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
NSIC Tournament Championship - Same site as semifinals - Saturday, March 8th - 7:00 p.m.

TIE-BREAKER: Concordia-St. Paul and Wayne State both finished the season at 10-8. Concordia-St. Paul swept Wayne State on the season, giving them the fourth seed and Wayne State the fifth.

MBB: Flowers Sets Steal Record In Warrior Win

February 23, 2008 | Box Score

Crookston, Minn. - Jonte Flowers became the NCAA DII all-time steals leader Saturday night as he snatched a season high ten steals, bringing his career total to 388 and surpassing Eddin Santiago's (Mo. Southern St. - 1999-02) record of 383 in a 115-77 win over Minnesota, Crookston. The Warriors remained perfect in NSIC play on the season as they finished 18-0. Flowers had another standout night as he scored 36 points on 14-of-17 shooting to go with his ten steals, seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes of play. The Warriors will host the University of Mary on Saturday, March 1st at 8:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament. If they win that game, they will host the semifinals and championship on Friday, March 7th and Saturday, March 8th.

The win completed a season sweep of all 18 NSIC games for the Warriors and improved their NSIC winning steak to 48 games. WSU also now has a 23-game winning steak. (Read More)

 

MBB: Heiman Eclipses 30 Again in Double-Digit Victory for Golden Bears

February 22, 2008 | Box Score

Sophomore forward Craig Heiman (Marshall, Wis.) scored 26 of his 32 points in the second half to lead Concordia University (15-11, 9-8 NSIC) to a convincing 73-54 win over Southwest Minnesota State (15-11, 10-7 NSIC) on Friday evening at the Gangelhoff Center in a pivotal Northern Sun match-up. The Golden Bears outscored the Mustangs 46-29 in the second half after a tight 27-25 first half lead for CU.

Heiman went over the 30 point plateau for the second consecutive game and the third time this season, shooting 12-19 from the floor including 5-10 from behind the arc while also taking away three steals from the Mustangs. Last Saturday at Upper Iowa, Heiman poured in a career-high 36 points in a win against the Peacocks.

It was a dominating second half for Concordia, who pulled behind 8-13 second half three-point shooting, finishing the game with 57.9% (11-19) shooting from long range. They also shot 62.5% (15-24) from the floor in the second half, finishing 55.1% (27-49) overall. (Read More)

NCAA MBB North Central Regional Rankings

February 20, 2008

North Central Region		Division II Overall Record	Division II In-Region Record	Ranking Last Week
1.	Winona State (NSIC)	23-0	19-0	1
2.	Northern State (NSIC)	19-2	18-2	2
3.	Minnesota State Mankato (NCC)	17-5	14-4	4
4.	Fort Lewis (RMAC)	17-4	16-3	5
5.	Nebraska-Omaha (NCC)	15-5	12-5	6
6.	South Dakota (NCC)	14-4	9-4	3
7.	Augustana (NCC)	16-5	13-5	7
8.	Adams State (RMAC)	16-7	15-7	8
9.	Southwest Minnesota St. (NSIC)	13-10	13-7	10
10.	Colorado Christian (RMAC)	14-7	13-6	9
	Dropped Out: None

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 15

February 18, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#21 Jonte Flowers
G, 6-5, Sr.,
Cottage Grove, Wis.
Madison LaFollette HS
Winona State

Jonte Flowers scored 40 points in the Warriors’ win over MSUM and 18 points against CSP. Flowers went 15-21 from the field (1-4 from three-point range) and 9-12 from the free throw line in scoring in his 40 points. He added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal to his game. It was the first times since 1989 that a WSU player had scored 40 or more points. In the game against CSP, Flowers scored 18 points by going 5-11 from the field and 8-8 from the line. He added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots and six steals.Flowers now sits just eight steals away from breaking Eddin Santiago’s (Mo. Southern St. - 1999-02) NCAA DII career record for steals (383) Flowers currently sits at 376 career steals.

MBB: Smith Sets Record In Warrior Win

February 15, 2008 | Box Score

Winnoa, Minn. - Winona State University, senior, center, John Smith took care of the WSU scoring record quickly and the No. 5-ranked Warriors took care of Concordia University St. Paul quickly in an 84-59 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory at McCown Gymnasium.

Smith scored the first four points of the game and quickly established himself as the Warriors' all-time leading scorer, breaking the record of David Zellmann. Smith went on to score 13 points in the first half and finished the game with 22 points and now has 2,079 points.

Smith went on to fill out the statistics sheet with eight rebounds, two assists, five blocked shots and one steal.

For the Warriors, they put the clamps on the Golden Bears in the first half, holding them scoreless in the last 9:35 of the opening perid and taking a commanding halftime lead 47-26.

In the second half the Warriors kept up the pace and outscored CSP 37-33 in the final 20 minutes of play.

David Johnson led the Warriors with 23 points and Jonte Flowers netted 18 to round out the double-figure scoring for Winona State.

The win extended the Warriors' season winning streak to 20 games and their NSIC winning streak to 45 games.

(From NCAA News) Winona State senior center John Smith stepped onto the court at McCown Gymnasium February 15, got the opening tip against Concordia St. Paul and set a Division II record. Nineteen seconds later, Smith became the school’s all-time leading scorer as the Warriors continued to roll along toward another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship.

The Concordia game was the 134th for Smith, a Division II record for games played in a career. Smith broke the previous record of 133 set by former teammate Zach Malvik (2002-03, 2004-07), Gino Bartolone of Kentucky Wesleyan and Pat Morris of Bridgeport.

Smith went on to score the first four points of the game and became Winona State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,060 points. That record was previously held by David Zellmann, who along with Smith, helped the Warriors capture the 2005-06 Division II championship.

Smith scored 21 more points in Winona State’s 85-63 win over Minnesota State Moorhead the next night, but Jonte Flowers was the star of that contest, scoring 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting from the floor. He was the first Winona State player to score at least 40 in a game since 1989.

The Warriors improved their season record to 27-1 and their NSIC winning streak to 46 games. Winona State, which had an overall 56-game winning streak snapped in last year’s national championship game against Barton, is 96-4 in its last 100 games.

The Warriors have won their last 21 games and have clinched the No. 1 seed for the league’s postseason tournament that begins in two weeks

NCAA MBB North Central Regional Rankings

February 13, 2008

North Central Region		Division II Overall Record	Division II In-Region Record	Ranking Last Week
1.	Winona State (NSIC)	21-0	17-0	1
2.	Northern State (NSIC)	17-2	16-2	2
3.	South Dakota (NCC)	14-2	9-2	3
4.	Minnesota State Mankato (NCC)	15-5	12-4	4
5.	Fort Lewis (RMAC)	15-4	14-3	5
6.	Nebraska-Omaha (NCC)	14-4	11-4	6
7.	Augustana (NCC)	15-5	12-5	7
8.	Adams State (RMAC)	15-6	14-6	8
9.	Colorado Christian (RMAC)	13-6	12-5	9
10.	Southwest Minnesota State (NSIC)	12-10	12-7	10
	Dropped Out: None

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 14

February 11, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#30 James Metcalf
G, 6-3, 200, Sr.,
Killeen, TX
Ellison HS
Concordia-St. Paul

James Metcalf averaged a double-double for the second straight weekend, leading the team with 16.0 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game as the Golden Bears split at home. In an 86-59 win over the University of Mary, Metcalf scored 19 points and had eight rebounds. He shot 66.7% (8-12) from the floor and buried 3-6 from behind the arc. He also dished out four assists and had a pair of steals. The following night, in a 60-52 loss to #6 Northern State, he had 13 points and 13 rebounds, seven coming on the offensive glass. He hit 2-3 from three-point range against the Wolves as well. For the week, Metcalf shot 54.2% (13-24) from the field and 55.5% (5-9) from three-point distance. He dished out five assists in the two games.

MBB: ROZELL'S LATE JUMPER LIFTS DRAGONS TO 58-56 VICTORY OVER MARAUDERS

February 9, 2008 | Box Score

Ryan Rozell's fadeaway jumper with three seconds left lifted Minnesota State Moorhead to a 58-56 victory over touring University of Mary on Saturday night. Jamal O'Neal led the Dragons in scoring with 15 while Rozell added 14 including the game-winner. Eric Erdmann led Mary with 21 points. MSUM, 14-9 overall and 7-7 in the NSIC, visit Upper Iowa and Winona State next weekend .

MBB: SMSU Shoots Past Upper Iowa 88-76

February 8, 2008 | Box Score

Marshall, Minn. -   Southwest Minnesota State shot a season-high 66 percent from the field including 70.4 percent in the first half in earning an 88-76 Northern Sun Conference victory over Upper Iowa on Friday night in Marshall.

The victory was SMSU's eight straight at home and lifts its record to 14-9 overall, 9-5 NSIC.  Upper Iowa drops its third game in a row and is now 6-16 overall, 5-8 NSIC. (Read More)

 

 

 

NCAA MBB North Central Regional Rankings

February 6, 2008

North Central Region		Division II Overall Record	Division II In-Region Record	Ranking Last Week
1.	Winona State (NSIC)	19-0	15-0	1
2.	Northern State (NSIC)	15-2	14-2	2
3.	South Dakota (NCC)	14-1	9-1	3
4.	Minnesota State Mankato (NCC)	13-5	10-4	4
5.	Fort Lewis (RMAC)	14-3	13-2	6
6.	Nebraska-Omaha (NCC)	13-4	10-4	7
7.	Augustana (NCC)	14-5	11-5	5
8.	Adams State (RMAC)	13-6	12-6	9
9.	Colorado Christian (RMAC)	11-6	10-5	8
10.	Southwest Minnesota State (NSIC)	11-9	11-6	10
	Dropped Out: None

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 13

February 4, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#15 Levi Hamilton
F, 6-6, 240, Sr.,
Lincoln, Neb.
Lincoln SE HS
Northern State

Levi Hamilton dropped in 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to lead the Wolves to another two NSIC wins last weekend. He was a deciding factor in Northern’s tight 71-69 win over Southwest Minnesota State, scoring a career high 24 points while shooting an incredible 78.6% from the field (11-of-14) while also blocking three shots. He had 19 points in the Wolves’ 68-61 win over Wayne State, keeping both the Wildcats and Mustangs in a tie for third place in the NSIC standings. Hamilton leads the NSIC in field goal percentage on the year with a mark of 64.3%. In NSU’s two games last weekend, Hamilton shot 69.2%, connecting on 18-of-26 shots.

MBB: #8 Northern State Holds on For 71-69 Win Over SMSU

February 2, 2008 | Box Score

NSU's Levi Hamilton shot 11-of-14 from the field

ABERDEEN, S.D. – In a bitter fight to the end, the Northern State Wolves and Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs battled for position in an important NSIC matchup. The Wolves pulled off the 71-69 win in the final seconds of the game with a layup from Levi Hamilton and a defensive stop at the buzzer. The win marked the 20th victory of the season for the Wolves, who are now 20-2 overall and 11-2 in the league. Southwest is 13-9 overall and 8-5 in the NSIC.

It was a battle of offenses as the Wolves and Mustangs matched bucket for bucket throughout the game, with most of the makes coming in the paint for both teams. Both squads were shooting in the mid-60’s for the first ten minutes of play. The Mustangs claimed the initial lead of the game, 19-13 at the 13 minute mark. The Wolves made a set of stops to narrow the margin, with their first three-pointer of the game tightening the score to 23-22 at the 9:30 mark. (Read More)

NCAA MBB North Central Regional Rankings

January 30, 2008

North Central Region		Division II Overall Record	Division II In-Region Record
1.	Winona State (NSIC)	18-0	14-0
2.	Northern State (NSIC)	13-2	12-2
3.	South Dakota (NCC)	12-1	7-1
4.	Minnesota State Mankato (NCC)	12-4	9-3
5.	Augustana (NCC)	13-4	10-4
6.	Fort Lewis (RMAC)	12-3	11-2
7.	Nebraska-Omaha (NCC)	12-3	9-3
8.	Colorado Christian (RMAC)	10-5	9-4
9.	Adams State (RMAC)	12-5	11-5
10.	Southwest Minnesota State (NSIC)	10-8	10-5

 

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 12

January 28, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#30 Bryce Caldwell
G, 5-11, Sr.,
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport North HS
Wayne State

Bryce Caldwell averaged 20 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as WSC posted home wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota, Crookston. Over the weekend Caldwell moved into second place on the all-time career three point list at Wayne State with 260. Caldwell had 18 points and four rebounds in Friday’s 68-56 win over Bemidji State and added 22 points and six rebounds with six three pointers in Saturday’s 75-70 win over Minnesota, Crookston. For the weekend, Caldwell shot 48 percent from the field (13 of 27) and 10 of 21 from the three point line (47%).

MBB: #3 Winona State Rolls to 95-45 Win

January 25, 2008 | Box Score

WINONA, MN -- No. 3-ranked Winona State University doubled up the University of Mary and rolled to a 95-45 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory at McCown Gymnasium.

The Warriors now have won 41 consecutive NSIC games and 16 straight this year and have posted a 92-8 record in their last 100 games.

WSU put the game out of reach in the first half as they went on to take a 20-point, 41-21, lead by halftime. In the second half it was all Winona State again, as the Warriors put up 54 points and allowed the Marauders only 24 points.

Winona State finished with four players in double figures, led by the 18 points from starter David Johnson. John Smith also started an netted 16 points and is one point away from 2,000 career points.

Rounding out the double-figure scoring for WSU was tarter Jonte Flowers with 11 points and Bryce Welch came off the bench in the last ten minutes of the game and finished with ten points.

The Warriors forced the Marauders into 20 turnovers, while committing only eight.

MBB: #3 Winona State Prevails Over #7 Northern State

January 25, 2008 | Box Score

WINONA, MN -- No. 3-ranked Winona State University scored the final five points of the game and defeated No. 7 Northern State University 71-66 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play at McCown Gymnasium.

The win extended the Warriors' NSIC winning streak to 40 games and their seasonal win streak to 15, while the loss snapped the 11-game winning streak of the Wolves.

The game was tied at 66-all with 2:21 when the Warriors put the clamps on the Wolves. John Smith gave WSU the lead  for good with a layup at the 0:48 mark. David Johnson then gave WSU a four-point cushion with free throws at :21 and :10 to go before Travis Whipple added the final nail in the coffin for the Wolves with a free throw with only one second left to play.

The game was close throughout with the lead changing seven times and the scored tied twice. WSU did lead 34-33 at haftime and outscored the Wolves 37-33 in the final 20 minutes of play.

Smith came up with a double-double for the Warriors on a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Besides Smith three other of the five starters scored in double figures, with Jonte Flowers coming in with 14 points and Johnson and Whipple netting 13 and 11 respectively.

WSU controlled the boards 71-66 and forced NSU into 11 turnovers.

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 11

January 21, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#25 Travis Krenske
G, 6-2, Sr.,
Faribault, Minn.
Faribault HS
Central Lakes College
Southwest Minnesota St.

Travis Krenske led SMSU to a pair of victories last weekend over MSU Moorhead and Concordia-St. Paul. On Friday night he scored a career-high 26 points on 7 of 9 shooting including 6 of 8 from three-point range. He also was 2 of 2 from the free throw line and had two assists. Saturday night he connected on 4 of 8 shots including 3 of 5 from three-point range and finished with 13 points with two assists in SMSU’s victory over Concordia-St. Paul. Krenske now has 981 career points in his three-year career at SMSU.

NSU's Don Meyer Ties Dean Smith With 879 Wins

January 19, 2008 | Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. - Northern State University head coach Don Meyer has achieved what only two other coaches in the history of NCAA men's basketball have achieved, 879 career wins. The milestone victory that ties Meyer with North Carolina's legendary Dean Smith for second place on the NCAA all-time wins list came on NSU's home court on Saturday, January 19. A thunderous crowd of 5,454 gave the Wolves the momentum as they topped the University of Mary 87-78 in a regionally televised game.

Meyer has led the Wolves of Northern State, an NCAA Division II institution located in Aberdeen, S.D., to a current 17-1 overall record. NSU's only loss of the season came at the hands of conference foe Winona State, who has appeared in the NCAA DII National Championship game for the past two seasons. The Wolves are ranked #12 in the nation and have a Northern Sun Conference record of 8-1.

With 879 wins, Meyer trails only Bobby Knight on the NCAA's all-time win list. Knight overtook Smith with his 880th win last season and became the first men's basketball coach to record 900 wins on Wednesday as his Texas Tech Red Raiders downed Texas A&M, 68-53. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 10

January 14, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#42 John Smith
F, 6-8, Sr.,
Johnsburg, Ill.
Johnsburg HS
Winona State

John Smith averaged 27 ppg and 10.5 rpg as he was 18-of-33 (55%) from the field including 3-of-4 from three point range and 15-of-19 from the charity stripe on the week. He pulled down 21 boards, blocked six shots, dished out three assists and nabbed three steals as the Warriors extended their NSIC winning streak to 37 games and their season winning streak to 12 games.

In the Warriors’ come-from-behind win over MSU Moorhead, Smith had 26 points and 17 rebounds. Of the 17 boards, 12 were offensive, which was also the total amount of MSUM’s offensive rebounds. He was also 11-14 from the free throw line against the Dragons. In the WSU win over Concordia-St. Paul, Smith was 3-4 from three-point field goal range and netted 29 points, of which 21 came in the first half. He was 11 of 16 from the field in 28 minutes of play. This marks the second time this season Smith has been named NSIC Player of the Week.

MBB: UMary Knocks off Bemidji State 71-69 in Overtime

Jnauary 12, 2007 | Box Score

BEMIDJI, Minn. - UMary used a buzzer beater at the end of regulation and then another bucket at the end of overtime to clip Bemidji State 71-69 in overtime. Eric Erdmann hit a lay-up as the horn went off to end regulation to tie the game at 59. The two teams went back and forth and the 17th tie of the game came with 14 second left in overtime at 69. Erdmann again worked his magic close to the basket as he hit another lay-up as the buzzer was about to sound to hand UMary their second straight win on the road. Erdmann finished the night with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. UMary is now 6-10 overall and 3-5 in the NSIC while Bemidji State is 5-11 and 2-5 in the NSIC. (Read More)

 

MBB: Upper Iowa's Strong Second Half Nets Them 71-68 Road Win

Jnauary 11, 2007 | Box Score

St. Paul, Minn. - Upper Iowa started the season 0-11, but have won three of their last four, including a 71-68 road win against Concordia-St. Paul Friday night. The Peacocks have now won two straight in the NSIC, with their last loss coming to Wayne State by only two points.

Matt Lesan (pictured) led all scorers with 26 points, including 9-of-10 from the free throw line and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Against Concordia it was a tale of two halves as Upper Iowa used a 33-9 run to begin to start the second half to overcome a 43-29 halftime deficit en route to a 71-68 win over the Golden Bears in NSIC action at the Gangelhoff Center Friday night.

The Golden Bears jumped out to a quick 20-4 lead in the first seven minutes on baskets by six different players, led by Mike Cunningham's (Minneapolis, MN) six points. 

Concordia would stretch their first half lead to as many as 21 points at 41-20 with 3:55 to play and 43-22 at 3:25.  Eight players scored in the first half, led by sophomore Craig Heiman (Marshall, WI) with ten points.  He would finish with a team-high 18 points (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 9

January 7, 2008 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#11 Jonathon Thomas
F, 6-6, Jr.,
Earlville, Iowa
Maquoketa Valley HS
Wayne State

Jonathon Thomas averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds in two games over the weekend as Wildcats gained road splits in NSIC games at Upper Iowa and #5 Winona State. Thomas recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in Friday night’s 74-72 come-from-behind win at Upper Iowa. He was the lone bright spot for WSC in Saturday night’s 80-46 loss at #5 Winona State with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds. For the weekend, Thomas shot 58.6 percent from the field, making 17 of 29 shots.

MBB: Meyer Ties Rupp for 3rd All-Time in Wins

Jnauary 5, 2007 | Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. - Northern State University men's basketball coach Don Meyer won his 876th career game on Saturday, January 5 as 2,954 fans watched as the Wolves defeat Minnesota State University Moorhead 75-63 at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, S.D. With the win, Meyer ties the legendary Adolph Rupp for third place on the NCAA all-time wins list.

With 876 wins, Meyer and Rupp trail Bobby Knight (899) and Dean Smith (879), who occupy the first and second all-time win positions. The Wolves of Northern State are ranked #24 in the most recent NCAA national poll with an overall record of 14-1 and a conference mark of 5-1. They have won eight straight games, with their only loss of the season going against Winona State, who has appeared in the NCAA Division II National Championship game for the past two seasons. Continued wins by the Wolves can move Coach Meyer into a tie with Smith for second place as early as January 19. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 8

December 31, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#42 John Smith
F, 6-8, Sr.,
Johnsburg, Ill.
Johnsburg HS
Winona State

John Smith scored 28 points, grabbed 25 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in two wins against Minnesota State. He scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the home game in Winona and then backed that up with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win in Mankato the following night. The Warriors snapped the Mavericks’ 26-game home winning streak and have extended their winning streak to 8 games.

MBB: Second Half Explosion Propels Augie Men Past Mary 96-75

December 27, 2007 | Box Score

Sioux Falls, S.D. - Augustana erupted for 56 points in the second half as the Vikings pulled away from Mary for a 96-75 victory in Game 2 of the Sanford Clinic Holiday Classic.

The Vikings (10-3) shot a season-high 69 percent from the field for the game, making 26 of 52 shots. That total was aided by a 73 percent performance in the second half which saw the hosts make 19 of 26 shots, including 9 of 12 3-pointers.

Despite its hot shooting, the Vikings found themselves trailing for much of the first half as Mary (4-7) matched Augustana basket for basket in the opening 20 minutes.

The Marauders made 14 of their first 17 shots of the game to open up a 29-19 lead with 7:41 to play in the first half.

Following an Augustana timeout, the Vikings picked up their intensity. Trailing 31-21, the Vikings went on a 12-2 run to tie the score at 33-33 with 3:27 left in the half. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 7

December 26, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#32 Craig Heiman
F, 6-5, 223, So.,
Marshall, Wis.
Marshall HS
Concordia-St. Paul

Craig Heiman scored a career-high 31 points against Augustana College on 9-22 from the field, including 5-12 from beyond the arc and 8-9 from the free throw line. He also had four rebounds and an assist. Heiman currently leads the NSIC in scoring with 18.9 points per game as he has scored 208 points in 11 games this season. This marks the second time this season Heiman has been named NSIC Player of the Week.

MBB: Krenske's Big Second Half Leads SMSU to Victory Over No. 14 St. Cloud State

December 20, 2007 | Box Score

MARSHALL, MINN.: Travis Krenske scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to lead the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs to an 82-68 non-conference victory over No. 14 St. Cloud State on Thursday evening.  Scott Roehl carried the team in the first half, with nine of his career-high 13 points.

The win was SMSU's first over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 18 South Dakota on Dec. 31, 2005.  It also marked the Mustangs' first 8-3 start since 1999-2000.  SCSU drops to 8-2 overall this season.

The Mustangs went on a 9-0 run just inside the 10-minute mark of the first half, sparked by four points from Matt Fletcher and a three-pointer by Andy Beilke to take a 25-15 lead with 6:51 left in the first half.  SMSU carried the momentum to a 39-28 halftime lead. (Read More)

MBB: #5 Warriors Crack Century Mark In Beating VHawks

December 19, 2007 | Box Score

WINONA, MN -- Travis Whipple hit six of seven three-point field goal attempts in scoring a career-high 20 points and leading No. 5-ranked Winona State University to a 100-81 nonconference win over Viterbo University in McCown Gymnasium. Whipple added two of four free throw attempts in leading a quartet of starters who scored in double figures.

Senior, center, John Smith turned in a solid 21 minutes of play by scoring 16 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists to go with his two blocked shots and two steals.

Quincy Henderson and Curtrel Robinson rounded out the WSU double-figure scoring with 11 and 10 points respectively.

The only lead for Viterbo came in the first 38 seconds of the game, while WSU's biggest lead of the night was 31 points with 7:41 left in the game.

WSU held a 55-36 halftime lead and each team then scored 45 points in the final 20 minutes of play.

The Warriors forced the VHawks into 20 turnovers.

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 6

December 17, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#32 Eric Erdmann
F, 6-5, So.,
Fargo, N.D.
Fargo North HS
University of Mary

Eric Erdmann lifted the Marauders to two wins last week, including a 77-48 upset of eighth-ranked St. Cloud State. In the win over SCSU, Erdmann was everywhere on the court as he scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished four assists and made three blocks. He was 9-of-14 from the field and nailed all three of his three-point attempts. The #8 Huskies are the highest-ranked team U-Mary has beaten since moving to NCAA Division II in 2006. In an 89-78 win at Black Hills State, Erdmann scored 16 points with five rebounds and two assists. He connected on 2-of-3 treys. In the two games, Erdmann averaged 19.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, shot .556 from the field and hit 5-of-6 trey attempts.

Marauders Demolish 8th-ranked Huskies

December 16, 2007 | Box Score

Bismarck, N.D. – The University of Mary put together its best game of the season on both ends of the court, upsetting eighth-ranked St. Cloud State University 77-48 in NCAA Division II men’s basketball. The Huskies (9-1) are the highest-ranked team the Marauders (4-6) have beaten since moving to NCAA D-II in 2006.

In one week, the Marauders have gone from losing by 36 points on the road at Southwest Minnesota State to defeating the 8th-ranked Huskies at home by 29. U-Mary shot 59.2 percent from the field while limiting SCSU to 27.1 percent shooting. SCSU’s shooting percentage and total points mark the Marauders’ best defensive effort of the season. (Read More)

Golden Eagles Have Record Breaking Night in 93-70 Victory over Minnesota, Morris

December 8, 2007 | Box Score

Crookston, Minn. - Minnesota, Crookston defeated Minnesota-Morris 93-70 Friday night at Lysake Gym. The Golden Eagles started the first half a little cold and found themselves in a nine point deficit just 6:17 into the game. UMC solidified its defense and picked up the scoring and with 6:46 left in the half took the lead for the first time in the game. The lead changed three more times in the half before the Golden Eagles offensive took over taking a 45-32 lead into the half. In the first 20 minutes Minnesota, Crookston shot 54 percent from the field and went 4-4 from the free-throw line. The bench, as has been the case for much of the season, sparked the team with 26 points in the half to the Cougars two. Leading the way offensively for the Golden Eagles were Akeem Cubie (Fr, G, Minneapolis, Minn. - pictured) and Jordan Grafsgaard (Sr, F, Ulen, Minn.) who both scored 11 points in the half. Cubie went 5-6 from the field and Grafsgaard was a perfect 5-5. Grafsgaard grabbed four rebounds including three offensive boards that he put back for six Golden Eagle points. Defensively Matt Pelzer (Jr, G, St. Cloud, Minn.) led all players with eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Minnesota, Morris was led by Eric Dalbey’s 11 points. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 5

December 10, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#2 Craig Nelson
G, 5-11, Sr.,
Mayville, N.D.
May-Port CG HS
Northern State

Craig Nelson surpassed the 1,000 point mark of his career last weekend as he hit 10-of-16 three-point shots (62.5%) and was NSU’s leading scorer with an average 21.5 points while shooting 66.7% overall from the field (14-21). Nelson had 14 second half points, draining a trio of three-pointers, in the Wolves’ comeback win over the Wayne State. He had an assist/turnover ratio of 7.0, committing just a single turnover in the combined games. Nelson also averaged 3.5 rebounds per game for the Wolves.

Minnesota, Crookston With a Golden Win

December 7, 2007 | Box Score

St. Paul, Minn. - Minnesota Crookston (2-5, 1-1 NSIC)  held off a late Concordia (6-2, 1-1 NSIC) rally to win 78-67 NSIC Saturday night in NSIC action at the Gangelhoff Center.

Concordia scored the first two points of the game on a lay-up by junior Matt Cadwell (St. Paul, MN) but Minnesota Crookston countered with a three point field goal at 18:22 of the first half and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.

The Golden Eagles was led by Bryce Cummings with 14 points, while Delano Robinson and Joey Kollar each added 13.  Aaaron Smith had 11 to round out those in double-figures. Justin Peddycoart added ten rebounds, eight points, four assists and two steals for the Golden Eagles.

Tbis marks the first win for the Golden Eagles at the Gangelhoff Center against the Golden Bears since a 78-69 win back on February 11, 2000. (Read More)

#5 Winona State Comesback to Knock Off UMD Bulldogs

December 5, 2007 | Box Score

WINONA, Minn. -- A late rally and a key defensive play lat the end of the game helped No. 5-ranked Winona State University knock off the University of Minnesota-Duluth in a knock-down, drag-it-out nonconference battle in McCown Gymnasium.

The Warriors staged a 9-2 run during a five-plus minute stretch in the second half to turn a 58-52 deficit into a 61-60 lead. From there David Johnson came up with the game-winning basket that proved to be the final score with 21 seconds left. Johnson's field goal from the right side of the lane after UMD took back the lead at 62-61 with 1:38 left to play. It was Johnson's only make from the field in seven tries on the night.

The action still was not over as UMD came down and got a layup attempt, but had it blocked by the Warriors' Jonte Flowers. WSU then moved down the court where Quincy Henderson was fouled and stepped to the line for a one-and-one free throw situation with four seconds left to play. Henderson missed the front end of the free throw opportunity and UMD's Brian Sykora grabbed the rebound, only to have Flowers stripped him of the ball and the clock ran out in regulation play. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 4

December 3, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#21 Jonte Flowers
G, 6-5, Sr.,
Cottage Grove, Wis.
Madison LaFollette HS
Winona State

Jonte Flowers was 21 of 27 (.778) from the field including 8-9 (.889) from three point range in two NSIC road wins. He also had 12 steals, 11 rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot on the week. He scored a career-high 34 points in a 87-60 win over Northern State University at Wachs Arena Saturday night. In that game he was 13 of 15 from the field, 5 of 6 from three-point range, came up with 8 steals, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot. The night before he scored 19 points in 93-71 win over University of Mary.

Cadwell Scores 25 To Lead Bears to 66-49 Win Over Minn. Duluth

November 27, 2007 | Box Score

Duluth, Minn., - Junior Matt Cadwell (St. Paul, MN) scored a game-high 25 points in leading Concordia (4-1) to a 66-49 win over Minnesota Duluth (4-2) in Romano Gymnasium in Duluth.  Cadwell shot 10-16 from the field, including an impressive 4-5 from three point range in leading the Bears to their first road win of the season. 

The Bears jumped out to a 8-0 lead over the first 3:14 minutes, but the Bulldogs responded and tied the game at 12-12 at 11:36 of the first half, marking the only tie of the game.  Minnesota Duluth held the lead only twice in the game at 17-16 at 7:21 of the first half and at 19-17 with 6:42 to play in the first half. 

From that point the Bears had back-to-back three point field goals from Cadwell, followed by back-to-back three's from Matt Hackl (Seymour, WI), and Craig Heiman (Marshall, WI) and a layup by Mike Cunningham (Minneapolis, MN) to take a 30-23 lead.  The Bears would take a 33-28 lead into the locker room at the intermission. (Read More)

Wolves Rally From 25-Point Deficit

November 26, 2007 | Box Score

Luke Wick Drained Five 2nd Half Threes

ABERDEEN, S.D. - The Northern State men's basketball team outscored Jamestown College 52-34 in the second half to force an overtime period and gain a 82-77 win Monday night.  1,954 fans cheered on as the Wolves overcame a 25-point deficit with incredible shooting.  Northern improves to 5-0 on the season and will open NSIC play this weekend against Upper Iowa and #1 Winona State.

Things looked grim in Wachs Arena following a poor shooting and rebounding performance that left the Wolves down 20-38 at halftime.  Northern shot just 28 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 25-8 in the first period.  The picture got even worse in the opening minutes of the second half, as the Jimmies continue to hit shot after shot.  They led 53-28 with just under 16 minutes left in the game when the Wolves began to mount their unbelievable comeback.

The Wolves started their rally off with a set of jumpers in the paint and kept JC off the board by contesting shots and grabbing rebounds.  Luke Wicks nailed a three-pointer to get Northern back to within 16 points.  The teams then answered bucket-for-bucket, but many of Northern's shots came from beyond the arc.  Jamestown began to turn the ball over and the crowd could sense a change in the game. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 3

November 26, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#5 Jamar Diggs
G, 6-2, So.,
Minneapolis, Minn.
DeLasalle HS
Wayne State

Jamar Diggs averaged 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games last week while shooting a blistering 20 of 28 from the field (71.4%) and 9 of 10 from the three point line (90%). Diggs was 10 of 14 from the floor in both games, scoring 23 points with five assists in a 99-71 loss at St. Cloud State Tuesday night and accounting for a career-high 30 points with seven three pointers in a 75-72 come-from-behind win at Chadron State Saturday night. Diggs was already honored as the Nebraska NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for his performances.

Tommie Shocker

November 24, 2007 | Box Score

WINONA, MN -- The University of St. Thomas scored with nine seconds left in overtime play and No. 1-ranked Winona State University failed to get off a shot at the end as the Tommies defeated the Warriors 83-82 in nonconference play in McCown Gymnasium.

The Tommies came back from a ten-point deficit in the second half and sent the game into overtime with a pair of free throws with only .5 of a second left in regulation play.

Two free throws by WSU's Jonte Flowers started the scoring in the extra five minute of play, but UST scored the next four points for a 79-77 lead with 2:56 left to play. John Smith converted a layup at 2:34 to tie the game at 79 and Flowers' free throws with 1:48 left gave the Warriors an 80-79 lead. But again St. Thomas came back with a go ahead layup for an 81-80 lead with 30 seconds left. Flowers countered with a layup for an 82-81 WSU lead with 17 seconds, but on the ensuing series the Tommies got the final field goal of the game.

WSU did have one final sot, but a scramble on a loose ball under the WSU basket ended with the final buzzer going off and the Warriors' 36-game home winning streak came to an end.

Flowers had a game-high 24 points and Smith ended with 18 points, five blocked shots and two steals. Qunicy Henderson chipped in 11 points for the Warriors.

WSU was outrebounded 41-35 and the Tommies forced the Warriors into 14 turnovers while WSU made UST turnover the ball 17 times.

Northern State Men Blow Past North Dakota

November 20, 2007 | Box Score

The Northern State men's basketball team (2-0) had five players score in double figures in an 86-62 romping of the University of North Dakota (0-3).  The Wolves improved their shooting performance and finished the night hitting 48.3 percent from the field.  Northern is in action this Friday and Saturday as they host the Wachs/Super 8 Holiday Tournament.

Northern opened the game against North Dakota with a 13-4 run and did not look back, stretching their lead to double figures before ten minutes had passed.  They held their neighbors from the north to just 30 percent shooting in the first half and scored 14 points off of UND's 13 first half turnovers.  The Wolves had a commanding 40-21 lead at the break. (Read More)

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 2

November 19, 2007 | Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#32 Craig Heiman
F, 6-5, 223, So.,
Marshall, Wis.
Marshall HS
Concordia-St. Paul

Craig Hemian averaged 24.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in Concordia’s two wins on the week. He scored 27 points on 9-16 form the field, including 3-6 from three point range and 6-6 from the free throw line against Macalester. He opened the season scoring 22 points, making 7-20 (3-7 from three) and 5-5 from the free throw line against Peru State. On the weekend, he finished shooting 16-36 (.444) from the field, including 6-13 (.462) from three and a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. He also had four assists and three steals on the weekend.

NSIC Men's Basketball Weekly Release No. 1

November 14, 2007 | Full PDF Release

SMITH NAMED MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER AT DISNEY CLASSIC

John Smith
F/C, 6-8, Sr.,
McHenry, Ill.
Johnsburg HS
Winona State

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Winona State University’s John Smith was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Group Teamwork Division of the Disney II Tip-Off Classic.

Smith led the Warriors to a 3-0 record in the tournament. He averaged 19.3 points per game, 10.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 4.0 blocks and shot 60.0 percent from the field.

The Warriors’ Jonte Flowers was named along with Smith to the Group Teamwork All-Tournament Team. Flowers averaged 19 points per game along with four assists and shot 58.1 from the floor.

MBB: #1 Winona State Begins Season With Victory

November 9, 2007 | Box Score

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL -- Winona State University built a, 14-point, first-half, lead and went on to hand the University of North Alabama an 88-82 setback in Disney Division II Tip-Off action.

The No. 1-ranked Warriors took a quick 8-3 lead only to see the Lions knot the score at ten-all with 16:11 left in the opening half. From there the Warriors outscored UNA 29-15 for a 39-25 lead with 4:06 left in the half. UNA did manage to counter with a 12-4 run to close out the first period trailing the Warriors 43-37.

In the second half WSU pushed its lead back up to 12 points, 62-50, with 13:02 to play. North Alabama once again rallied to get within four points, 64-60, with 10:17 to play, but the Warriors pretty much put the game under control by building its lead back up to 76-66 with 6:12 left on the game clock.

The Warriors had five players finish in double figures, as Jonte Flowers led the charge with 21 points. Quincy Henderson followed with 16 points, John Smith tallied 13, Ben Fischer came off the bench to score 12 and David Johnson was the fourth starter in double figures with 10 points.

Smith did finish the game with a double-double by coming up 14 rebounds. Smith overall performance was enhanced with five assists, five blocked shots and two steals.

UNA hold the edge in rebounding 43-39, but WSU forced the Lions it 18 turnovers, while the Warriors had 14.

NSIC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

October 18, 2007 | Full PDF Release

Defending National Runners Up of Winona State Tabbed Unanimous
Favorite in 2007-08 NSIC MBB Preseason Coaches Poll

St. Paul, Minn. - Defending NCAA Division II National Runners Up of Winona State were again the unanimous choice in the 2007-08 NSIC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Warriors received all nine first place votes for 90 points. The top three teams from last year’s poll remained the same as Northern State received the other first place vote (coaches can’t vote for their own team) and finished second with 81 points. Southwest Minnesota State was again picked third with 69 points followed closely by MSU Moorhead with 66. Wayne State (57) and Concordia-St. Paul (51) rounded out the top six teams.

Winona State returns four starters from last season’s team including NSIC Preseason Player of the Year John Smith. The Warriors, as excepted, are already getting national recognition this season as they were ranked #1 by the Division II Bulletin. John Smith was also tabbed NCAA Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year. This marks the fourth time in the last five years Winona State has been picked to win the league.

2007-08 NSIC MBB Coaches Preseason Poll

1.  Winona State (9)	90
2.  Northern State (1)	81
3.  Southwest Minnesota State	69
4.  MSU Moorhead	66
5.  Wayne State (Neb.)	57
6.  Concordia-St. Paul	51
7.  University of Mary (N.D.)	42
8.  Bemidji State	32
9.  Upper Iowa	30
10.  Minnesota, Crookston	22
( ) First Place Votes

Winona State 's John Smith Named Preseason Player of the Year

# 42 John Smith
F/C, 6-8, Sr.,
McHenry, Ill.
Johnsburg HS
Winona State

Smith was voted as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year by the NSIC Coaches for the second consecutive season. Smith has already been named the Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year this fall.

Last season Smith was the NABC NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Basketball Times NCAA Division II Player of the Year, DII Bulletin Player of the Year, a NABC All-American, a First Team Basketball Times All-American, a DII Bulletin First Team All-American, a First Team Daktronics All-American, and a First Team Preseason All-American by Street & Smith. He was also the North Central Player of the Year as well as NSIC Player of the Year.

He ranked ninth in the nation in blocked shots (2.8), 17th in rebounds (9.8) and 29th in FG% (58.6). He led the NSIC in rebounding (8.7) and blocked shots (2.67) and was third in scoring (16.6) and FG% (59.7). Smith has been named to the NSIC All-Tournament team the past three seasons.

Winona State Ranked #1 by DII Bulletin - Smith Player of the Year

October 12, 2007 |

BEAVERTON, Ore. — National runner-up Winona State is the top team in the 2007 Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 ranking.

The Warriors (35-1) return four starters and a load of experience that will keep them in the national race. All-Americans John Smith (16.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg) is the top big man in Division II and Jonte Flowers (14.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) adds scoring punch to the lineup. 

“Winona State has set the standard in Division II the past few years,” said Gary Rubin, publisher of Division II Bulletin. “With the talent the program has back this year it should make a run at a third straight national title game appearance.”

Right behind at No. 2 is Bentley, which is coming off a 32-1 record and Elite Eight appearance. Four starters who accounted for 47 points and 17 rebounds are back for the Falcons.

Rounding out the top five are Grand Valley State, Northwest Missouri and Wingate. The second five includes Humboldt State, Findlay, defending national champion Barton, Augusta State and Southern Indiana. 

Winona State senior center John Smith has been named the Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year. The announcement was made in the publication’s special Preseason Preview issue, which was released earlier today.

Smith, the publication’s national Player of the Year last season as a junior, averaged 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Warriors in leading them to the national title game. He was the Northern Sun Player of the Year.

“John is no doubt the top post player in Division II this season,” said DIIB editor Gary Rubin. “He is expected to have another outstanding year and is most deserving of this award.”

Smith heads the publication’s Super 16 All-Americans that feature two players from each of the eight regions.

Division II Bulletin, founded in 1991, is the leading publication covering Division II men’s basketball. It is published by GSR Communications based in Beaverton, OR.

More information is available at www.smallcollegehoops.com

Division II Bulletin Top 25:

1. Winona State
2. Bentley
3. Grand Valley State
4. Northwest Missouri
5. Wingate
6. Humboldt State
7. Findlay
8. Barton
9. Augusta State
10. Southern Indiana
11. Alderson-Broaddus
12. Virginia Union
13. Alaska Anchorage
14. St. Rose
15. Montevallo
16. South Dakota
17. West Virginia State
18. Central Oklahoma
19. Drury
20. Metro State
21. California
22. Henderson State
23. West Texas A&M
24. Rollins
25. Emporia State

Minnesota, Crookston Basketball Player Wins College IT Showcase

August 22, 2007 | BDPA Release

Washinton D.C. - Delano Robinson (Jr., G, Bloomington, Ill.) of the University of Minnesota, Crookston Men's Basketball team, recently earned 1st Place in the college division of the IT Showcase held in conjunction with the 29th annual National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington, DC. Robinson was the best of five college students that participated in division of the IT Showcase as determined by the judges. The BDPA IT Showcase was sponsored by IBM and Eli Lilly & Company. Elmer Corbin (IBM) and Tim Coleman (Eli Lilly) shared comments with the students during the award ceremony. [Photo shows Delano Robinson (r) and Lorenzo Marshall] Read More

 

2006-07 Men's Basketball Archive