Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics

MARSHALL, Minn. - The No. 22 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team opens the 2009-10 season on Tuesday night hosting NCAA Division III foe St. Olaf College from Northfield, Minn., in an exhibition game.  Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the R/A Facility. 

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students.  SMSU students will be admitted free with a valid ID.  It will be the second straight season the two teams have met in an exhibition game.  SMSU defeated St. Olaf 97-70 last season. 

SMSU is coming off a 28-7 season a year ago, winning both the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and NCAA Central Region championships and advancing to the program’s second NCAA Elite Eight.

The Mustangs return eight letterwinners and three starters from last season’s team including seven of its top 10 scorers.  SMSU returns seven players who averaged at least 14 minutes per game a season ago.

Senior forward Kevin Andrews is the squad’s top returning scorer after earning second team All-NSIC accolades last season and finishing third on the team averaging 8.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field.  Andrews also ranked third on the team with 30 three-pointers.  Junior forward Taylor Huseby finished fourth on the team in scoring averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. 

Also returning is senior guard Andrew Peschong, who started 14 games and dished out a team-high 93 assists and senior guard Jon DeRock, who tied for the team lead with 44 three-pointers last season.  Senior center Nick Dale made 11 starts in 2008-09 and finished with a team-high 40 blocked shots and was second in rebounding with 4.3 per game.  Senior guard DeAnthony Zanders came off the bench in all 35 games and recorded 60 assists and 25 steals, while junior forward Scott Roehl averaged 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.  Also returning is sophomore guard Trent Carlson, who appeared in 12 games and connected on five three-pointers.

St. Olaf finished 10-15 last season, including a ninth place finish in the MIAC with a record of 7-13.  The Oles, under 16-year head coach Dan Kosmoski, return 11 letterwinners, including sophomore guard Bobby Fong, who was named honorable mention All-MIAC last season, averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game.  Junior forward Nate Krosschell ranked second on the team in scoring with 8.5 ppg and shot 44 percent from the field.  Senior guard Mark Torell led the squad with 36 three-pointers and averaged 8.1 ppg.

SMSU will host Gustavus in its final exhibition of the season on Monday, Nov. 9.