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SEASON RECAP: The Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team finished the 2009-10 season with an overall record of 17-12 and finished in a tie for sixth place in the NSIC with a 10-10 record. The Mustangs earned the No. 8 seed in the NSIC tournament and advanced to the championship game, defeating No. 1 seed Minnesota State and No. 4 seed Winona State, before losing to No. 2 seed St. Cloud State 68-67 in the title game. SMSU just missed earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
It was an up-and-down season for the Mustangs in 2009-10, beginning the season ranked in several preseason polls and moving as high as No. 12 in the weekly NABC national Top 25 poll after starting the season 4-0. SMSU had three four-game winning streaks during the season and had one four-game losing streak. SMSU was 7-2 heading into the Christmas break, but lost six of its first eight games after the New Year to drop its record to 9-8 on Jan. 23. SMSU closed out the regular season winning six of its last nine games to move into sixth place in the NSIC standings, then won two more games in the conference tournament before losing in the championship game.
Junior forward
Scott Roehl led SMSU this season in both scoring (13.7) and rebounding (8.2), while shooting 50 percent from the field. Redshirt freshman guard
Jordan Miller averaged 11.1 ppg and finished with a team-high 71 3-pointers. Senior forward
Kevin Andrews finished third in scoring with 9.6 ppg and paced the team with 35 steals. Senior center
Nick Dale had a team-high 40 blocked shots, while senior guard
Andrew Peschong dished out a team-high 95 assists.
The Mustangs averaged 70.4 points per game, shot 43.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range and 69.9 percent from the free throw line. Opponents averaged 67.5 ppg, shot 42.9 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from 3-point range and 72 percent from the foul line.