Complete Release (PDF)

This Week: The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team (11-5, 4-3 NSIC) hits the road for the first time in 2009 with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference road games.  SMSU will face St. Cloud State University (10-4, 5-2 NSIC) on Friday, Jan. 16 beginning at 8 p.m. at SCSU's Halenbeck Hall.  On Saturday, Jan. 17, SMSU will travel to St. Paul, Minn., to face Concordia University (6-8, 4-3 NSIC) beginning at 6 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center.

About Southwest Minnesota State: The Mustangs are 11-5 overall, 4-3 NSIC, following an 80-57 home victory over Upper Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 10.  SMSU used a balanced scoring attack in the win as the Mustangs had nine players score at least seven points in the game.  Jon DeRock and Ryan Krome led SMSU with 10 points each and combined for seven assists, four steals and zero turnovers in 38 total minutes.
     DeRock leads SMSU in scoring this season with 10.5 points per game and has drilled a team-high 34 three-pointers.  Ross DeMasi is averaging 9.3 ppg and team-best 10.3 rebounds per game.  Andrew Peschong is the team leader in assists with 62, while Krome has a team-high 15 steals.  SMSU is averaging 75.4 points per game, while allowing 66.4 ppg, and is outrebounding opponents by a 42.1 to 32.0 per game margin.

Mustang Minutes: SMSU made a season-high 26 free throws and tied a season-high with 12 steals in the win over Upper Iowa on Saturday ... SMSU committed a season-low five turnovers in the win over Upper Iowa ... SMSU senior Ross DeMasi ranks second in the conference (NSIC?games only) in rebounding with 8.7 per game and is third in field goal pct. (.596) ...?SMSU has won seven games away from Marshall this season after recording just five road or neutral site victories all of last season ... SMSU has played just six regular home games this season ... senior Ross DeMasi has recorded nine double figure rebounding games this season, including three games with 16 rebounds ... DeMasi is now fifth all-time at SMSU in career rebounds with 588  ... SMSU has made  more three-pointers than its opponents in 11 of 16 games ... if SMSU?connects on a three-pointer on Friday night it will be the 300th straight game SMSU has hit at least one three-pointer in a game.

Free Throw Shooting Improving: SMSU is shooting just 63.1 percent from the free throw line this season ranking 222nd in the country.  SMSU though has made major improvements in its last four games, shooting better than its season average in all four games and twice in the last three games has shot over 81 percent from the foul line, including making a season-high 26 free throws in the win over Upper Iowa on Saturday.

DeMasi and SMSU?Rank High in NCAA?Stats:?Senior Ross DeMasi ranks eighth in the nation in rebounds per game with 10.9, according to the latest NCAA II?stats released on Monday, Jan. 5.  SMSU ranks ninth in the nation in rebounding margin at plus-11.1.  SMSU?is also 15th in turnovers per game (12.5), and 21st in assist/turnover ratio (1.28).  For a complete list at where SMSU and Mustang individuals rank in the NSIC?and NCAA?stats, see page 5 of release.

More DeMasi in NCAA?Rankings:?Twice this season senior Ross DeMasi has recorded 16 rebounds in a game (vs. Ft. Lewis and vs. South Dakota).  The 16 rebounds is tied for the 12th highest single-game total in NCAA?II this season.  Nate Flowers from Montevallo (Ark.) has the 2008-09 NCAA?II?single-game high of 28 rebounds.

About St. Cloud State: The Huskies are on a two-game losing streak after suffering road losses to Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State last weekend.  SCSU is a perfect 7-0 at home this season.  Junior center Matt Schneck leads the Huskies in both scoring (14.9) and rebounding (7.4) this season, but he did miss Saturday's game versus BSU with an injury.  Sophomore guard Taylor Witt and sophomore forward Andrew Bernsetter each are averaging double figures in scoring and both lead the team with 27 three-pointers.  Head coach Kevin Schlagel is in his 12th season with a record of 225-107.  

About Concordia: The Golden Bears are currently on a season-long four-game losing streak heading into Friday's game versus Minnesota State, Mankato.  Junior guard Craig Heiman has connected on a team-high 32 three-pointers and is averaging team-best 17.7  ppg, while also leading the squad with 6.0 rpg.  CU?head coach Kelly Boe is in his third season with a record of 43-28. 

The Series Match-Up: Southwest Minnesota State and St. Cloud State meet for the 46th time with SCSU?leading 31-14 in a series that started in 1969-70.  SCSU?leads 18-5 in games played in St. Cloud, including eight of the last nine.  SMSU's only win in St. Cloud since 1982-83, was a 67-65 victory in the NCAA?regional final in March of 2001.  This will be the first conference meeting between the two schools since the 1981-82 season.  SMSU head coach Greg Stemen is 3-4 all-time versus SCSU.
     SMSU and Concordia meet for the 20th time with SMSU leading 15-4, including 6-3 in St. Paul.  Concordia has won three of the last four meetings in St. Paul.  The two teams have split the last eight meetings overall.  SMSU head coach Greg Stemen is 10-4 versus CU.
(Series information and all-time scores on page 2 & 3)

SMSU?Appears in Top 25:  SMSU spent two weeks earlier this season ranked in NABC Top 25 national poll.  SMSU was No. 19 in the first regular season poll released on Nov. 25, before dropping to No. 24 in the Dec. 2 ranking.  SMSU's national ranking marked the first time since Dec. 3, 2001, that SMSU appeared in the national poll.  SMSU has been in the national poll 10 weeks in school history, including seven weeks in 2000-01, one week in 2001-02 and two weeks this season.

Mustang Bench Key to Start: One of the keys to SMSU's 11-5 record this season has been its tremendous depth and great play by its non-starters.  Ten players have appeared in all 16 games this season and all 10 are averaging at least 12.6 minutes per game.  Mustang non-starters are averaging 34.7 points per game compared to just 19.9 by their opponents.  The SMSU bench has outscored its opponents bench players in 15 of 16 games this season.  Below is a look at the season stats for the SMSU and opponents' bench players.
Bench         FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    SMSU        .440    .384    .626    17.1    34.7
Opp.        .479    .417    .750    14.5    19.9   

Keepin' the Opponent Under 70:?Defense has been a trademark for Mustang basketball under head coach Greg Stemen.  During Stemen's now eight years as head coach, SMSU is 92-18 overall, including 10-1 this season, when limiting opponents to 69 points or less.

Consecutive Three-Point Games:?Southwest Minnesota State has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 299 straight games.  The last time SMSU failed to score a three-pointer was on Dec. 11, 1998 versus MSU?Moorhead in a game played at the North Dakota State Classic in Fargo.

SMSU Late in the Game:?Making plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor is a major key for teams in earning victories.  The following is SMSU's and its opponents' statistical averages in the final five minutes this season:
<5 min.         FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO   
SMSU        .495    .280    .642    4.5    10.8    1.3
Opp.        .477    .261    .725    4.4    10.6    1.6

Mustangs Home and Away:?SMSU is 4-2 at home this season after?finishing 12-2 at home last season and setting a school record with 13 victories in 2006-07.  SMSU is a solid 7-3 away from home this season after earning just five road or neutral site victories all of last season.  Here is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2008-09:
    W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO   
Home    4-2    .451    .343    .703    39.3    80.8    10.8   
Away    7-3    .434    .362    .577    43.8    72.2    12.9

Krome All-Time at the Line:?Senior Ryan Krome ranks seventh in school history for career free throw percentage at 80.9 percent (169 of 209).
    1.     .853    Matt Fletcher (198-232) - 2004-08
    2.     .845    Jacob Fahl (377-446) - 1999-03
    3.     .841     Sam Leggett (212-252) - 1974-76
    4.     .836    Jared Keaveny (107-128) - 2002-04
    5.     .826     Steve Elzenga (109-132) - 1983-86,87-88
    7.     .809    Ryan Krome (169-209) - 2005-09

DeMasi Climbing Record Books: Senior Ross DeMasi ranks among the top 11 in three categories in the SMSU career record book.  He is third all-time in field goal percentage at 56.8 percent (245 of 431), fifth in rebounds with 588 and 11th in blocked shots with 40. 
SMSU All-Time Rebounds
    1.     848    Frank Belmont  - 1971-75
    2.     717     Mike Tobin  - 1982-86
    3.     713      Mike Lang - 1968-72
    4.     648    Scott Koenen  - 1998-01
5.    588    Ross DeMasi  - 2005-09

SMSU All-Time Field Goal Percentage
    1.     .573    Doug Imming (323-564) - 1979-83
    2.    .572    Mike Koenen (218-381) - 1997-99
3.    .568    Ross DeMasi (245-431) - 2005-09

Mustangs On the Boards Strong Again: SMSU has opened the season outrebounding its opponents in 14 of 16 games and have a plus-10.1 rebound advantage on the season.  This is a trend that has been a trademark of head coach Greg Stemen's teams in recent years.  Last season the Mustangs recorded the same or had more rebounds than its opponents in 25 of 29 games and finished with a plus-4.6 rebound advantage per game.  During the 2006-07 season, SMSU led the NSIC in rebound margin with a 5.5 advantage per game in 18 conference games. 

Rebounding Key for SMSU Victories:?As noted in the information above, SMSU has been a strong rebounding team and is 43-12 when even or outrebounding its opponents since the start of the 2006-07 season, including 10-4 this season.  During head coach Greg Stemen's tenure, SMSU?is 102-38 when tied or outrebounding its opponent but just 22-57 when being outrebounded.

SMSU's 4-0 Start Ties for Best in History:?SMSU's 4-0 start this season tied the school record for the best start to a season.  The 1998-99 team also began the season perfect after four games but lost its fifth game of the season to Valley City State.  SMSU's chance for a 5-0 start ended with a 78-74 loss to Augustana at the NSIC?HoopsFest in Sioux Falls, S.D.  No team in school history has ever began a season 5-0. 

Another Solid Start Statistic:?SMSU's 6-1 record to start this season tied the school record for the best start to a season after seven games.  The 1974-75 and 2006-07 also started the season 6-1, but only the 2006-07 team won its eighth game of the season to improve to 7-1.

Mustangs Make R/A Home Sweet Home:?This season marks the 13th year that the R/A Facility has been the home arena for SMSU basketball and its proven to be a tough place for opponents to play in.  SMSU?has compiled a record of 123-47 (.723) in 170 games and has had just one losing season in the arena.  SMSU has recorded double figure victories in three straight seasons.
Year    Overall    NSIC    Non-Conf.
1996-97    6-4    3-2    3-2     
1997-98    8-5    4-2    4-3     
1998-99    10-3    5-1    5-2     
1999-00    12-3    7-2    5-1     
2000-01    12-1    9-0    3-1     
2001-02    12-2    7-2    5-0     
2002-03    9-5    7-2    2-3
2003-04    9-5    5-3    4-2     
2004-05    6-8    3-4    3-4
2005-06    10-5    3-4    7-1   
2006-07    13-2    8-1    5-1
2007-08    12-2    7-2    5-0
2008-09    4-2    3-2    1-0
Totals    123-47     71-27    52-20

2008 Disney Classic Champions: SMSU won the second annual Disney West Coast Classic earlier this season in Anaheim, Calif., finishing with a 3-0 record.  SMSU's three victories came against teams that advanced to last season's NCAA?tournament.  Senior forward Ross DeMasi was named Most Valuable Player while junior guard Jon DeRock was named to the all-tournament team.

Mustangs Hit the Century Mark:?Southwest Minnesota State scored 103 points in a 103-52 victory over Humboldt State (Calif.) on Nov. 8 at the Disney Classic in Anaheim, Calif.  It was the first time SMSU reached the 100 points scored mark since Dec. 2, 2003, and the 38th all-time.  SMSU is now 32-6 in school history when scoring 100 points including 3-0 under head coach Greg Stemen.

SMSU Begins Season on the Road:?SMSU began the season with its first six games away from home marking the longest stretch of road or neutral site games to begin a season in school history.  In fact the six games away from home is the longest stretch of road or neutral site games since the end of the 2000-01 season when SMSU?finished the year playing six straight neutral site games in the NSIC?and NCAA?tournament.

Kevin Andrews 08-09 Notes:?Ranks third on the team in scoring ... tied career-high with 23 points vs. Sioux Falls (12/30) ... has started all 16 games ... third on the team with 18 three-pointers ... third in assists with 33 ... has not missed a game in his career.

Andy Beilke 08-09 Notes:?Team co-captain ... averaging 7.4 points per game ... second on the team in three-pointers with 20 ... scored career-high 18 points vs. Mary (12/13) including hitting game-winning three-pointer.

Zach Bruns 08-09 Notes:?Has played in one game ... missed most of last season with an injury.

Trent Carlson 08-09 Notes:?Has played in four games scoring 20 points ... scored eight points with two three-pointers vs. Humboldt State ... redshirt in 2007-08.

Nick Dale 08-09 Notes:?Has started 10 games ... leads team with 17 blocked shots ... second on the team in rebounding with 5.4 ... scored career-high 13 points in win over North Dakota ... recorded first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds vs. Minnesota State (12/6).

Ross DeMasi 08-09 Notes:?Named MVP?of Disney West Coast Classic ... leads team in rebounding with 10.3 per game ... has started all 16 games ... has four double-doubles this season and 11 in his career ... scored season-high 15 points vs. Minn., Crookston ... grabbed career-high 16 rebounds vs. Fort Lewis, South Dakota and Sioux Falls ... averaging team-high 29.6 minutes per game ... has grabbed double digit rebounds in eight games.

Jon DeRock 08-09 Notes:?Leads the team in scoring with 10.5 per game ... team leader with 30 three-pointers ... scored season-high 24 points vs. North Dakota connecting on seven three-pointers ... named to all-classic team at the Disney West Coast Classic.

Taylor Huseby 08-09 Notes:?Has played in all 16 games with six starts ... scored career-high 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting vs. Minnesota State (12/6) ... shooting 53.3 percent from the field.

Ryan Krome 08-09 Notes:?Team co-captain ... has started all 16 games ... ranks seventh in school history in free throw shooting ... second on the team with 37 assists ... has not missed a game in his career.

Andrew Peschong 08-09 Notes:?Has started 14 games ... leads team with 62 assists ... fourth on the team in scoring with 8.1 per game ... scored career-high 20 points vs. Northwestern (12/3) ... dished out career-high eight assists vs. Minnesota State (12/6) and vs. Mary (12/13).

Scott Roehl 08-09 Notes:?Has played in all 16 games ... averaging 3.6 rebounds per game ... had 10 points against Mary (12/13) ... set career-high with nine rebounds vs. South Dakota (12/22).

Kevin Smith 08-09 Notes:?Has played in six games scoring 12 points ... redshirt in 2007-08.

DeAnthony Zanders 08-09 Notes:?Has played in all 16 games ... fourth on the team with 32 assists ... scored career-high nine points twice vs. Upper Iowa (11/30 & 1/10) ... transfer from Iowa Western C.C.

An R/A Facility First:?The Dec. 6 game between SMSU, ranked No. 24, and Minnesota?State, Mankato, ranked No. 8, was the first men's basketball game ever played at the R/A Facility between two teams ranked in the latest NABC Top 25 poll.

The 2008-09 Schedule: Southwest Minnesota State will play one of its most challenging schedules in school history this season.  SMSU is scheduled to play 30 regular season games, which includes playing in the Disney West Coast Classic.  The Mustangs will play 13?games against teams that played in last year's NCAA?tournament or are in transition to NCAA Division I.  SMSU will also play one game versus NAIA?national tournament qualifier Northwestern College (Iowa).

Remembering AW: Southwest Minnesota State will be wearing the initials “AW” on the back of its uniforms this season following the death of former men's basketball player Andy Wiersma. Wiersma died in a car accident south of Marshall on July 27.  Wiersma played at SMSU from 2001-06 and following his senior season the men's basketball program honored Wiersma by renaming its “Mustang Award” the “Andy Wiersma Mustang Award”.  The award is given each year to an SMSU men's basketball player who exemplifies the qualities of being a Mustang men's basketball student-athlete.

SMSU Signs Three In Early Signing Period:?SMSU head coach Greg Stemen has announced that three high school standouts have signed letters of intent to play basketball for SMSU starting in 2009-10.  The three players who signed during the early signing period include 6-4 forward Billy Giddings from Blaine, Minn., 6-10 center Deryck Ludwig from Prior Lake, Minn., and 6-2 guard Matt Zager from Shakopee, Minn.

SMSU Versus Nationally Ranked Opponents:? SMSU is 1-1 versus nationally ranked opponents this season defeating No. 24 Fort Lewis on Nov. 9 at the Disney Classic, before losing to No. 8 Minnesota State, Mankato on Dec. 6.  Last season SMSU finished 1-5 versus Top 25 teams losing to No. 10 Southern Indiana, beating No. 14 St. Cloud State, before losing to No. 5 Winona State, No. 8 Northern State, No. 3 Winona State and to No. 4 Northern State.  During head coach Greg Stemen's tenure as head coach SMSU is 3-23 versus nationally ranked teams.

SMSU Versus Division I?Competition:?SMSU is 2-7 all-time against NCAA?Division I?schools, after dropping a 73-69 road decision to South Dakota on Dec. 22.  Earlier in the season SMSU earned a 78-73 road victory over North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D.  SMSU and UND will play again later this season in Marshall.  SMSU's other win came during the 2004-05 season at South Dakota State (93-55).  SMSU has played several Division I schools in exhibition play during the past five years including Northern Iowa, Drake, Minnesota and South Dakota State.  SMSU defeated South Dakota State in an exhibition game this season 70-65 in Brookings, S.D.

A New Look Northern Sun Conference: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference will have a new look this season as the conference has expanded to 14 schools in the five-state area.  Because of the expansion the 14-team schools will now play an unbalanced conference schedule.  Teams will now play seven conference teams twice and the six other teams once for a 20-game conference?schedule.  SMSU will play Augustana, Bemidji State, Mary, Minnesota Duluth, Upper Iowa and Winona State just once in conference play.  The NSIC?tournament, which determines the league's automatic bid to the NCAA?tournament, will still be an eight-team tournament with the semifinals and finals being held at the highest remaining seed.

NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll:?Southwest Minnesota State was picked to finish seventh in the 2008-09 NSIC?preseason coaches' poll.  NSIC?newcomer, Minnesota State, Mankato was chosen as the preseason favorite pick earning 176 points including seven first place votes.  Northern State was picked to finish second receiving 169 points and five first place votes, while Winona State, last year's NCAA?national champion, was selected third with 159 points and two first place votes.
2008-09 NSIC?Preseason Coaches' Poll
      1.     Minnesota State (7)       176  
      2.     Northern State (5)       169  
      3.     Winona State (2)       159  
      4.     Augustana     139  
      5.     St. Cloud State       131  
      6.     Minnesota Duluth      118  
      7.     SMSU       116  
      8.     Concordia-St. Paul       103  
      9.     Wayne State       76  
      10.     MSU Moorhead       69  
      11.     Upper Iowa       68  
      12.     University of Mary       55  
      13.     Bemidji State       51  
      14.     Minnesota, Crookston       26  
          ( ) First Place Votes 

Mustangs Finish High in NSIC Standings Again:?Southwest Minnesota State's third place finish in the NSIC?last season was its fifth top half finish in Greg Stemen's seven seasons as head coach.  SMSU has finished second twice, third twice and fourth once during his tenure.  SMSU has finished among the top four in the conference 11 times in the last 13 seasons.

Victory Total Sixth Best in History:?SMSU's 17 victories in 2007-08 is tied for the sixth most in one season in the school's history.  SMSU has recorded seven seasons with 17 or more victories in the 41-year history of the program with four of them coming under the direction of head coach Greg Stemen.

SMSU in the Regional Poll:?Southwest Minnesota State was ranked in the NCAA North Central region rankings all six weeks during the 2007-08 season.  SMSU was ranked 10th, 10th, 10th, 9th, 9th and 8th in the six polls before the regional tournament was announced.

History of the Program:?Southwest Minnesota State is in its 42nd season of men's basketball in 2008-09 and has played 1,124 games with an all-time record of 475-650.  SMSU has racked up 16 winning seasons all-time with 10 coming in the last 13 years.  The 2000-01 squad won a school record 28 games and captured the program's lone NSIC?championship, while also winning the NCAA?regional championship and advancing to the NCAA?Elite Eight.

SMSU Men's Basketball in NSIC Action:?The 2008-09 season marks the 40th year that SMSU men's basketball has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.  SMSU has compiled an all-time record of 236-301 (.439) in 537 conference games finishing in the top half of the final conference standings 18 times in 39 seasons.  SMSU has had much better success in the conference in recent years, having finished in the top half of the standings in 10 of the last 13 seasons and has recorded a conference record of 129-78 (.23) in 207 games since the 1995-96 season.

Internet Radio, Video & Stats: All SMSU?men's basketball games during the 2008-09 season can be seen and heard on the Internet.  A video Webcast is available for all home games and conference games free of charge at www.northernsun.tv while the radio broadcast is available at www.SMSUmustangs.com.  Fans can also follow the game on the Internet with live in-game statistics for all home games at www.SMSUmustangs.com and clicking on the “live stats”?link on the right side of the men's basketball page.

Radio Broadcasts:?SMSU?men's basketball will once again be heard all season long on KARL 105.1 FM, Marshall.  Sports director Aaron Ziemer will handle the play-by-play for a sixth straight season.