Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Game 3 Box Score

WHITEWATER, Wis. - The Southwest Minnesota State wheelchair basketball team finished its season this weekend at the 32nd annual National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Whitewater, Wis., posting a seventh-place national finish.  The Mustangs went 1-2 at the national tournament, falling to Texas-Arlington (46-34) and Edinboro (Pa.) (33-24) and defeating Missouri (50-28).

Game 1 Recap:
SMSU opened the NIWBT with a showdown with No. 3 UTA. The Mustangs started slow, scoring only 16 first-half points.  But thanks to tough defense, the Mustangs only trailed by nine points at the half. In the second half the Mustangs locked in their defense and kept the high-powered UTA offense to only 21 second-half points.  With 3:30 left in the second half, the Mustangs trailed by six points and had position when senior leader Evan Thorn fouled out. SMSU lost 46-34.

Team leaders were Evan Thorn and Kyle Timmerman with 12 points each.

Game 2 Recap:
On Friday, SMSU played EU. Because of an injury to starting forward Tony Hilmoe, SMSU went into this game slightly undermanned. As a result EU's speed was too much for the Mustangs. SMSU shot just 30 percent from the field for the game and was out rebounded 33-24. The Mustangs were defeated 35-57.

Thorn led SMSU 14 points, while Carruth added 10.

Game 3 Recap:
The third and final game for the Mustangs was on Saturday for seventh place against Missouri. The Mustangs applied a great deal of pressure on the smaller Missouri team. Behind this strong defensive effort and 49 percent shooting, SMSU took the lead early and never looked back on its way to a 50-28 victory.

Team leaders were Thorn with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Carruth and Tom Abrahamson added 14 points and 10 points, respectively.

The win gave the Mustangs a seventh place national finish.  Timmerman was also named to the All-Freshman team for the Central Intercollegiate Division.

Coaches Notes:
“This was a hard weekend to say the least,” said co-head Coach Paul Weiland. “The kids left their hearts and everything else on the floor in that first game and we just came up short.

"On Friday against Edinboro we were playing a man down and we just ran out of gas, but I was proud to see how we bounced back the third day against Missouri. This is not how we wanted to finish, but it wasn't for a lack of effort.  We now start building for next year “