CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Southwest Minnesota State University closed off a successful final weekend of the regular season finishing with a 3-1 record at the University of Illinois Tournament.
SMSU started the weekend on Friday with a 51-35 victory over Illinois, before dropping a 90-60 game to UW-Whitewater. The Mustangs bounced back on Saturday with a 66-55 victory over Auburn, before closing the weekend with a 61-51 win over Nebraska-Omaha.
In the opener versus Illinois,
Jesus Villa was 7 of 17 from the field and finished with 21 points, while
Matthew Talbot recorded 18 points on 6 of 16 shooting.
Ryan Kile led the team with seven rebounds.
In the loss to UWW, the Warhawks shot 65 percent from the field and held a 34-19 rebound advantage. Talbot and Villa each scored 19 points for the Mustangs, while Kile chipped in with 10 points.
In the Auburn victory, Villa poured in 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting, while Talbot added 19 points and
Jon Fagre finished with nine points to pace the Mustangs. SMSU finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field.
Talbot closed off the weekend scoring 26 points on 11 of 25 from the field, while Villa added 21 points in the win over Omaha. Kile scored 10 points with
Ezekiel Ramudzi helping out with four points.
Southwest Minnesota State closes the regular season 9-14 overall and will now be off for a month before hosting the 41
st annual National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament at the R/A Facility and PE Gym on March 15-17. Tournament match-ups and game times for the nine-team men's tournament and four-team women's tournament will be announced later this month.
