OMAHA, Neb. – The Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball team split a four-game weekend for the the third time this season with a 2-2 record at the Nebraska-Omaha Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
SMSU, now 8-9 overall, opened play on Friday with a 93-56 victory over Omaha, before earning a 77-70 win over the University of Arizona. The Mustangs closed the day with a 79-65 setback to Wisconsin-Whitewater. On Saturday, SMSU suffered a tough 53-51 loss to the University of Missouri.
In the win to open the weekend over Omaha,
Walter Johnson was unstoppable for the Mustangs, as he poured in 47 points on 20 of 26 shooting from the field, including 6 of 6 from the free throw line. The Mustangs finished the game shooting 68 percent (41 of 60) from the field.
In the victory over Arizona, Johnson scored 30 points, connecting on 12 of 25 from the field with the team's lone 3-pointer.
Jesus Villa also had a big game with 25 points on 10 of 18 shooting. The Mustangs closed the game shooting 54 percent from the field.
In the setback to Whitewater, Johnson (27) and Villa (22) combined for 49 points. Johnson made 13 of 21 from the field, while Villa was 9 of 22.
Ryan Kile added eight points, while
Ezekiel Ramudzi chipped in with six points.
In the tournament's final game, Villa made 10 of 18 shots for a team-high 24 points. Johnson added 15 points on 7 of 11 shooting, with Ramudzi adding six points.
Southwest Minnesota State returns home on Feb. 1 taking Sioux Falls for a pair of games starting at 4 p.m. inside the PE Gym.
