MARSHALL, Minn. – During this quiet time for collegiate athletics with no activity on the field of play due to COVID-19, Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics will take a look back at a "Mustang Memory", several times a week during the next month or longer, as we celebrate and remember some of the most memorable events, teams, coaches and student-athletes over the past 50-plus years of Mustang Athletics.
 
April 15: 2000-01 SMSU Men's Basketball
 
Plain and simple…The 2000-01 Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball entered the season with high expectations. Coming off its third straight winning season—the first time in program history SMSU had recorded three straight winning campaigns—the Mustangs were looking to finally get capture that elusive first-ever conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

 
Under fourth-year head coach Tim Miles, the team reached those goals and more, winning the program's first NSIC championship, the program's first NCAA Region title and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. SMSU finished the season 28-7 overall, won the league title with a record of 17-1 and tied or broke 14 school records during the year. The team was inducted into the SMSU Athletics Hall of Honor in 2011.  
 
SMSU, coming off program-recording tying 18-win season in 1999-2000 and returning all five starters, opened the season nationally ranked in several preseason Top 25 polls. The team started the season in Florida, taking part in the eight-team Disney Tip-Off Classic. SMSU opened the season with six players reaching double figures in scoring to secure a 100-85 victory over St. Joseph's (Ind.). SMSU struggled shooting in its next two games in losing to Rollins (Fla.) and Bentley (Mass.) to place fourth in the tournament.
 
SMSU returned "north" and split a pair of games at the Wisconsin-Stout Tournament, defeating Huron College before losing to UW-Stout in the championship game.
 
Sitting at 2-3 overall, the team was looking for some "R/A Facility magic" in the home opener versus Minnesota State. Once again, SMSU struggled shooting and despite holding a five-point halftime advantage, the Mustangs saw the Mavericks rally to earn a 63-59 victory and dropping the Mustangs to 2-4 overall.
 
Next up for Mustangs, was a road match-up versus an undefeated UW-River Falls squad. Trailing 34-32 at halftime, SMSU's Scott Koenen exploded for 18 second half points on his way to a game-high 30 points to help the squad earn a hard-fought 81-73 victory.
 
Not many Mustang fans could guess then, but that victory over UWRF sparked one of the greatest runs in team history.
 
Returning to the R/A Facility to open the month of December, the Mustangs hosted No. 9 ranked and undefeated South Dakota for the Southwest State Classic. Behind 16 points from Jacob Fahl and 15 points off the bench from Jared Miller, SMSU shot 52 percent from the field, including 63 percent in the second half to upset the Coyotes, 75-66. The victory snapped USD's 30-game non-conference winning streak.
 
The following night, the Mustangs battled former head coach Perry Ford and the Augustana Vikings. Facing its third straight undefeated opponent, SMSU scored 49 second half points to rally from a five-point halftime deficit and defeat the Vikings 97-84. Scott Koenen scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while brother Chad Koenen score 23 points on 11 of 18 shooting. Scott Koenen was named MVP of the tournament as SMSU moved to 5-4 overall.
 
SMSU would open NSIC play the following weekend on the road versus Minnesota Morris and Northern State. Following a blowout win over UMM, the Mustangs would face-off against a team they hadn't beat in Aberdeen since the 1985-86 season. In fact, SMSU had defeated NSU just seven times in the previous 32 meetings. But on Dec. 9, 2000, that all changed as Scott Koenen poured in 22 points, while Chad Koenen and Miller each added 14 points. Miller made 5 of 10 shots in his first game in Aberdeen after transferring from NSU prior to the season.
 
The Mustangs closed out its pre-Christmas schedule with a non-conference win over Mount Marty, 81-64, in a game played in Watertown, S.D., to move its record to 8-4.
 
SMSU would resume league play on Dec. 29 and promptly returned to its winning ways, pushing its winning streak to 17 straight games following an 84-70 road win over Concordia-St. Paul on Feb. 3.
 
There were countless team highlights during the 17-game winning streak, including Fahl scoring 35 points on 11 of 16 shooting in an 85-72 victory over Northern State to complete the season sweep. The team also cracked the NCAA Top 25 for the first time ever on Jan. 22 and was ranked for seven straight weeks to close the season. 
 
During the first weekend of February, SMSU carried a one-game lead over second place Winona State and had to face the Warriors in Winona. With first place on the line, SMSU rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to send the game into overtime as Chad Koenen scored on a jumper with eight seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 71. In the extra frame, SMSU trailed 79-78 with just over a minute remaining, but Mustang guard Brad Bigler, drilled his lone field goal of the game, a 3-pointer, to give SMSU an 81-79 lead and an eventual 83-80 victory.
 
SMSU had its winning streak come to an end at Wayne State on Feb. 10, but the Mustangs closed the regular season with four wins to secure the program's first-ever league title. SMSU locked up sole possession of the championship with a 90-54 romp at Bemidji State on Feb. 23 and wrapped up the the regular season the following evening with an 86-80 overtime win at Minnesota Duluth.
 
The team did have to overcome a long bus trip home following the game in Duluth. The SMSU team bus, which included both women's and men's teams, and another bus filled with Mustang Booster Club members, was left stranded just outside Vesta, Minn., due to a blizzard. The Booster Club bus slide into the ditch, while the team bus was forced to sit for more than seven hours on Highway 23. The team bus would eventually make it home by mid-morning on Sunday to start preparations for the postseason.
 
SMSU opened the NSIC Tournament with a 92-60 home win over Minnesota Morris and then picked up a 78-71 victory over Minnesota Duluth in St. Paul, Minn., with Marques Pena scoring a team-high 19 points with six rebounds, five steals and four assists. SMSU entered the championship game of the NSIC Tournament the following night with a record of 25-5 and were in contention for a chance to host the NCAA Division II North Central Region Tournament. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, their chance at hosting came to an end with a 94-78 loss to Winona State in the title game.
 
Despite the loss, SMSU's 25-6 overall record was enough to secure an at-large bid to the six-team region tournament hosted by St. Cloud State. SMSU, the No. 3 seed, would face a familiar foe, No. 6 seed Winona State in the opening round. Facing the Warriors just six days after the conference tournament loss, the Mustangs would pull away in the second half to earn an 88-77 victory. Chad Koenen had 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Fahl made 8 of 14 shots to score 24 points.  
 
In the region semifinals, SMSU took on No. 2 seed Fort Hays State and cruised to an 82-63 victory. The Mustangs, which never trailed in the game, built a 24-11 lead midway through the first half and led 42-36 at halftime. The second half was all SMSU as the Mustangs started the half on a 17-2 run in building a 21-point cushion to secure the win. Fahl scored a game-high 19 points with Scott Koenen adding 16 points.
 
SMSU would move to the championship game versus No. 1 seed and host St. Cloud State, which won the North Central Conference Tournament title to earn the top-seed. The Sunday night, March 11 game between the Mustangs and Huskies would go down as one of the most memorable games in Mustang history.
 
SMSU would lead for much of the first half, including 24-18 at the 5:35 mark following a field goal by Corey Johnson. SCSU would later take a one-point lead, but SMSU would rally behind four free throws by Miller and a field goal by Pena to take a 30-27 advantage into the break.
 
SMSU would take a 32-27 lead in the early stages of the second half, but SCSU mounted a big rally and would eventually build a 43-35 lead with 14 minutes left in the game.
 
SCSU held a 43-37 advantage and looked to be pulling away, but a 3-pointer by Bigler and a three-point play by Bigler kept the Mustangs in the game midway through the second half.
 
Down 48-43, a Chad Koenen dunk sparked a 9-0 run to put SMSU back in the lead. Bigler came through again, drilling another 3-pointer with 9:53 remaining to tie the game at 48 and was followed by field goals by Fahl and Miller to push the lead to 52-48 with eight minutes remaining.
 
SMSU would maintain the lead for much of the final eight minutes, but SCSU's Rado Rancik drilled a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to tie the game at 65.
 
On the ensuing possession, SMSU worked the clock to the final seconds, before Pena sprinted down the left side of the lane and lofted a shot off the glass with just three seconds remaining to give the Mustangs the dramatic 67-65 win and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. Chad Koenen led the Mustangs with 16 points, while Bigler added nine points and seven rebounds. Chad Koenen was named MVP of the tournament, while Fahl joined him on the all-tournament team.
 
The region title sent SMSU, ranked No. 9 in the country to the Elite Eight in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 21, to face Division II traditional powerhouse and No. 2 ranked Kentucky Wesleyan. The Panthers entered the tournament having won a Division II record seven national championships.
 
KWC used its experience in the opening minutes jumping to an 11-2 lead in the first three and a half minutes. SMSU would settle down and rally back to build a 20-17 lead following a Scott Koenen free throw at the 8:52 mark. The teams would play a tight final eight minutes before KWC would take a 34-31 lead into the halftime.
 
KWC would hold a 43-39 lead with 16 minutes left in the second half, but would use an 11-2 run over the next four minutes take push the lead to double-digits at 54-41. SMSU would cut the deficit to 54-46 with 11 minutes remaining, but KWC proved to be too strong and secured an 85-66 victory. The Panthers would win two more games to capture the 2001 NCAA Championship.
 
Scott Koenen would earn numerous post season honors for the Mustangs as held the team in both scoring (15.7) and rebounding (76.), while making a team-high 193 field goals. He was named first team All-NSIC and became SMSU's first NCAA All-American. Chad Koenen and Pena were also both named first team All-NSIC.
 
Chad Koenen averaged 13.4 ppg and shot 56 percent from the field. Fahl averaged 12.1 ppg, while Miller and Adam Tesch each led the team with 64 3-pointers. Pena dished out a-then school record 185 assists and recorded 70 steals.
 
Miles would be named the NSIC Coach of the Year and was also named the North Central Region Coach of the Year.