MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team plays its lone exhibition game of the season this Friday night hosting St. Olaf College at the R/A Facility with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.
Admission is free to the game, but free-will donations will be accepted with proceeds going to support the SMSU men's basketball program.
SMSU returns 10 letter winners from last season's 3-8 team and will be bolstered by the return of senior guard
Kenny Byers, a 2019-20 All-NSIC second team honoree, who sat out last season. Byers led SMSU in scoring (16.3), rebounding (6.9), assists (95) and steals (43) in 2019-20 and scored 20 or more points nine times, while recording eight double-doubles.
The Mustangs return several starters from last season including sophomore center
Jake Phipps, who averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg while shooting a team-high 62 percent from the field. Sophomore guard
Cliff McCray dished out a team-high 41 assists in nine games last season and averaged 7.7 ppg. Redshirt freshman guard
Sam Schwartz poured in 9.3 ppg and ranked third on the squad with 12 3-pointers in his first season. Senior guard
Grant Kramer also returns after appearing in five games last season and averaging 7.0 ppg. SMSU also had six true or redshirt freshmen play last season who gained valuable experience and return this season.
St. Olaf was 2-2 in a shortened 2021 season after finishing 13-14 in 2019-20.
Southwest Minnesota State opens the regular season on Nov. 12-13 competing at the Concordia-St. Paul Classic. SMSU will have its home opener on Nov. 29 taking on Minnesota Morris.
