WHITEWATER, Wis. – The Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball team put together a strong two days at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament last Friday and Saturday winning three of four games to improve to 6-1 overall.
 
SMSU opened play last Friday suffering a tough 54-50 loss to Alabama before rebounding with a 75-63 victory over Edinboro (Pa.). On Saturday, SMSU defeated Illinois, 60-49, before closing the weekend with a 68-40 win over CUNY.
 
In the opening game loss to Alabama, Fermin Wingerter led the Mustangs with 22 points on 11 of 16 shooting. Emmanuel Fuentes Cervantes added 14 points, while Josh Brown chipped in with 12 points. The Mustangs shot just 38 percent (24 of 64) from the field.
 
In the win over Edinboro, the Mustangs shot 51 percent with Fuentes Cervantes connecting on 18 of 29 field goals with four 3-pointers to score a game-high 42 points. Brown scored 15 points with Wingerter adding 12 points.
 
SMSU used a balanced scoring attack in the win over Illinois with Brown scoring a team-high 18 points on 9 of 19 shooting. Wingerter scored 17 points with Fuentes Cervantes adding 15, while Robert Lew chipping in with 10 points on 5 of 6 from the field.
 
In the final game of the weekend, SMSU shot 50 percent and held CUNY to 31 percent shooting in earning the victory. Wingerter made 9 of 11 field goals to finish with 18 points, while Fuentes Cervantes finished 4 of 7 shooting for 11 points. Landon Wherry, Lew and Brown each scored eight points to pace the Mustangs.
 
SMSU returns to action on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2025, at the University of Missouri Tournament.