BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced today Southwest Minnesota State University senior men's basketball player Jakob Braaten has been named All-NSIC first team, while junior Mekhi Shaw was named All-NSIC second team as selected by the league's 16 head coaches.
 
Braaten, a guard from Byron, Minn., earns All-NSIC first team accolades for the second straight season. He is averaging a team-high 14.4 ppg, while also leading the team in field goals (146), assists (126) and rebounding (5.5), while ranking third in steals (40).
 
In NSIC play (league games only), Braaten ranked third in the conference in field goal pct., fifth in assists, seventh in assist/turnover ratio, ninth in steals, 11th in free throw pct., 14th in rebounding and 17th in scoring. In the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 25), he is 53^rd in assists per game (4.7), 56^th in assists and 77^th in field goal pct. (51.5).
 
Shaw, a guard from Eau Claire, Wis., ranks third for the Mustangs averaging 11.7 ppg with a team-high 55 steals, while ranking second with 74 assists.
 
In conference play, Shaw finished third in the league in steals and 13th in assists. In the latest NCAA statistics (Feb. 25), he ranks 38^th in total steals and 39^th in steals per game (2.1).
 
SMSU closed the regular season with a 16-11 record and placed tied for third in the conference with a 14-8 record. SMSU, the No. 4 seed in the NSIC Tournament, will face No. 5 seed Minnesota State in the tournament quarterfinals on Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Sanford Pentagon starting at 4:30 p.m.