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Southwest Minnesota State Opens Northern Sun Conference Play This Weekend; Looks for Fifth Straight Win

The Southwest Minnesota State mens basketball will open the 2006 Northern Sun Conference season this Friday, Jan. 6, when they host Minnesota State University Moorhead beginning at 8 p.m. at SMSUs R/A Facility. On Saturday, Jan. 7, SMSU will host 21st-ranked Northern State University also beginning at 8 p.m.

The Records
Southwest Minnesota State will enter the conference opening weekend with a record of 7-4 ... MSU Moorhead is 9-2 overall, while Northern State is 10-1 overall ... Northern State plays at Wayne State on Friday night before traveling to Marshall.

Game Time Tidbits
SMSU is 7-0 this season when outrebounding their opponents.
SMSU is currently in the midst of a school record seven-game homestand.
SMSU is outrebounding their opponents 36.5 to 28.5 during their current four-game winning streak.
SMSU is currently on their longest winning streak since the 2002-03 season (games 16 through 19).
SMSUs last five-game win streak came in 2001-02, when they won six straight (games 19 through 24).
SMSUs victories over Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State and South Dakota in December marked the first
time SMSU has defeated three straight North Central Conference teams in one season since 2000-01.
Now in its 39th season of collegiate basketball, SMSU has compiled an all-time record of 421-611, but is
177-120 since the start of the 1996-97 season.
SMSU has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in 206 straight games ... the last time Southwest
failed to score a 3-point field goal was on Dec. 11, 1998, versus Moorhead State.

Getting to Know This Weeks Foes
MSU Moorhead is 9-2 on the season with their only losses to Minnesota-Duluth and MSU, Mankato ... the Dragons are led by senior transfer guard Cedric Hensley, who is averaging a conference best 19.3 points per game and shooting 52.2 percent ... Hensley has led the team in scoring in eight of their 11 games ... sophomore guard Blake Strouth is also scoring in double figures with 10.5 ppg ... senior transfer guard Marcus Ebow is averaging 9.7 ppg and has a team-high 52 assists.
Northern State, ranked #21 in the latest national poll, is 10-1, with their only loss coming at Minnesota-Duluth in mid-December ... NSU has played just two road games all season long ... NSU is averaging 84.2 ppg as a team and is led by senior forward Matt Hammer, who is pouring in 16.2 ppg while shooting 52.5 percent from the field ... senior center Aaron Busack is averaging 13.5 ppg while shooting 59.8 percent.





Series History (for complete game-by-game history and stats, turn to page 5 of release)
Southwest Minnesota State and MSU Moorhead meet for the 82nd time with MSUM leading 49-32 ... MSUM leads 21-18 in games played in Marshall .... MSU Moorhead has won three of the last five meetings ... the two teams split a pair of games last season, with SMSU winning 61-58 in Moorhead and MSUM winning 76-71 in Marshall.
SMSU and Northern State meet for the 67th time on Saturday with NSU leading 48-18 ... NSU leads 19-12 in games played in Marshall ... the two teams played three times last season, with NSU winning 81-73 in Aberdeen and SMSU defeating NSU 94-87 in Marshall during the regular season ... in the first round of the NSIC Tournament, Northern defeated Southwest 94-83.

The Coaches
Southwest Minnesota State head coach Greg Stemen is in his fifth season with an overall record of 68-58.
Named head coach on Apr. 10, 2001, Stemen led SMSU to 21 wins in his first season and a second place finish in the NSIC during his second season. Prior to being named head coach, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach at SMSU, helping lead the Mustangs to a two-year record of 46-17, which included a conference and NCAA regional championship and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2001.
Stu Engen is in his fourth season as MSU Moorhead head coach with a record of 48-48. In his 16th season overall as a head coach, his teams are 253-156.
Don Meyer is in his seventh season at Northern State with a record of 122-62. Now in his 34th season as a head coach, his teams are 824-282.

Key To the Winning Ways
There have been several key factors to SMSU winning four in a row, but two individuals that stand out are juniors Chad Orum and Jeremy VanKlompenburg. In the last four games, the duo has combined to shoot 45 of 67 (67.1) from the field and 21 of 23 (91.3) from the free throw line.

Orum Named Player of the Week
Chad Orum was named NSIC Tri-Player of the Week on Tuesday for his performance in Saturdays win over #18 South Dakota.
Orum scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed ten rebounds in SMSUs 75-69 victory. He finished the night shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line in 34 minutes of action. It was his second straight double-double of the season.
During SMSUs four-game win streak, Orum is averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 68.4 percent (26 of 38) from the field.
Hes the first SMSU player to earn the award this season.

Defense Wins Championships
Southwest Minnesota State has recorded six wins this season and most of that has to do with solid defense. SMSU opponents are averaging just 66.5 points per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field.
In SMSUs last five victories they have held their opponents to 58 or less points in four of the five games and 69 or less in all five wins.

SMSU Moves Winning Streak to Four
Southwest Minnesota State won their fourth straight game on Saturday, defeating #18 South Dakota 75-69.
SMSU, which led by eight at halftime and by as many as 12 in the second half, say USD rally to tie the game at 66-66 with just under two minutes left in the game. SMSUs Travis Krenske though scored on a lay-up with 1:44 left to give SMSU the lead for good. Matt Fletcher hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to push the lead to 71-66, but USD responded with their own 3-pointer to cut the lead back to 71-69. SMSU though hit all four free throws in the final 31 seconds to seal the victory.
Chad Orum led SMSU with 18 points and ten rebounds, his second straight double-double. Fletcher finished with 18 points while also grabbing nine rebounds.
South Dakota attempted an R/A Facility record 36 3-pointers in the contest.

Ellis and Krenske Continue to Lead Way
A pair of newcomers continue to lead this years team. Senior guard Undre Ellis and sophomore guard Travis Krenske have been major factors in their first season in Mustang uniforms.
Krenske leads the team in scoring with 12.2 ppg and is second in three-pointers with 23, while Ellis is averaging 12 ppg and has dished out a team-high 35 assists.
Both players redshirted last season.

More Ellis Numbers
Senior point guard Undre Ellis has been simply outstanding running the Mustang offense during their four-game winning streak. During the current streak, Ellis has recorded 19 assists and just two turnovers in 132 minutes played.

Mustangs Nice From the Stripe
Southwest Minnesota State has done an excellent job of getting to the free throw line this season and once there making their shots.
On the season, SMSU has connected on 157 of 199 attempts for 78.9 percent while opponents are 113 of 171. SMSU has shot a better percentage from the free throw line than their opponents in nine of the 11 games.
SMSUs 78.9 percent shooting from the line would be a new school record.

Hanging Onto the Ball
Southwest Minnesota State has done a solid job of limiting turnovers this season. For the season, SMSU has had 11 or less turnovers in seven of their 11 games and has had 14 or less turnovers in nine of 11 games.

Mustangs in the NSIC
In the NSIC team statistics as of Monday, Jan. 3 SMSU ranks third in scoring defense (66.5) and sixth in scoring offense (69.7).
SMSU ranks first in free throw percentage (78.2) and first in 3-point field goals made with 88.
Individually, sophomore Travis Krenske ranks 11th in the conference in scoring (12.2) while senior Undre Ellis ranks 12th (11.9).

Rebounding Edge for SMSU
Rebounding the ball has been a big factor for SMSU this season. Southwest is 7-0 when outrebounding their opponents while going 0-4 when being outrebounded by their opponents.

Hogan Still Out
Southwest Minnesota State junior guard Nic Hogan is out indefinitely with an injury he suffered in the offseason. Hogan led SMSU with 91 three-pointers last season and averaged 12.3 points per game, finishing third on the team.

80 is the Magic Number
As most would guess, when a team scores 80 or more points in a single game, their odds of winning are very high. SMSU has made that fact hold true in recent seasons. After scoring 80 or more points three times this season, Southwest is 84-8 when scoring 80 or more points in a game since the 1997-98 season.

Southwest Looks for Home Magic
The R/A Facility, the home of SMSU basketball since the 1996-97 season, has been a tough place to play for opponents since opening its doors.
Now in its tenth season as the Mustang home arena, SMSU is 89-37 (70.6) all-time at the R/A Facility. Last season though SMSU struggled, as they suffered their only home losing season in the arena finishing 6-8.
SMSU Record Year-by-Year
at the R/A Facility
Year Overall NSIC Non-Conf.
1996-97 6-4 3-2 3-2
1997-98 8-5 4-2 4-3
1998-99 10-3 5-1 5-2
1999-00 12-3 7-2 5-1
2000-01 12-1 9-0 3-1
2001-02 12-2 7-2 5-0
2002-03 9-5 7-2 2-3
2003-04 9-5 5-3 4-2
2004-05 6-8 3-4 3-4
2005-06 5-1 0-0 5-1
Totals 89-37 50-18 39-19

SMSU Among NSICs Best
Southwest Minnesota State ranks among the best in the Northern Sun Conference in victories among conference schools in the last nine seasons. Since the start of the 1997-98 season, SMSU has recorded 145 overall victories, third most in the league. Northern State leads the list with 169 victories.
Team Wins
Northern State 170
Winona State 147
Southwest Minnesota State 146
Bemidji State 117
MSU Moorhead 100
Wayne State * 89
Concordia * 67
Minnesota-Crookston * 38
*victories since joining the NSIC in 1999-2000
(wins through Jan. 3, 2006)

Team Captains
Three Mustang players were serve as team captains for the 2005-06 season. Senior guard Andy Wiersma along with junior center Jeremy VanKlompenburg and junior forward Chad Orum earned the honor this season. The captains were chosen by a vote of the SMSU players.

SMSU Picked Fifth in NSIC Poll
Southwest Minnesota State was picked to finish fifth in the annual preseason NSIC coaches poll.
Defending league champion Winona State was picked to win the league title.
1. Winona State (7) 70
2. Northern State (1) 62
3. Bemidji State 60
4. Concordia 52
5. Southwest Minnesota State 43
6. Wayne State 38
7. MSU Moorhead 36
8. Minnesota-Crookston 31

Two to Redshirt
SMSU head coach Greg Stemen has indicated that two freshmen players will redshirt this season. Guard Andrew Peschong and center Nick Dale both will sit out this season and will have four years of eligibility remaining.

Mustangs in the Record Book
Several SMSU players had solid seasons a year ago and now have their names dotted in the SMSU record book.
Junior Nic Hogan is already 8th in career 3-pointers with 113 and is 1st in career 3-point field goal pct. at 42 percent. Hogans 91 3-pointers last season was tied for the second most in SMSU history while his 43.1 percent shooting from behind the arc ranks 5th best.
Sophomore Matt Fletchers 44.3 percent shooting from 3-point range ranked 3rd best in school history, while junior Jeremy VanKlompenburgs 35 blocked shots was tied for the second most in one season.

Southwest Signs One Early
SMSU head coach Greg Stemen announced on Nov. 10, that Pelican Rapids H.S. standout Taylor Huseby has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at SMSU in 2006-07. Huseby is a two-time all-conference pick and honorable mention all-state selection.

Southwest in the 2004-05 NCAA Statistics
Southwest Minnesota State junior Nic Hogan finished last season ranked 20th in the country in 3-point field goal pct. at 43.1 percent, while also ranking 34th in 3-point field goals made per game (3.0). Hogan will miss this Saturdays game with an injury.
As a team, SMSU finished 11th in the nation in 3-point field goal pct. (40.5) and 61st in 3-point field goals per game (7.6).

Andy Beilke Notes...
Sat out the 2004-2005 season as a redshirt ... has played in all 11 games ... scored career-high 18 points on 7 of 7 shooting in win over Presentation.
Beilke Career Highs
Points 18 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
Rebs 1, 5x, last vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
Assists 6 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
FG 7 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
3-Pt. 4 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
Steals 2 vs. Presentation, 11-25-05

Ross DeMasi Notes...
Has appeared in ten games ... scored career high 8 points in win over SD Tech ... plays wide receiver on the SMSU football team.
DeMasi Career Highs
Points 8 vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
Rebs 7, 2x, last vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
Assists 2, 3x, last vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
FG 3, 2x, last vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
3-Pt. 0
Steals 2, 2x, last vs. St. Cloud State, 12-14-05

Undre Ellis Notes...
Sat out the 2004-2005 season as a redshirt ... transfer from Waldorf College where he played for three seasons ... only player to start all 11 games this season ... averaging 11.9 ppg ... team-high 38 assists ... had eight assists and eight rebounds in win over St. Cloud State ... scored career-high 24 points in win over Upper Iowa ... second on the team in scoring
Ellis Career Highs
Points 24 vs. Upper Iowa, 11-26-05
Rebs 8 vs. St. Cloud State, 12-14-05
Assists 8 vs. St. Cloud State, 12-14-05
FG 9 vs. Upper Iowa, 11-26-05
3-Pt. 4 vs. North Dakota, 11-19-05
Steals 3 vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05

Matt Fletcher Notes...
Scored 20 points in win over Upper Iowa ... leads team lead with 28 3-pointers ... only true freshman to play last season ... made 23 starts ... second on the team with 47 3-pointers ... scored career-high 23 points vs. Bemidji State ...
Fletcher Career Highs
Points 23 vs. Bemidji State, 2-12-05
Rebs 10 vs. Wayne State, 1-29-05
Assists 8 vs. MSU Moorhead, 2-26-05
FG 7 vs. Bemidji State, 2-12-05
3-Pt. 5, 2x, last vs. Northern State, 2/25/05
Steals 3 vs. North Dakota, 11-19-05

Nic Hogan Notes...
Has not played this year due to injury ... only SMSU player to start all 30 games last season ... career-high 24 points on eight 3-pointers in win over Minn.-Morris ... led team with 91 3-pointers ... was 5 of 5 from the field including 4 of 4 from 3-point range in win over Bethany Hogan Career Highs
Points 24 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 12-7-04
Rebs 6 vs. South Dakota, 12-3-04
Assists 3 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 12-7-04
FG 8 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 12-7-04
3-Pt. 8 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 12-7-04
Steals 6 vs. Winona State, 2-18-05

Travis Krenske Notes...
Scored season-high 24 against Presentation ... teams leading scorer and second in rebounding ... has 24 3-pointers this season ... named to the 2005 SMSU Classic all-tournament team ... sat out the 2004-2005 season as a redshirt ... transfer to SMSU after playing the 2003-2004 season at Central Lakes College.
Krenske Career Highs
Points 24 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
Rebs 9 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
Assists 3, 2x, last vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
FG 8 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
3-Pt. 5 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
Steals 3, 2x, last vs. Chadron State, 12-2-05

Ryan Krome Notes...
Only true freshman to play for SMSU this season ... has played in all 11 games ... one of eight Mr. Basketball finalists in the state of South Dakota last season ... led team to state title as a senior.
Krome Career Highs
Points 3 vs. Augustana, 12-3-05
Rebs 4 vs. Presentation, 11-30-05
Assists 2, 3x, last vs. St. Cloud State, 12-14-05
FG 1, 3x, last vs. MSU, Mankato, 12-8-05
3-Pt. 1 vs. Augustana, 12-3-05
Steals 1 vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05

Chad Orum Notes...
Scored career high 18 points in win over South Dakota ... averaging 10.1 ppg this season ... had career-high 11 rebounds in win over S.D. Tech ... scored season-high 15 points in win over St. Cloud State ... scored career-high with 16 points vs. Northern State last season ... third on team in rebounding a season ago ... played in 26 games with three starts as a true freshman.
Orum Career Highs
Points 18 vs. South Dakota, 12-31-05
Rebs 11 vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
Assists 4 vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05
FG 8 vs. South Dakota, 12-31-05
3-Pt. 1, 3x, last vs. St. Cloud State, 12-14-05
Steals 2, several times

Darren Solbrack Notes...
Has made two starts, playing in all 11 games ... played two seasons at Ridgewater College ... earned first team all-division, first team all-conference and first team all-region.
Solbrack Career Highs
Points 7 vs. Augustana, 12-3-05
Rebs 5 vs. Augustana, 12-3-05
Assists 2, 2x, last vs. MSU, Mankato, 12-8-05
FG 2, 3x, last vs. MSU, Mankato, 12-8-05
3-Pt. 0
Steals 2 vs. South Dakota Tech, 12-17-05

Jeremy VanKlompenburg Notes...
Scored season-high 23 points vs. S.D. Tech ... named to the SMSU all-classic team ... led team with 35 blocked shots last season ... played in 27 games as a true freshman making 11 starts ... tied R/A Facility record with 9 for 9 shooting performance vs. Crossroads (11/15/03).
VanKlompenburg Career Highs
Points 24 vs. Minnesota State, Mankato, 11-26-04
Rebs 8, 2x, last vs. Augustana, 12-3-05
Assists 4 vs. Wayne State, 1-24-04
FG 11 vs. Minnesota State, Mankato, 11-26-04
3-Pt. 1 vs. Northern State, 2-25-05
Steals 1, several times

Andy Wiersma Notes...
Dished out team-high five assists vs. North Dakota in season opener ... made two starts last season at point guard ... third on the team in three-pointers with 29 ... played in all 28 games as a sophomore with 18 starts ... brother Brian played at SMSU from 1998-2002.
Wiersma Career Highs
Points 21 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 2-8-03
Rebs 5 vs. MSU Mankato, 11-21-03
Assists 5, 2x, last vs. North Dakota, 11-19-05
FG 7 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 2-8-03
3-Pt. 7 vs. Minnesota-Morris, 2-8-03
Steals 3, 2x, last vs. St. Cloud State, 12-14-05