Mitch497's Coaching Career (CH2K8)

[mitch497]

Hey y'all. I've had this CH2K8 chise sitting for a while (like over a year now) but I have a renewed interest in the game so I've decided to bring it back and bring it over to Operation Sports. Enjoy.

[mitch497]

Mitch497 Hired at North Dakota State

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State University has tabbed former Binghamton University assistant Mitch497 as its new head men's basketball coach for the 2007-08 season.

Mitch replaces Tim Miles, who left to take the head coaching job at Colorado State University. North Dakota State will be competing in a Division I conference for the first time in this upcoming season, joining the Summit League.

"We are excited to get this thing rolling," said Mitch. "Becoming a full division I member is huge. This is a huge step forward for our program. Being an independent just isn't the same. This is the big thing - getting to get a balanced schedule, prestige, and a better chance to compete in the NCAA tournament."

While Binghamton only had moderate success during Mitch' tenure as an assistant, his tireless work ethic, especially on the recruiting trail, and his ties to the area (He grew up in nearby Aberdeen, South Dakota), were enough to convince NDSU that he was the right man for the job.

"We had a number of candidates and Mitch impressed us the most," said NDSU men's sports Athletic Director Matt Larsen. "He is the perfect man for the job, and we are confident we will soon be making regular appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Mitch will announce the team's schedule soon and begin preparations for the upcoming season.

[mitch497]

Season Preview: North Dakota State

The track record of schools who have recently moved into a Division I conference, either from the independent ranks or the Division II ranks, is not exactly pretty.

Last season, the Central Arkansas Bears moved to the Southland Conference from the Gulf South Conference in Division II, and went 10–20, 4–12. Kennesaw State and North Florida both joined the ranks two seasons ago, and neither has posted a winning record to date, with UNF going 3–27 last season.

This season, after three years as a Division I independent, the North Dakota State Bison are making the move to the Summit League. With a new coach, a relatively new team, a now a new conference, there is confidence abound in Fargo.

Enigmatic head coach Tim Miles led the Bison through their transition from Division II into the independent ranks, but bolted for an opening at a larger job in Mountain West Conference school Colorado State. In response, North Dakota State went out and hired another young, enigmatic coach, tabbing Mitch497, formerly an assistant at Binghamton University in Vestal, New York. Mitch grew up just across the southern border in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and played basketball for four years at Central High School.

His time at Binghamton wasn't very successful, but he is known as a tireless recruiter, and his ties to the area were too good to ignore. When Binghamton head coach Al Walker was let go, Mitch searched for opportunities, and a start-up program in the Bison seemed like the perfect fit.

North Dakota State has had a successful run as an independent – they went 20–8 last season with a win over then-#8 Marquette, and defeated then-#15 Wisconsin two seasons ago. However, than success led to an unexpected departure for Miles, which left NDSU in a position they did not expect to be in – looking for a coach.

The cupboard is far from bare for Mitch, however. A surplus of talent returns at the two-guard position, with senior Lawrence Alexander, junior Kory Brown, and sophomore Carlin Dupree all back. While the team lacks a true big man, 6'6" Dexter Werner and 6'8" Chris Kading both return to anchor the front court.

Aside from those six returners, Mitch has an influx of youth on his roster. There are six freshmen on the team, making up more than half of the squad. If North Dakota State wants to succeed, they are going to have to rely on their youngsters to provide valuable bench scoring.

A.J. Jacobson is a wing player who redshirted last season. A product of Fargo, Jacobson will provide three point shooting, but is known as a poor defender. Also a newcomer at the wing position is 6'7" Trey Miller, considered very raw, but with significant potential. He is unlikely to see big minutes.

Mitch also has two good-sized freshmen big men to rely on, though both are more 4's than true centers. 6'7" Evan Wesenberg is a big, defensive big man with a raw offensive game. On the other side of the spectrum, 6'9" Spencer Eliason is weak defensively, but has offensive potential.

Two young point guards also join the program, Jake Showalter and Paul Miller. Miller is a terrific perimeter defender with a weak jumpshot, while Showalter is the opposite. In order to succeed, Mitch will need both to make valuable contributions with their passing as backup point guards.

The Summit League isn't a particularly strong conference, but North Dakota State looks like it could be a contender for last place. Coach Mitch is confident that he can be a leader and lead the program to new heights in 2007–08.

[mitch497]

Season Preview: The Summit League

The Summit League is experiencing a period of turnover.

Valpariaso, Chicago State, and Centenary have all departed the conference over the past two academic years. New to the conference this year is South Dakota State, North Dakota State, IPFW, and South Dakota.

"We have always felt ten teams is a perfect size for a conference," said commissioner Tom Douple. Well, he got his wish this year. The conference is up at 10 teams, and it looks like it could be another strong year for the Summit.

This isn't a two-bid league, and their conference champion likely won't win a game in the NCAA tournament. However, with some games on ESPN3 now and then, this will be an entertaining league to watch now and then when there isn't much on mid-week.

PRESEASON SUMMIT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Martez Harrison, UMKC

Harrison was a three star recruit, getting offers from Creighton and South Carolina, before he decided to stay in his own backyard and become UMKC's biggest recruit in team history. Well, he lived up the hype and went out and scored 17.2 points a game last season, winning Summit League Freshman of the Year honors. This year, the undersized point guard will continue to lead a UMKC team searching for a sliver of hope, in a long stretch of mediocrity. Besides being an average defender, Harrison is above-average in just about everything, including being a lights-out shooter. He's a candidate to lead the conference in scoring.

FOUR MORE NAMES TO KNOW:

• Cody Larson, South Dakota State: A true stretch four who has grown over his three years with the Jackrabbits, should produce this year.
• Obi Emegano, Oral Roberts: Part 1 of Oral Roberts' top backcourt. A dead-eye shooter and impressive on the defensive end and on the boards for being 6'3".
• Korey Billbury, Oral Roberts: And Part 2, Billbury is more of a distributor, but can still score and defend at a high level. They are both only juniors. Yikes.
• Garret Covington, Western Illinois: Talented scorer who could use more work on the defensive end, but could also contend the conference scoring title.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. IPFW

The Mastodons look like favorites to win the conference in their first year as a member, a testament to their depth. All five starters could likely start on any team in the league. Steve Forbes is a back to the basket big man, Mo Evans is a distributing point guard, Max Landis is the best three-point shooter in the league, Joe Ewards is a slashing 3 and Joe Reed is a true stretch four. A balanced team can always win, but bench depth may be an issue.

2. Oral Roberts

Oral Roberts has by far the best backcourt in the league with Obi Emegano and Korey Billbury, but not much else after that. Bobby Word and Jabarr Singleton are both very talented sophomores, but both are stuck in a crowded backcourt. Their best wing, Darian Harris, transferred from Creighton and is ineligible this season. The biggest flaw on this team is that they lack a true big man (with super raw 6'9" freshman Albert Owens being their tallest player), but the backcourt is good enough to carry them.

3. Oakland

Oakland, just like IPFW, is led by a well-balanced starting five that is filled with players that fit the roles of their respective positions. The best of the bunch is 6'10" center Corey Petros, a very talented big with impressive defensive skills and a keen eye at looking for the pass. Dante Williams is a wing player with supreme athleticism, and uses it to wreck havoc driving the lane. Khalil Felder is undersized at 5'9", but makes up for it with an impressive jumpshot. 6'8" Tommie McCune can't score, but is a terrific defensive presence inside. And Max Hooper is a great three pointer shooter with defensive flaws. This may be the most balanced team in the league, but besides their starting five, the rest of the bench is weak, mainly because it includes six freshmen.

4. UMKC

Matt Brown, a former West Virginia assistant, is one of only two new head coaches in the league this season, and he inherits the league's best player and a solid supporting class. Martez Harrison, as detailed above, is a dynamic player who will absolutely lead this team. Frank Williams, Jr., is a big guard at 6'6", and he is impressive at ball handling, passing, and driving the lane. Reese Holliday, a small forward, is actually smaller than Williams, Jr., but is a much better wing defender and shooter. Two unknowns man the front court, with 6'8" Shayok Shayok (quite possibly the best name in the league) and 6'10" Isaac Kreuer both raw, but big. The bench is filled with young, high potential players. This may not be the year for the Kangaroos, but they could be scary in a few seasons.

5. Western Illinois

Garret Covington is a lot like Harrison, a sophomore scoring guard and playmaker who will lead his club offensively this season. The big difference is that Covington doesn't have a Frank Williams, Jr., playing alongside him. Sophomore Jabari Sandifer is a pass-first guard who also is excellent on the class and in the lane. Tate Stensgaard and Mike Miklusak are both talented young wings who can score and defend. However, this team does not have a true big man who can contribute immediately, which may lead to struggles this season.

6. South Dakota State

Scott Nagy has been head coach at South Dakota State for what seems like for ever, from their domination of Division II to their time as a Division I independent. Now, he's ready to take them to the next level in their first year in the Summit League. Cody Larson is the league's best player not mentioned above, a 6'9" power forward with the ability to both post up and stretch the floor. Jake Bittle is a score-first 2 guard who struggles to defend, while Zach Hortsman is a slashing wing. Connor Devine is a wild card, a 6'10" redshirt sophomore from Alaska who is raw, but this Jackrabbits team is desperate for size outside of Larson. Their biggest need, however, may be a pure point guard - they will have to wait on that, as Wisconsin transfer George Marshall is ineligible this season.

7. South Dakota

New to the conference this year, the Coyotes have a bunch of good players, but nobody great. Canadian point guard Brandon Bos is the best of the bunch, a scoring guard who needs to work on defense. That will be a theme of this Coyotes team all season - they may be the worst defensive team in the entire conference. They have a surplus of point guards, with Trey Norris and Casey Kasperbauer, and a dearth of big men, with 6'10" James Hunter and 6'9" Edson Avila ineligible due to transfer rules. That leaves the tallest eligible player on their team as raw 6'8" freshman Austin Sparks, who may not see much floor time. This is a young team, and they may need a few years.

8. IUPUI

Actually, South Dakota has a contender for worst defensive team in the Summit League - meet IUPUI. Three of the best players in the program, Nick Osborne, Matt O'Leary and Darell Combs, are ineligible this season due to transfer rules. The Jaguars will be led by Khufu Najee, a 6'4" off-guard who is an excellent three point shooter and the best defender on the team, by far. With Osborne and O'Leary ineligible, Josh James at 6'9" is the tallest on IUPUI's roster, and he is not starter material. This is going to be a rebuilding year for the Jaguars, but with their transfers eligible in 2008-09, they could be a lot better.

9. North Dakota State

North Dakota State is the fourth team to join the Summit this season, and they also have a new head coach in former Binghamton assistant Mitch497. This is a very young team with a lot of potential, but it may be a few years before it is harnessed. Lawrence Alexander is the best player, a balanced guard who can do all kinds of things on the court. Kory Brown and Carlin Dupree are both guards in similar molds to Alexander. The Bison have lots of guards, but are lacking size, with 6'8" Chris Kading their top big man. This is a rebuild year, but NDSU is putting their faith in Coach Mitch.

10. Southern Utah

Along with the other teams near the bottom of this list, the Thunderbirds are very young, with most of their probable major contributors not yet seniors. It will be a rebuilding year, but coach Nick Robinson has the 'Birds headed in the right direction. Guard Trey Kennedy is a high effort defensive player with lots of talent, and A.J. Hess is one of the best players on the team despite not being on scholarship. Like many teams in this conference, they are hungry for size, but 6'8" Casey Oliverson is a solid player, especially under the basket. It is going to be a rough year, but the Thunderbirds can pull some upsets.

[mitch497]

Classless

#13 Gators blow out Bison to open season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Billy Donovan is typically known as one of the "nice guys" in college basketball.

After a demolition at the hands of his Florida Gators, North Dakota State Bison rookie head coach Mitch497 had some interesting words.

"He's classless," Mitch said. "When you're up 50, reserves or not, you don't need to be shooting threes. Period. Our motivation dropped. Our hearts dropped. We didn't play like a team, because nobody wanted to be out there. It's ridiculous. I had a lot of respect for him, but a lot of it went down the drain after today."

The Gators completely overmatched the Bison, rolling to a 121–70 win, one of the most complete dominations in college basketball in recent years. The Gators raised the banner for their second straight National Championship before the game, and played like they could win another one after the game.

Donovan did not show up at his scheduled press conference. Associate head coach Bryan Washburn instead took questions. "A lot of the kids who played out there today, they don't get a lot of playing time," he said, "And they want to play hard. They don't mean to run up the score, they just want to win." But is it OK to keep scoring when up 50 points?

For about ten minutes in the start of the game, it looked like the Bison were going to keep it close. With 9 minutes left in the first half, it was 19–13 Gators.

By halftime, Florida led 57–29.

"Layups were a huge problem," Mitch remarked. We kept missing easy, easy shot, kept getting shots blocked, kept missing free throws. Those are huge problems." It was not a great night for Mitch's head coaching debut. The Bison looked lost all around, with players taking ill-advised shots, bad passes, and just looked effortless.

Lawrence Alexander, who led the Bison in scoring with 14, remarked that the team didn't feel motivated after the Gators went up 40 points. "To start the second half, we got out there fast," he said, referring to the Bison opening the second half on a 19–4 run. "But then everything just collapsed. They are a good team, no doubt. But we really beat ourselves today."

"They shouldn't take any hard feelings," Washburn said, "Our kids just want to win. That's all."

There is no indication that North Dakota State will take action on Mitch for his word choice. The Bison are back in action on Sunday, as they visit Rutgers.

North Dakota State Bison at Florida Gators
Nov 10, 2007	1ST	2ND	SCORE
North Dakota State (0–1)	29	41	70
#13 Florida (1–0)	57	64	121

North Dakota State Bison
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kory Brown	31	1–7	0–3	2–2	0	6	2	0	1	4
Lawrence Alexander	27	5–11	3–3	1–4	4	3	3	0	0	14
A.J. Jacobson	25	5–15	0–0	1–4	6	0	1	0	2	11
Chris Kading	20	4–11	0–0	0–0	5	2	1	0	1	8
Dexter Werner	20	3–11	0–0	2–2	7	0	1	0	1	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Carlin Dupree	16	0–2	0–0	0–0	3	1	0	0	3	0
Evan Wesenberg	14	3–8	0–0	3–4	8	1	1	1	3	9
Jake Showalter	9	1–8	1–4	2–2	2	0	0	0	0	5
Paul Miller	12	1–2	1–1	0–0	0	0	1	0	3	3
Spencer Eliason	9	2–5	0–0	0–3	3	0	0	1	0	4
Trey Miller	17	1–4	0–2	2–4	1	1	0	0	1	4
TEAM TOTALS		26–84	5–13	13–25	39	14	10	2	15	70

Florida Gators
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kasey Hill	20	2–5	0–0	5–6	4	5	1	0	0	9
Michael Frazier II	17	7–10	2–3	3–3	1	3	1	0	0	19
Dorian Finney-Smith	15	3–7	1–2	0–1	3	1	0	0	1	7
Devin Robinson	16	2–6	0–2	2–4	6	2	2	1	2	6
Jon Horford	18	1–2	0–0	4–6	2	1	2	5	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandone Francis	24	9–10	0–0	2–2	3	3	3	1	2	20
Chris Chiozza	20	3–4	1–1	2–2	2	9	2	0	4	9
Eli Carter	16	5–9	0–1	3–6	5	1	0	0	2	13
Chris Walker	27	8–13	0–0	3–5	11	1	2	3	0	19
Alex Murphy	19	2–6	1–1	0–0	8	1	1	2	0	5
Dillon Graham	9	3–4	2–3	0–2	2	1	0	1	0	8
TEAM TOTALS		45–76	7–13	24–37	47	28	14	13	11	121

[mitch497]

European Influence

Doorsen leads Rutgers over North Dakota State

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- When you think of talented Dutch athletes, the first sport that may jump to your mind is association football. With talents like Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben roaming the sidelines for major European clubs, it's no wonder basketball gets overshadowed in the central European nation.

There's a new Dutch talent making waves across NCAA basketball this season. Freshman big man Shaquille Doorsen put up 17 point and 9 rebounds to lead the Rutgers Scarlet Knights over the North Dakota State Bison, 73–67 Sunday at the RAC.

Rutgers led the Bison 31–30 at halftime, and didn't start to pull away until there were less than four minutes left in the second half. It was a change of pace for Bison rookie head coach Mitch497, whose team was demolished by Florida on Friday.

"It's a welcome sight, really," said Mitch, still in search of his first win as a head coach, "We played really well out there. Not all of our contributions showed up on the stat sheet. Play like this every game, and you'll win quite a few."

Doorsen ignited the Rutgers offense under the basket, with fellow big men Kadeem Jack and Junior Etou combining for 25 points and 13 rebounds. "Physical post play is what led us to victory today," said Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan.

"They are very strong in the post," said Bison forward Chris Kading, who led North Dakota State with 17 points. "They kept muscling with me all day, very physical. It was tough to get good shots off." A bold statement for a forward who shot 8–13 from the floor.

On the other hand, the Bison's guards were not as sharp with their jumpshots. Lawrence Alexander was only 3–11 (0–3 from beyond the arc), and Kory Brown just 3–8. Rutgers senior point guard Myles Mack scored 16 points, but was 6–20 from the field and 4–10 from three point range.

"Shooting is something we have to work on," said Mack, "I took a lot of bad shots today. That's on me. Thankfully, I've got a good team around me that helped get us the win."

Rutgers improves to 2–0, and is next in action against Florida on Saturday. North Dakota State falls to 0–2 and hosts Montana State on Wednesday.

North Dakota State Bison at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Nov 11, 2007	1ST	2ND	SCORE
North Dakota State (0–2)	30	37	67
Rutgers (2–0)	31	42	73

North Dakota State Bison
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kory Brown	29	3–8	0–1	2–3	2	2	2	0	0	8
Lawrence Alexander	28	3–11	0–3	2–2	2	1	1	1	2	8
A.J. Jacobson	17	3–6	1–1	2–2	5	1	2	0	0	9
Chris Kading	30	8–13	0–0	1–2	7	2	3	0	3	17
Dexter Werner	27	2–6	0–0	4–4	8	4	1	0	1	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Carlin Dupree	21	1–3	0–0	0–1	4	3	0	0	4	2
Evan Wesenberg	7	2–2	0–0	2–2	0	0	0	1	1	6
Jake Showalter	13	1–2	0–0	0–0	2	1	1	0	0	2
Paul Miller	10	0–4	0–0	0–0	0	3	0	0	1	0
Spencer Eliason	10	1–2	0–0	5–7	1	0	0	1	0	7
Trey Miller	7	0–3	0–2	0–0	1	1	1	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		24–60	1–7	18–23	32	18	11	3	13	67

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Myles Mack	29	6–20	4–10	0–0	1	4	1	0	5	16
Bishop Daniels	25	2–5	0–0	1–3	5	2	1	1	2	5
Ryan Johnson	28	0–4	0–1	0–2	5	1	1	2	1	0
Kadeem Jack	25	5–12	0–0	1–2	8	2	3	3	1	11
Shaquille Doorsen	25	5–7	0–0	7–8	9	1	2	1	2	17
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Junior Etou	17	6–8	0–0	2–2	5	2	0	1	0	14
Mike Williams	18	1–2	0–0	0–0	0	4	2	0	1	2
Malick Kone	12	1–4	0–1	0–0	3	1	1	0	1	2
Nkeruwem Okoro	8	0–0	0–0	2–2	0	0	1	0	0	2
Ibrahima Diallo	13	2–4	0–0	0–1	2	0	0	0	0	4
Dwayne Foreman	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Greg Lewis	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		28–66	4–12	13–20	38	17	12	8	13	73

[mitch497]

Stealing the Show

Showalter scores 16 off bench to pace Bison

FARGO, N.D. -- Jake Showalter isn't used to attention.

At Germantown High School is the small village of Germantown, Wisconsin, Showalter was overshadowed by Lamonte Bearden, now a freshman at Buffalo. After Bearden chose to take his talents east, Showalter joined teammate Evan Wesenberg by committing to North Dakota State. He didn't expect to see much time as a freshman and thought he may even be red-shirted.

He was given a chance Wednesday and did not disappoint.

Showalter scored 16 points in just 13 minutes, including two key threes, to power North Dakota State to a 90–87 win over Montana State at Scheels Arena.

"I definitely wasn't expecting a performance like that when I checked him in," said Bison head coach Mitch497, who earned his first collegiate win, "He's definitely earned by trust now."

"After the first three, I totally missed it, and coach talked to me at the timeout," Showalter said. "He said, 'I don't want you taking any more threes'. And I listened, but when I was open, I couldn't resist."

With the Bison clinging to a small lead late the in the second, Showalter hit two threes on back-to-back possessions and Mitch's club took a nine point lead.

"I told him not to shoot, but I have my faith in him now," Mitch said.

Chris Kading was huge in the post for the Bison, putting up 24 points on 8 of 10 shooting and going a perfect 8 for 8 at the free throw line. He out muscled the Bobcats' two big, Danny Robison and Eric Norman, holding them to just six points total.

Montana State made a late push, but several late free throws from Kading sealed the deal. "I definitely felt good out there today," Kading said, "They pushed me around a bit, but I felt I played really well."

The Bison get the weekend off before Mitch attempts to win his second career game when North Dakota State visits Tennessee Tech (0–2) on Monday.

Montana State Bobcats at North Dakota State Bison
Nov 14, 2007	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Montana State (0–3)	40	47	87
North Dakota State (1–2)	42	48	90

Montana State Bobcats
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Marcus Colbert	30	2–6	0–0	5–8	2	4	3	0	4	9
Stephan Holm	26	8–11	0–0	1–4	2	2	1	0	0	17
Terrell Brown	24	7–12	0–0	1–2	2	2	1	0	1	15
Danny Robison	26	1–3	0–0	1–2	6	5	0	2	2	3
Eric Norman	20	1–3	0–0	1–2	7	2	1	5	3	3
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Michael Dison	25	2–3	0–0	4–6	2	2	1	0	3	8
Kavell Bigsby-Williams	16	2–2	0–0	0–0	4	2	0	0	0	4
Zach Green	12	1–8	1–5	0–0	0	2	0	0	0	3
Bradley Fisher	11	6–10	1–1	0–0	2	0	1	2	1	13
Quinn Price	10	5–7	0–0	2–2	2	0	1	0	0	12
Blake Brumwell	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Ryan Shannon	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		35–65	2–6	15–26	29	21	9	9	14	87

North Dakota State Bison
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kory Brown	20	3–5	0–1	2–2	3	2	1	0	2	8
Lawrence Alexander	27	5–17	2–5	1–2	3	1	0	0	0	13
A.J. Jacobson	27	4–11	0–2	4–6	5	2	3	0	1	12
Chris Kading	30	8–10	0–0	8–8	9	2	2	0	1	24
Dexter Werner	19	1–7	0–0	2–2	4	2	1	1	1	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Carlin Dupree	22	1–2	0–1	1–2	2	0	2	0	0	3
Evan Wesenberg	21	4–8	0–0	1–2	6	2	0	0	1	9
Jake Showalter	13	6–10	2–3	2–2	1	0	1	0	1	16
Paul Miller	2	0–2	0–0	0–0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Spencer Eliason	10	0–2	0–0	0–0	1	2	1	1	0	1
Trey Miller	9	0–1	0–1	0–0	3	0	0	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		32–75	4–13	22–28	37	13	11	2	11	90

[mitch497]

Bench Press

Late defensive stand leads Bison to victory

COOKEVILLE, TENN. -- The usual suspects didn't play much of a role offensively for North Dakota State on Monday night.

It didn't matter.

Spencer Eliason and Dexter Werner combined for the last eight points of the game to lead the Bison to a 73–69 win over the host Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at the Eblen Center.

The Bison were down 69–65 with 2 minutes left in the game, before Werner converted on a three point play. Eliason then proceeded to hit three out of four free throws, both coming after offensive rebounds. Werner's lay-in with 25 seconds left all but sealed the win for North Dakota State. A key full-court press denied any offensive flow and the Golden Eagles turned the ball over to end the game.

On a night where the Bison had their two leading scorer, Lawrence Alexander and Chris Kading, combined for 8 points on 3–15 shooting, head coach Mitch497 needed contributions from the rest of the players on his team.

He got that with 10 points from Kory Brown, 14 points and four steals from A.J. Jacobson, 15 and 8 from Werner, 9 points and a three from Wednesday's hero Jake Showalter, and 10 and 6 from Eliason.

"It was a true team effort tonight," Mitch said after picking us his second career win. "When everyone noticed that Lawrence and Chris were off their game, we all stepped up. A.J. hit two big threes. Dexter played strong in the paint. Kory played tight on the perimeter."

Perhaps Werner's biggest contribution was shutting down Dwan Caldwell, a 6'8" power forward considered the Golden Eagles' best player. He was held to just 5 points and 4 rebounds on 2 of 3 shooting. "I thought Dexter played really well defensively," Mitch said, "He was really playing hard in the post."

The two halves of the game couldn't have been any more different. The first half was dominated by constant lead changes, and the Golden Eagles went into the break up 40–39. The second half was more defensive, and a half of runs. The Bison started out on a 10–0 run, before falling to a 12–2 Tennessee Tech run, and several minutes later clinched the win with an 8–0 run.

"Everybody in the team buys in," Eliason said. "When we got in the huddle down eight, and we drew up a play, every one of us knows our role. And that's why we win."

Kory Brown impressed for Mitch's squad with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and even a block, but he was matched pound-for-pound with the Golden Eagles' point guard Jordan Johnson. The 6'0" Georgia native posted 16 points and hit two threes, but had nine turnovers.

"Winning the turnover battle was key," Mitch, whose team committed just 8 turnovers to Tennessee Tech's 19, said, "That and the battle on the boards. Play like this consistently and you'll see good things."

Tennessee Tech falls to 0–3 and visits Northwestern State on Saturday. That same day the Bison (2–2) will trip up to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to square off with Wisconsin–Green Bay (1–3).

North Dakota State Bison at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Nov 19, 2007	1ST	2ND	SCORE
North Dakota State (2–2)	39	34	73
Tennessee Tech (0–3)	40	29	69

North Dakota State Bison
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kory Brown	25	4–9	0–1	2–3	3	4	3	1	0	10
Lawrence Alexander	24	1–7	1–1	0–1	6	1	1	0	1	3
A.J. Jacobson	23	4–14	2–5	4–8	2	0	4	0	0	14
Chris Kading	25	2–8	0–0	1–1	11	0	0	0	0	5
Dexter Werner	28	5–10	0–1	5–6	8	0	1	0	1	15
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Carlin Dupree	20	0–3	0–0	2–2	0	0	2	0	3	2
Evan Wesenberg	14	1–3	0–1	1–2	4	0	0	0	1	3
Jake Showalter	13	4–9	1–3	0–2	0	1	1	0	2	9
Paul Miller	5	0–1	0–0	0–0	1	2	1	0	0	0
Spencer Eliason	13	5–9	0–0	0–0	6	3	1	0	0	10
Trey Miller	10	1–4	0–1	0–0	3	0	2	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		27–77	4–13	15–25	44	13	16	1	8	73

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jordan Johnson	31	6–15	2–7	2–3	3	1	1	0	9	16
Josiah Moore	30	3–10	0–2	1–2	4	4	1	0	1	7
Javon McKay	27	3–7	0–0	0–0	7	1	1	0	3	6
Anthony Morse	10	2–4	0–0	0–0	5	0	0	1	1	4
Dwan Caldwell	17	2–3	0–0	1–4	4	1	0	1		5
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Deondre Haynes	14	1–1	0–0	0–0	2	1	0	0	2	2
Shirmane Thomas	9	1–2	0–0	2–3	2	1	1	0	1	4
Charles Jackson	23	3–8	0–1	6–6	10	1	0	1	0	12
Ryan Martin	23	3–4	0–0	1–2	6	1	0	0	0	7
Savonte Frazier	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Josh Bougher	16	2–3	0–4	2–3	0	0	2	0	1	6
Aleksa Jugovic	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		26–63	2–14	15–23	43	11	6	4	18	69