Full NSIC All Conference Release
BURNSVILLE, Minn.--The 2014-15 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season awards were announced on Thursday and the No. 5 Minnesota State Moorhead men's basketball team was well represented. After taking home a share of the NSIC Regular Season Championship on Saturday, Thursday was a chance for four Dragon individuals to receive the recognition they deserve. Head Coach Chad Walthall took home the Coach of the Year Honor while his senior leader; point guard Jordan Riewer was named Co-Player of the Year. Junior forward Isaac Sevlie joined Riewer on the All-Conference First Team while sophomore guard Aaron Lien was named to the Second Team.
 
Chad Walthall, Coach of the Year
Walthall has taken the MSUM program to new heights in his fifth season at the helm of the Dragons. The Dragons enter the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament as NSIC regular season Co-Champions with a conference record of 20-2 and an overall record of 29-2. On Wednesday, MSUM defeated Wayne State in the first round on the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament. MSUM has set single season school records for most wins (30) and most conference wins (20) this season.

 

In his fifth season as head coach, Walthall is now 106-43 at MSUM, with a conference record of 73-37 and a winning percentage of 71.1 percent. The only Dragon head coach with a better winning percentage was Marv Skaar, who had a 71.3 percent winning percentage in five seasons between 1967-72.
 
With already two conference titles under his belt, Walthall has vaulted the MSUM program to national recognition, earning 20 wins for the third time in his tenure and ninth time in school history. Walthall trails only Dave Schellhase for most 20-win seasons in school history with four.
 
After the Dragons first round win over Wayne State, the Dragons are now 6-4 in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament under Walthall. In 2011-12, Walthall led the Dragons to a 21-10 record and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1964. Last season, the Dragons went 21-8 and won the NSIC North Division, the first conference title since 1981-82.
 
Walthall earned his 200^th win of his career in a 111-40 win over Presentation on Dec. 2 and his 100^th victory at MSUM in a 76-72 win over Minnesota State Mankato on Jan. 31.
 
In 2014-15, the Dragons rank first in the NSIC in eight different statistically categories and are top-10 in the nation in 12 statistically categories.
 
Jordan Riewer, Co-Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team
 
Riewer has had an incredible senior season for the Dragons. The Staples, Minn. native won the NSIC North Division player of the week honors five times this season, and has reached four milestones cementing his place in Dragon history. Riewer joined the 1,000 point club, became the all-time assist and three-pointers made leader in school history, and broke the single season record for assists.
 

Riewer leads the team in scoring (16.9 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg), assists (5.5 apg), three-point field goal percentage (.522), and free throw percentage (.944). The senior guard is first in the NSIC in free throw percentage (.944), three-point field goals made per game (2.9), and assist to turnover ratio (3.9). Riewer is also second in the NSIC in three-point field goal percentage (.522), third in assists per game (5.5), and sixth in scoring (16.9 ppg).
 
Nationally, Riewer is first in Division-II in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.93), first in free throw percentage (.944), first in three-point field goal percentage (.522), sixth in total three-pointers made (94), and ninth in total assists (177).
 
Here the highlights of Riewer's 2014-15 season:
-Riewer was named the NSIC North Division player of the week on Nov. 24 after taking home the Alaska Invitational Tournament MVP. The Dragons swept West Alabama, Black Hills State, and Alaska Fairbanks Nov. 20-22. Riewer averaged 21.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game in the tournament and scored a then-career high against 26 points against UAF. The point guard did not commit a single turnover in the tournament.
 
-Riewer won his second NSIC North Division player of the week award on Dec. 22. Riewer led the Dragons in scoring in two wins, scoring 26 points in a 106-86 win over Northern State on Dec. 20 and 20 points in an 88-71 win over Jamestown on Dec. 21. Riewer complied 13 assists in the two games while only committing one turnover.
 
-The Dragon point guard surpassed 1,000 points in his career on Jan. 2 in the win over Upper Iowa. Riewer is the 27th player in Dragon history to reach the 1,000-point club and the first since Alex Novak entered the exclusive club in 2013 with 1,219 points. Through Wednesday, Riewer now has 1,291 career points.
 
-The 6-2 guard passed Ralph Western's school record of 339 assists on Jan. 3 in the win over Winona State when he posted eight assists. Riewer has dished out nine assists on three different occasions this season, the most recent time occurring in the win over St. Cloud State on Feb. 14. Riewer now has 425 career assists.
 
-Riewer scored a career-high 37 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the three-point line in a win over Concordia-St. Paul on Jan. 30. Riewer hit seven straight three-pointers in the final 11 minutes of the first half as he bested his previous career high (26) with 28 points in the first half. The nine three-pointers in the game tied a school record for most three-pointers in a single game. Riewer followed up his record-breaking performance with 16 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists the next night in a 76-72 win over Minnesota State Mankato. Riewer was named NSIC North Division player of the week for a third time the following Monday.

 






















-Riewer became the school's record holder for most three-pointers made in the win over Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 13, surpassing Jake Driscoll's mark of 205 in 110 games between 2008 and 2012. Riewer has now made 219 threes in his career. Riewer was named player of the week again on Feb. 16 after averaging 19.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in wins over Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.
 
-The Staples, Minn. native became the school's single season assist leader during the win over Bemidji State on Feb. 20.  Riewer surpassed Darryl Greene's record of 163 assists in 1992-93 with seven assists in the game and now has 176 assists this season. Riewer was honored as NSIC North Division player of the week for a fifth time on Feb. 23 after averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 assists per game in wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.
 
Isaac Sevlie, All-Conference First Team
 

Sevlie was named to the All Conference First Team and is averaging 12.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for MSUM. Sevlie leads the Dragons in blocks with 48 and field goal percentage at .591 (146-of-247).  The junior forward has also shot 80.8 percent (122-of-151) from the free throw line this season. The Red Wing, Minn. native is second in the NSIC in blocks per game at 1.5 and fifth in field goal percentage at .591. Sevlie has scored in double digits in 20 of the Dragons 32 games this season, including 20 or more points in five games since Jan. 3.
 
Sevlie got the year started on the right note in MSUM's first game of the season, as he scored 11 points, had seven rebounds, and blocked five shots in the Dragons 75-66 win over Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 14.  The five blocked shots was a career high for Sevlie and the most by a Dragon since Alex Novak had five vs. Viterbo on Dec. 29, 2012.
 
Sevlie won the NSIC North Division player of the week honor on Jan. 5 after an impressive weekend where he set numerous career highs. The Dragon forward scored 18 points on a then-high seven made field goals in a 106-81 victory over Upper Iowa on Jan. 2. Sevlie then had a then-career high 21 points and eight rebounds in a 71-65 win over Winona State on Jan 3. Sevlie also made a career high 11 free throws in the game.
 
Sevlie played one of his best games as a Dragon on Jan. 17 in a 79-57 win at Southwest Minnesota State. The 6-foot-9 forward set career highs in points and field goals made in the game with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field.
 

Aaron Lien, All-Conference Second Team
 

Sophomore guard Aaron Lien followed up an impressive freshman season with another solid sophomore campaign, this time earning NSIC All-Conference Second Team honors. Lien is averaging 12.1 points (third on team) and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 percent (144-of-281) from the field, 40.9 percent (56-of-137) from the three-point line, and 79.6 percent (43-of-54) from the free throw line.
 
Lien's best game of the season came on Nov. 15, the Dragons' second game of the season as Lien led MSUM past Fort Hays State 83-71. The hot-shooting lefty scored a career high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 shooting from the three-point line in the game.
 
The hometown Dragon from Moorhead, Minn. came up big in one of MSUM's most crucial victories of the season, as he scored 19 points in a 76-72 win over Minnesota State Mankato on Jan. 31. Lien hit a jumper from just outside the left elbow with 1:16 left in the game to give the Dragons the lead for good at 73-70.