NSIC Player of the Week
#50 Christina Boag
F, 6-2, Jr.,
Tamworth, Australia
Abbotsleigh HS
Minot State
Boag averaged 24.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to help Minot State to a pair of NSIC North Division wins. She scored a career high 29 points in a 94-84 win over Bemidji State Saturday and finished with a double-double (19 points-10 rebounds) Friday in a 72-64 win over Minnesota Crookston. On the weekend, Boag was 17 for 28 (60.7%) from the floor, swiped seven steals and dished out six assists. Minot State University gained a game on NSIC North Division leader Northern State and remained in second place in the North Division with a pair of conference wins.
2013-14 NSIC Women’s Basketball Notes
AUGUSTANA - #3 Shaunteva Ashley (G, 5-8, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D. / Roosevelt HS) displayed quite the all-around game for the Vikings this past weekend, helping guide them to a 1-1 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. On Friday, the Sioux Falls, S.D. native did a little bit of everything for Augustana in a loss to rival Sioux Falls. Ashley scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and handed out seven assists in the 84-72 loss. Ashley turned in what may have been her best performance this year on Saturday against Southwest Minnesota State. The junior poured in a career-high 27 points and an efficient 11-of-18 shooting, which included going 2 of 5 from behind the arc. Ashley also recorded five rebounds, five assists, and three steals, and 0 turnovers in 32 minutes of action in the Vikings’ 96-68 win over the Mustangs. For the Weekend, Ashley averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and an impressive 51.4 percent field goal percentage (18 of 35).
BEMIDJI STATE - #42 Kate Warmack (C, 6-2, Sr., East Grand Forks, Minn. / East Grand Forks HS) averaged 21 points, nine rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, while shooting 60.9 percent in a pair of NSIC road losses Jan. 24-25. She went 14-of-16 (87.5%) from the free throw line. In the loss to U-Mary Friday, Warmack totaled 21 points and 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. It was her sixth game with 20 or more points this season and 10th time she recorded 10 or more rebounds. She added five blocks for her second game this season with five or more swats. Saturday she shot 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from the field and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line to total 21 points. She added six rebounds with two assists and two blocks.
The Beavers fell to 8-10 overall and 4-10 in NSIC play Jan. 24-25 when they went 0-2 on an NSIC road trip at U-Mary (89-83 2OT) and Minot State (94-84). Senior Kate Warmack totaled 42 points on the weekend and now sits just two points shy of becoming the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She recorded 18 rebounds in the two games to move into 10th all-time at Bemidji State in career rebounds (622). In the NSIC in 2013-14, Warmack ranks third in blocks (1.8 bpg), third in rebounding (10.1 rpg), fourth in field goal percentage (55%) and sixth in scoring (16.9 ppg). BSU concludes a four-game road trip Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The Beavers are 32-38 all-time against the Mustangs and 2-1 in the last three meetings, which includes a 57-52 home victory last season. BSU and USF have met just twice with each team picking up a victory. Before last season’s 82-70 overtime home loss, the Beavers won 81-79 in a Jan. 5, 1986 meeting in Sioux Falls, S.D.
CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL -Rachel Hansen (G, 6’0”, Sr., Eagan, Minn. / Minnehaha Academy) helped lead the Golden Bears to a sweep over Upper Iowa and Winona State by averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists in the two wins. She got to the line frequently and delivered on 14 of her 17 attempts from the stripe, including several late in each game to ice the wins. As the primary ballhandler, Hansen took care of the ball and didn’t commit a turnover all weekend. On Friday, Hansen finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists while playing turnover free in 40 minutes. She made 9-of-11 at the stripe.
Concordia-St. Paul (15-6, 10-4 NSIC) extended their winning streak to four this weekend with a road sweep of Upper Iowa and Winona State. The Golden Bears built a comfortable 18 point lead against the Peacocks, but UIU came back to tie the game with 6:55 to go in the game. Upper Iowa kept it close but was never able to pull ahead as CU won 71-65. On Saturday, the Golden Bears fell behind by double digits early in the second half but were able to overcome the deficit in the game’s final minutes to steal a 65-57 win on the road. The Golden Bears’ hot shooting and advantage on the glass in the second half helped Concordia erase a five point deficit at the break and come out with their 10th conference win.
UNIVERSITY OF MARY - #42 Brittney Dietz (5-10, F, So., Beach, N.D. / Beach HS) was at her best this past weekend averaging 24 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4 assists as the University of Mary extended its winning streak to six with a weekend sweep. Dietz started the weekend with a career-high 30 points in a double overtime victory against Bemidji State on Friday. With the Marauders down two at the end of the first overtime, Dietz rebounded a Beavers missed free throw, went coast-to-coast and was able to draw a foul with 1 second remaining. Dietz hit both of her free throws, which forced the game into a second overtime. In addition to making the two biggest free throws of the night, Dietz finished the overtime periods going a total of 10-of-11 from the line. With the 30-point outburst, Dietz becomes just the third Marauders player to reach that mark since they joined the NSIC in 2006-07, and the last time a player has done it since Nicci Landdeck scored 33 at Northern State on Jan. 19, 2008. Playing 47 minutes the night before, Dietz followed up her performance on Friday by leading U-Mary with 18 points on Saturday in a win over Minnesota Crookston. In 37 minutes of play Dietz was 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
The University of Mary made things interesting this past weekend, but in the end was able to come away with a weekend sweep of Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. It took double overtime against Bemidji St. for U-Mary to come away with an 89-83 win. It took a steal at the end of regulation to force overtime for the Marauders to not repeat history. Losing on a buzzer beater at home last year against the Beavers, Murray’s steal ensured a different outcome. Dietz took it from there as she went 10-of-11 from the free throw line including two at the end of the first overtime to keep the game going. After a slow first half on Friday, U-Mary won the game in the second half due largely to a 23-of-33 performance from free throw line in the second half alone. Outscored by five in the first half, U-Mary made just six field goals in the second half, but came away with a 76-68 victory. Dietz led the Marauders with 18 points and #13 Lindsey Sand (5-8, G., Steele, N.D. / Kidder County HS) was next up with 13. Sand scored 11 of her 13 point in the second half alone as she went 11-of-14 from the free throw line. #34 Linda Murray (6-2, F, Sr., Fresno, Calif. / Edison HS / Merced CC) was a force inside for the Marauders all weekend scoring 23 points and grabbing 28 rebounds in U-Mary’s two games.
MINNESOTA CROOKSTON - Katrina Moenkedick (So., F, Perham, Minn.) averaged a double-double on the weekend of 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Golden Eagles fell to Minot State University and University of Mary. The Golden Eagles gave both teams a run for their money as they fell 72-64 to Minot State and 76-68 to U-Mary in a pair of NSIC road games. Moenkedick was 16-of-36 for the weekend for 44.4 percent. In addition, she was perfect from the foul line going 6-of-6. Moenkedick was 8-of-18 with 20 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double against Minot State Friday. She was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Against U-Mary, she went 8-of-18 and had 18 points and seven boards and was 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
MINNESOTA DULUTH - UMD returned to its home court and found itself frustrated by a pair of NSIC North foes in MSU-Moorhead and No. 22 Northern State. The Dragons knocked off the Bulldogs 75-70 on Friday night before the top-rated Wolves slipped by UMD, 70-59 on Saturday afternoon. Offensively, junior guard Danielle Flood posted a pair of great games, leading the Bulldogs with 17.0 points per night including a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe for the weekend. Senior center Hannah Rutten shot the lights out when she touched the ball, 57.8 percent for the weekend for 14.0 points per game while hauling in 17 rebounds. It does not get any easier this weekend as the Bulldogs continue their homestand against top-ranked Wayne State and Augustana.
MINNESOTA STATE - No. 25 Minnesota State got back on track with a pair of road wins this past weekend as it downed Winona State 77-53 and earned an 87-61 victory over Upper Iowa, Saturday. The Mavericks raced out to a quick 18-1 lead against the Peacocks, fueled by senior Ali Wilkinson who scored 12 of MSU’s first 18 points. With the wins, the Mavericks improved to 13-5 overall with a mark of 10-4 in NSIC action.
Senior Ali Wilkinson led the way for the Mavericks, scoring 14 points and hauling in four rebounds against Winona State and had a herculean effort against Upper Iowa with 27 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. On the weekend Wilkinson averaged 20.5 points and seven rebounds, while connecting on 75% (15-20) of her shots from the field, 75% (3-4) of her shots from behind the arc and 89% (8-9) from the charity stripe. On the season the 6-0 forward average 19.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
MSU MOORHEAD - Morgan Zabel (F, 5-10, Sr., Northfield, Minn. / Northfield HS) averaged 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the week in helping the Dragon women to a split on the road. Zabel scored a career-high 28 points in MSUM’s 75-70 win over Minnesota Duluth on Friday. She also added six rebounds, two assists and a steal. A night later, Zabel had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in a loss at St. Cloud state. For the week, Zabel shot 56.7 percent (17-of-30) from the field and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Additional note:Senior forward Megan Strese averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as the Dragon women split on the road. Strese had 21 points and 13 rebounds – her fourth double-double of 2013-14 – in a loss to St. Cloud State on Saturday.
MINOT STATE - #50 Christina Boag (F, 6-2, Jr., Tamworth, Australia / Abbotsleigh) averaged 24.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to help Minot State to a pair of NSIC North Division wins this weekend. She scored a career high 29 points in a 94-84 win over Bemidji State Saturday and finished with a double-double (19 points-10 rebounds) Friday in a 72-64 win over Minnesota Crookston. On the weekend, Boag was 17 for 28 (60.7%) from the floor, swiped seven steals and dished out six assists. Minot State University gained a game on NSIC North Division leader Northern State and remained in second place in the North with a pair of conference wins, outlasting Minnesota Crookston 72-64 Friday and outscoring Bemidji State 94-84 Saturday. MISU used a steady diet of twin Australian post players #50 Christina Boag (F, 6-2, Jr., Tamworth, Australia / Abbotsleigh) and #40 Carly Boag (F, 6-2, Sr., Tamworth, Australia / Abbotsleigh) to get the wins. The duo combined for 93 points, 39 rebounds, 14 steals, 12 assists and four blocks in two games. Christina Boag averaged 24 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Carly averaged 22.5 points and 11 rebounds. #22 Katie Hardy (F, 6-0, Jr., Fairview, N.D. / Fairview) also continued to play a steady role for MISU as s he scored 23 points and pulled down 15 rebounds combined on the weekend. She has scored in double figures in 13 of her last 15 games. The Beavers head out on the road for a key North / South crossover, taking on Concordia St. Paul Friday and Minnesota State Saturday.
NORTHERN STATE - Last week marked the first national ranking for Northern State since 2009, as they ended up 22nd on the national poll. The Wolves came out of the weekend 1-1 against the Huskies of St. Cloud State and Bulldogs on Minnesota Duluth. SCSU snapped Northern’s nine game win streak Friday night with a 64-61 victory. NSU was able to bounce back in night two with a 70-59 win over UMD on the road. The Wolves who are now 11-3 in the NSIC and 15-3 overall, sit atop the north division standings and second in the league overall. Northern will now return home next weekend as they take on Winona State and Upper Iowa from Wachs Arena.
#32 Alison Kusler averaged 24 points for the Wolves on the weekend in their games with St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth. Kusler notched a season high seven assists in the win over the Bulldogs. Against the Huskies, Alison kept the Wolves hopes alive for a win connecting four five three point baskets in the match-up. She was also 16-17 from the free-throw line in the two games, while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor. Alison added four steals and nine rebounds to her totals of the weekend.
SIOUX FALLS - For the first time since joining the NCAA and NSIC, the University of Sioux Falls defeated Augustana 84-72 at the Elmen Center on Friday night. USF relied on a team effort as five Cougar players scored in double-digits in the victory. The Cougars last defeated the Vikings on November 15, 2011 during USF’s transitional year into the NCAA. The difference in the game came from behind the arc as USF was 14-of-30 on three-point shots (46.7%) while Augustana shot 21.9% from downtown. The Cougars built their lead up to 20 points in the first half when Marie Malloy hit a shot from behind the arc. However, the Vikings fought back, cutting the Cougars lead down to 11 points at the break. The Vikings cut the lead down to three-points with just under 15 minutes left to play in the second half, but that was as close as they would get as they Cougars kept the Vikings at bay with 48.1% field goal shooting in the second half. The following night, the Cougars traveled to Wayne, Neb. to take on the No 12 team in the country in Wayne State. At one point in the first half, the Cougars had a nine-point lead thanks to a Taylor Varsho three-point shot. However, a Wildcat run towards the end of the half sent the Cougars into the locker room trailing 32-31. In the second half, the Wildcats were able to get to the charity stripe 20 times while the Cougars only shot five free throws. The Cougars could not quite close the gap in the home stretch as WSC went 8-for-8 in the final two minutes of the game from the free-throw line. The Cougars fell by a final score of 71-61. USF’s Sam Knecht (F, 6-1, Fr., Faulkton, S.D./Aberdeen Central HS) came up big for USF as she averaged 9.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals. In the Cougars victory over Augustana, the freshman forward grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds 13 of which came in the first half. The 17 rebounds is the third highest by any NSIC player and the highest by a freshman player this season. She is also is 11th in the conference in rebounds per game this season and 7th in offensive rebounds.
SMSU - Alison Nagel (6-3, F, Sr., Fort Dodge, Iowa / St. Edmond) averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds this weekend in Southwest Minnesota State’s losses to Wayne State and Augustana. Nagel finished the weekend scoring 31 points on 12 of 21 shooting (57.1%) and hitting 7 of 9 free throws. Nagel scored her fourth 20-point game of the season in SMSU’s 67-58 loss to Wayne State as she poured in 21 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the field. SMSU (3-15, 1-13 NSIC) will return home this weekend looking to end its three game losing streak versus a couple of NSIC north teams -- Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.
ST. CLOUD STATE - The St. Cloud State University women’s basketball team hosted #22 Northern State University on Friday, Jan. 24 in Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies topped the Wolves of Northern State 64-61 in final scoring, putting an end to their nine game winning streak. Senior point guard Rachael Moen (Savage) led the Huskies with 16 points. Moen knocked down a career-high five three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds, four steals and dished out five assists. The Huskies hosted Minnesota State University Moorhead on Saturday evening in Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies topped the Dragons of MSU Moorhead 93-72 in final scoring to earn a weekend sweep. With the win the Huskies improve to 12-6 overall and 8-6 in the NSIC. St. Cloud State is now 9-1 on their home court this season. Rachael Moen led the way again on Saturday with a career-high 23 points on nine of 12 shooting. Moen dished out a team-high five assists and knocked down four of five shots from three-point range. On the weekend, Moen went 14 of 22 from the field (64%), she knocked down nine of 14 shots from beyond the arc (64%), dished out 10 assists and grabbed five steals to secure two huge wins for the Huskies. The Huskies will return to action next weekend as they host another pair of NSIC games on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. St. Cloud State will take on #12 Wayne State College on Friday and match-up against Augustana College on Saturday.
UPPER IOWA - The Peacocks dropped a pair of home games this weekend against Concordia-St. Paul () and #25 Minnesota State. Upper Iowa gave the Golden Bears all they could handle after trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half. The Peacocks tied the game on Friday night with just under seven minutes to play, but Concordia outscored their hosts 6-0 over the final 1:23 to break the final tie and post the 71-65 win. On Saturday, the nationally-ranked Mavericks jumped out to an 18-0 lead and pushed it to 27-1 en route to a 87-61 victory. Lauren Buck led the Peacocks with 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Carly Pagel added 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest. Sam Thrapp paced the offense from the point position with 11 points and 3.5 assists per game. Upper Iowa will be on the road this weekend with games at MSU Moorhead and Northern State on Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1. The pair of games are the first of four straight on the road for Upper Iowa.
WAYNE STATE - Jordan Spencer, a 5-11 junior forward from Millard West HS, averaged 20.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in helping the #12 Wildcats sweep NSIC home games over the weekend against Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. Spencer accounted for 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a 67-58 win over SMSU on Friday and followed that with 22 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s 71-61 win over USF. Spencer has now scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games this season with eight contests of 20 or more points. For the weekend, Spencer was 13 of 30 from the field (43.3%) and 15 for 21 (71.4%) at the free throw stripe.
WINONA STATE - Abby Busch, F, Sr., 5-10, Fairfax, Minn. (G-F-W) put together a strong weekend for Winona State, averaging 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Warriors against Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. Busch began the weekend by scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds against MSU. She followed with 15 points and five boards against the Golden Bears. The senior shot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the floor on the weekend while also converting on a pair of 3-point attempts. She also passed out three assists and made one steal. Busch also became just the 13th player in Winona State history to grab 500 rebounds in their career.
Past NSIC Players of the Week
11/11/13 - Jordan Spencer - WSC
11/18/13 - Carly Boag - MISU
11/25/13 - Hannah Rutten - UMD
12/2/13 - Jordan Spencer - WSC (2)
12/9/13 - Hannah Rutten - UMD (2)
12/16/13 - Anika Whiting - CU
12/23/13 - Kate Warmack - BSU
1/6/14 - Katrina Moenkedick - UMC
1/13/14 - Sadie Stotesbery - NSU
1/20/14 - Anika Whiting - CU (2)