For Immediate Release
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet (PDF)



NSIC Players of the Week

NSIC North Division Player of the Week
#14 Alison Hughes (G, 5-7, So., Janesville, Wis. / Janesville Craig HS)
Minnesota Crookston
- Scored 22 points on 6-of-8 from the field in UMC’s first win of the season over Bemidji State
- Went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the 80-68 win over the Beavers
- Was a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe against Bemidji State
- Hughes added six rebounds and three assists in the win
- Is averaging 16.9 points per game on the season to lead the Golden Eagles

NSIC South Division Player of the Week
#15 Kacie O’Connor (G, 5-10, Jr.,  Sundance, Wyo. / Sundance HS)
Wayne State
- Scored career-high 24 points in Saturday’s 75-66 win over Augustana
- Was 11-of-12 from the free throw line and 5-of-11 from the field
- Surpassed her previous career-high of 14 points (vs. York College 2014)
- Her 3-of-6 from three-point range was season-best for O’Connor
- Helped hand Augustana its first loss in NSIC play this season
 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 75-66  at WSC	10-3, 5-1 NSIC	L1	3rd Overall, 2nd South
Team Notes
- Augustana went 0-1 last week in the NSIC - The Vikings lost their first conference game of the year to Wayne State - Augustana is now 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the conference - The Vikings and Wildcats split their season series 1-1
Top Performer(s)
- Naomi Rust tied a career-high with 17-points - Logan O’Farrell was the only other Viking to reach double-digit points with 15 - Sydney Rome led the team in steals with two - Logan also led the team in rebounds with eight
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at SMSU - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at USF - 4 p.m.

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 80-68 at UMC	3-6, 0-5 NSIC	L5	14th Overall, 8th North
Team Notes
- The third quarter proved costly as Bemidji State fell to Minnesota Crookston, 80-68 - BSU trailed 35-30 at halftime but faced a 62-42 deficit heading into the fourth quarter - The Beavers shot 38.2 percent from the field during the game and 42.4 percent in the second half - Bemidji State allowed Minnesota Crookston to shoot 25-of-31 and 80.6 percent from the free throw line
Top Performer(s)
- Senior guard Aimee Pelzer scored a career-high 24 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers in the first quarter - Senior guard Tatum Sheley recorded 14 points against UMC and has 917 career points at BSU - Junior center Sierra Senske finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at Upper Iowa – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at Winona State – 4 p.m.

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 68-86 vs MSU	7-4, 3-2 NSIC	L1	7th  Overall, 5th South
Team Notes
- Held a one point lead after the first quarter but struggled shooting the rest of the game - Converted on 14 points off turnovers - Attempted 31 3-pointers for the game - Shot 48.4 percent in the second half
Top Performer(s)
- Lauren Shifflett tallied a game-high 17 points while going 4-12 from 3-point range - Mishayla Jones added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Golden Bears
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at #18 Northern State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at MSU Moorhead – 4 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 86-63	7-7, 2-2 NSIC	W1	12th Overall, 4th North
Team Notes
- Steamrolled Minot State 86-63 in final game before Christmas break - The 86 points is a season-high. Previous best was in 85-75 win over nationally-ranked Cal Baptist - Marauders also posted season-highs in field goal percentage (.660), 3-point field goal percentage (.526) and treys made in a game (10) - Mary held a double-digit lead much of the game and led by at least 20 the rest of the game with 2:25 remaining in the first half - Five Marauders scored in double figures and nine players posted points
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. F Hannah Larson made 7-of-9 shots, scored 16 points, and had five rebounds, four assists and blocked two shots - Fr. G Lauren Rotunda also scored 16 points, making 7-of-10 shots (2-for-3 on treys) - Two other freshmen also scored in double figures in their first collegiate game in their home towns. Cassie Askvig had 15 points (6-of-8 shooting) with five rebounds and four assists.   Gabbie Bohl had 14 points and six rebounds - Sr. G Rachel Weir had a tremendous all-around night, scoring 14 points with six rebounds and three steals. She was 5-of-6 from the field (2-of-3 on treys)
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at Minnesota Duluth - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. -31 at St. Cloud State - 4 p.m.

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 80-68 vs. BSU	1-8, 1-4 NSIC	W1	11th Overall, 6th North
Team Notes
- The Golden Eagles picked up their first win of the season with a 80-68 victory over Bemidji State Thursday - UMC shot 42.1 percent from the field against Bemidji State and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc - The Golden Eagles were 25-of-31 for 80.6 percent from the charity stripe against the Beavers - UMC had seven steals on the game - The Golden Eagles and Beavers were even on the boards 38-38
Top Performer(s)
- Alison Hughes had 22 points on 6-of-8 from the field - Emily Gruber tallied 14 points on 4-of-9 from the field - Kitri Zezza came off the bench for 14 points - Kelsey Stinson came off the bench for 11 points and six boards
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at Winona State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at Upper Iowa - 4 p.m.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 61-55 vs. SCSU	5-4, 4-2 NSIC	W1	10th Overall, 5th North
Team Notes
- UMD took down St. Cloud State 61-55 to split the season series with the Huskies - The Bulldogs’ 4-2 NSIC start is their best since the 2012-13 season - UMD held SCSU to a 31.6 field goal percentage – the lowest of a Bulldog opponent in 2016 - The Bulldogs are now 5-2 in their previous seven games
Top Performer(s)
- Taylor Meyer led UMD with 17 points against SCSU, while adding five rebounds and three assists - Sammy Kozlowski picked up 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists - Allyson Harris scored 10 points, her second highest output of the season
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 vs. U-Mary – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 vs. Minot State – 4 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week – 2-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 86-68 at CSP;  W 82-59 vs. Waldorf	7-2 NSIC, (3-2 NSIC	W3	6th overall, 4th south
Team Notes
- Currently riding a three game win streak - Picked up an 86-68 road win at Concordia-St. Paul - Downed Waldorf, 82-59, in a nonconference contest - Held the edge in rebounds (51-28) and assists (19-12) against CSP - The Maverick bench netted 35 points at Concordia-St. Paul - Scored 31 points off turnovers against Waldorf - Held the edge in rebounds (43-35) and assists (16-9) against Waldorf
Top Performer(s)
- Junior Claire Ziegler posted her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds at CSP - Freshman Rachel Shumski posted a career-best 12 rebounds and added nine points at Concordia-St. Paul - Senior Britney Scherber posted a game-high 20 points and added four steals vs. Waldorf
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at MSU Moorhead – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at Northern State – 4 p.m.

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 69-66 vs.# 18 NSU	9-1, 6-0 NSIC	W9	5th Overall, 2nd NSIC North
Team Notes
- Dragons won their ninth straight game with a 69-66 win over No. 18 Northern State on Saturday - MSUM led by as many as 17 and held off a fourth-quarter rally to earn the win - It is the first time since 2011-12 that MSUM has swept Northern State in the regular-season series - MSUM now alone atop the NSIC standings with a 6-0 record - MSUM’s winning streak is longest since 2008-09 when team started 11-0
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore G Jacky Volkert had 16 points (tying a season-high), five assists and two steals to lead MSUM to 69-66 win over No. 18 Northern State - Freshman F Morgan Ham had a career-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the win - Junior F Drew Sannes added 13 points in the win - Junior G Cassidy Thorson had seven points, eight rebounds and three steals
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 vs. Minnesota State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 vs. Concordia-St. Paul - 4 p.m.

Minot State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 63-86 vs. MARY	2-10, 0-6 NSIC	L6	13th Overall, 7th North
Team Notes
-Dug a big hole early by falling behind 23-8 after the first quarter and couldn't make a comeback, falling 86-63 at home to rival University of Mary -Shot 40 percent in the second quarter and 62.5 percent in the fourth to up poor shooting in the first quarter -Finished with 14 assists on 23 baskets and had four players reach double figures
Top Performer(s)
- Madison Wald hit 5 of 8 3-pointer and 9 of 14 from the field overall to score a career-high 23 points, while adding three assists, a steal and a rebound - Diondra Denton returned from an injury to score 11 points and added two steals in 22 minutes off the bench - Kristal Flowers finished with 10 points and seven rebounds including four offensive rebounds
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at St. Cloud State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at Minnesota Duluth – 6 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 69-66 at MSUM	8-2, 4-2 NSIC	L1	2nd Overall, 1st North
Team Notes
- NSU was taken down by MSU Moorhead in their second match-up of the season - Outscored the Dragons 40-28 in the second half, however were unable gain a lead in the final quarter - As a unit, Northern State shot 50.0 percent from the floor, 18.2 percent from the arc and 88.9 percent from the foul line - The Wolves posted more rebounds, assists and blocks than the Dragons, recording 33, 14 and three respectively
Top Performer(s)
- Miranda Ristau posted 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, shooting 9-of-18 from field goal range and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line - Junior Jill Conrad followed with 18 points and three assists, shooting 63.6 percent from the floor
Up Next
Friday, December 30th vs. Concordia- St. Paul - 6 p.m. Saturday, December 31st vs. Minnesota State – 4 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 63-47 vs SMSU	9-1, 5-1 NSIC	W4	9th Overall, 6th South
Team Notes
- Won fourth straight NSIC game with second-half push to beat Southwest Minnesota State, 63-47 - Outscored SMSU 21-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away and finished with their eighth-straight win against SMSU - USF shot 40.3 percent and held SMSU to 32.6 percent shooting and forcing them into 26 turnovers - The Cougars recorded 19 steals, a program record during their NCAA Division II era
Top Performer(s)
- Alyson Johnsen narrowly missed on a rare double-double, leading the Cougars with 12 points and setting a USF D2 record with nine steals - Sam Knecht had nine points and eight rebounds to go with her four blocks - USF had 15 assists on the night, led by Madi Robson’s six
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at Wayne State – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at Augustana – 4 p.m.

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 63-47 at USF	1-9, 1-5 NSIC	L4	15th Overall, 8th South
Team Notes
-The Mustangs outrebounded Sioux Falls 39-33 and have now outrebounded opponents in five games this year -SMSU shot a season high 81 percent (13-of-16) in loss to USF -Tied for a season high with three blocks at USF - Mustangs shot 33 percent from the field on a combined 15-of-46 field goal attempts -SMSU has reached the free throw line more than every opponent so far this season
Top Performer(s)
- Lauren Hedlund posted her second double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds against USF -Hedlund has notched double-digit scoring efforts in six games so far this year (season high of 27 points) -Taylor Holicky added 14 points and eight rebounds against Sioux Falls
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 at Augustana - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 at Wayne State - 4 p.m.

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week – 0-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 61-55 vs UMD	6-4, 4-2 NSIC	L1	8thOverall, 3rd North
Team Notes
- The Huskies and Bulldogs split their regular season matches with the Huskies winning the first match up and Duluth winning the second - The Huskies’ 55 points was the lowest St. Cloud State has put up all season - Senior Chelsea Nooker became the 29th women’s basketball player at St. Cloud State to break 1,000 career points in the game - The Huskies outshot the Bulldogs from the field 31.8% to 27.8% - Overall the Huskies shot 18-57 (31.6%) from inside, 7-22 (31.8%) from the field, and 12-15 (80%) from the line
Top Performer(s)
- Chelsea Nooker: Nine points, brought career total to 1,004 points, seven rebounds to tie team lead, also led in assists (2) and steals (3) - Betsy MacDonald: 18 points, led team with 33 playing minutes - Amanda Christianson: Scored season high 18 points, shot 7-14 from the inside - Brianna Johnson: Tied Nooker in rebounds with seven
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 vs Minot State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 vs U-Mary - 4 p.m.

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 68-58 vs. WSU	0-10, 0-6 NSIC	L10	16th Overall, 7th South
Team Notes
- Upper Iowa led by a dozen points in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, but Winona State rallied to claim the Northern Sun Conference victory in Fayette after launching a 22-0 run over the final eight minutes of the game - The Peacock defense and offense were both hitting on all strides throughout most of the opening three quarters, but the Warriors took over on both ends in the final quarter to post the 68-58 win - The Warriors blocked 5 Peacock shots and forced 5 turnovers in the quarter forcing the Peacocks into 0-13 shooting during the huge 22-0 run
Top Performer(s)
- Blair Klostermann and Ashley Raytook on the lionshare of the Peacocks' scoring duties with 28 and 14 points, respectively - Haley Martin added 8 points and four other Peacocks notched two points each - Klostermann knocked down 7 three-pointers in 8 attempts, while Ray knocked down 4 of her 5 deep shots and Martin netted a pair in 6 tries - Martin led the Peacocks on the glass with 6 boards, while Karlee Grabau and Sam Ofstad each added 5. Ofstad and Ray each handed out 4 assists
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 vs Bemidji State - 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 vs Minnesota Crookston - 4 p.m.

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week 1-1	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 75-66 AUGIE	8-3, 3-3 South	W3	4th Overall, 3rd South
Top Performer(s)
- Junior guard Kacie O’Connor scored career-high 24 points in 75-66 win over Augustana - Junior forward Maggie Schulte poured in 17 points with 9 rebounds vs. Augustana - Senior guard Haley Moore tied season high with eight points to go with five assists vs. Augustana
Up Next
Friday, December 30 vs. Sioux Falls - 6 p.m. Saturday, December 31 vs. Southwest Minnesota State - 4 p.m.

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 68-58 at UIU	10-2, 5-1 NSIC	W1	1st Overall, 1st South
Team Notes
- The Warriors shot 50% from the field in the first half - Winona State scored 23 points in the first and fourth quarters vs Upper Iowa - WSU scored 23 points off Upper Iowa turnovers - In the paint the Warriors outscored the Peacocks 40-10
Top Performer(s)
- Jenny Tuttle scored 17 points, dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds - Kayla Timmerman was 7-12 from the field and scored 17 points - Hannah McGlone had a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds - Gabie Doud had a career high nine points
Up Next
Friday, Dec. 30 vs Minnesota Crookston – 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 vs Bemidji State – 4 p.m.