NSIC Player of the Week
#52 Sadie Stotesbery
C, 6-2, Jr.,
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Washington HS
Northern State
Stotesbery average 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and one block this past weekend as the Wolves knocked off No. 17 Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. Stotesbery scored a season high 18 points and notched her first double-double of the season racking up 13 rebounds in a 61-59 win over Concordia-St. Paul. In Friday night’s 79-63 win over MSU, she scored 14 points after shooting 62.5 percent from the floor, while going a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line.
2013-14 NSIC Women’s Basketball Notes
AUGUSTANA - #3 Shaunteva Ashley (G, 5-8, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D. / Roosevelt HS) played a key role in Augustana going 2-0 this past weekend in Northern Sun Intercollegiate play. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native scored 22 points and dished out five assists in a 99-82 win over Bemidji State in Sioux Falls on Friday night. Ashley topped that performance by scoring a career-high 25 points on Saturday on 7-of-11 shooting – including going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc - and recording four assists and four rebounds in a 94-83 win against Minnesota, Crookston. For the weekend, the junior averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 55.5 percent shooting.
#20 Rhianna Gullickson (F, 6-0, Jr., Alexandria, S.D. / Hanson HS) was part of a Viking offense that exploded this past weekend in two wins for Augustana. Gullickson had 19 points and five rebounds in the victory over the Beavers on Friday. On Saturday, The former Hanson High School standout poured in 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the win against the Golden Eagles. Gullickson finished the weekend with averages of 20.5 points, 6 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and a blistering 75 percent shooting percentage (18 of 24).
The Vikings turned in two powerhouse offensive performances this past weekend on the way to going 2-0 in NSIC play. Augustana had its second-best scoring output of the season on Friday night against Bemidji State, putting up 99 points on the scoreboard in the victory over the Beavers. The Vikings were led by the trio of Shaunteva Ashley, Riley Nordgaard, and Rhianna Gullickson – who combined for 63 points on 23-of-38 shooting. Augustana got the offense rolling again on Saturday, winning 94-83 against UMC. Ashley scored a career-high 25 points and handed out four assists, While Gullickson put in 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Emily Schulte chipped in 16 points and tallied five assists, and Riley Nordgaard recorded a career-high 14 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.
BEMIDJI STATE - #42 Kate Warmack (C, 6-2, Sr., East Grand Forks, Minn. / East Grand Forks HS) averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the field Jan. 10-11 in a pair of BSU road loss at nationally recognized opponents. She was 7-for-8 (87.5%) from the free throw line and added two blocks in 58 minutes of play. In a loss to Augustana (receiving votes nationally) Friday, Warmack totaled 23 points and nine rebounds on 64.3 percent shooting. Saturday at No. 11 Wayne State she posted 18 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and added eight rebounds and two blocks.
BSU team suffered a 99-82 loss at Augustana and an 87-41 setback at No. 11 Wayne State, Jan. 10-11, to drop to 7-7 overall and 3-7 in NSIC play. The Beavers look to protect their 5-2 home record Jan. 17-18 when MSU Moorhead and Northern State visit BSU Gymnasium. Earlier this season, BSU went on the road and lost to both MSUM (39-58 all-time) and NSU (10-48 all-time). Saturday’s game against Northern State marks BSU head coach Mike Curfman’s 400th career game as a collegiate head coach. In his 15th season as head coach, Curfman has spent the last nine at BSU before serving as bench boss at Minnesota Crookston for six seasons (1999-05).
CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - Anika Whiting (F, 6’2”, Jr., Ashland, Wis. / HS) averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds this weekend while shooting 10-22 (45.5%) from the floor and 11-13 (84.6%) from the free throw line. Whiting also blocked three shots and picked up a pair of assists in the Golden Bears two games against MSU Moorhead and Northern State.
Concordia (11-6, 6-4 NSIC) took a pair of road losses this weekend to MSU Moorhead and Northern State. On Friday, the Golden Bears came back from a 22 point deficit to take a 53-52 lead with just under nine minutes to play before MSU Moorhead regained control and held on to defeat Concordia 81-68 on Friday night at Alex Nemzek Hall. The difference came at the foul line, where MSUM made 84.2% of its 38 attempts while Concordia made 77.8% of its 18 attempts. The Dragons outscored Concordia 32-14 at the stripe en route to the win, being called for 11 fewer fouls. On Saturday, CU dropped a nailbiting game 61-59 at Northern State as their comeback attempt came up short for the second night in a row. The Golden Bears trailed by as many as nine in the first half at 16-7 and again at 27-18 but were able to claw their way back and take the lead in the second half but it wouldn’t be enough as the Wolves regained control and held off another comeback attempt in the closing seconds.
UNIVERSITY OF MARY - Riding a four-game losing streak heading into the weekend, the University of Mary women’s basketball team was in dire need of a pair of wins this weekend and they did just that with a weekend sweep of Winona State and Upper Iowa. U-Mary made things interesting both nights needing overtime on Friday and escaping with a four point win on Saturday.
Against Winona State to open the weekend, it was seniors Lindsey Sand (G, 5-8, Sr., Steele, N.D. / Kidder County HS) and McKenzie Foster (G, 5-10, Sr., Big Timber, Mont., Sweet Grass County HS) who lead U-Mary to victory down the stretch. Foster forced overtime with a three at the end of regulation to tie things up at 54-54 and opened the bonus frame with a three as well. Foster finished with a game-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. Sand struggled from the field on the night, but came up big down the stretch going 4-of-4 from the line in the final minute of the game. Sand gave U-Mary a four-point lead with 17 second remaining after hitting a pair of free throws. The Warriors answered with a three to bring the game within one, but again Sand stepped up to the line and knocked down a pair of free throw. WSU had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but U-Mary held on for a 65-62 overtime victory.
With a chance to even its Northern Sun record at 5-5 against Upper Iowa on Saturday, U-Mary was up to the task as a trio of Marauders scored in double figures to lead U-Mary to victory. Sand paced the Marauders offense with 15 points. Sand did the majority of her work at the line connecting on eight of 10 attempts. Scoring the first basket of the night, Brittney Dietz (F, 5-10, So., Beach, N.D. / Beach HS) controlled the tempo of the first half scoring 11 of her 13 points in the opening act. The Marauders would enter the half with a 34-29 lead. In the second half it was U-Mary’s seniors that took control as Sand and Linda Murray (F, 6-2, Sr., Fresno, Calif. / Edison HS / Merced CC) each scored nine points. With the Marauders leading by a least two-possessions nearly the entire game, the Peacocks made things interesting with six second to go as a three by pulled UIU it within a basket. However, Sand connected on one of two free throws to give U-Mary a four-point lead and seal a 64-60 win.
MINNESOTA CROOKSTON - Katrina Moenkedick (So., F, Perham, Minn.) averaged 19 points and seven rebounds as the Golden Eagles battled hard against a pair of opponents in No. 11 Wayne State College (Neb.) and Augustana College (S.D.). Moenkedick had 22 points and seven rebounds in a 67-56 loss Friday to Wayne State. Moenkedick was 9-of-21 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line against the Wildcats.
Saturday, Moenkedick had 16 points and seven rebounds in a 94-83 loss to Augustana College. Moenkedick was 8-of-18 from the field on Saturday.
Minnesota Crookston will return home to face Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Golden Eagles played it to the final buzzer against the Wolves in Aberdeen, S.D., losing 74-71. They struggled overall against the Dragons in a 77-60 loss in Moorhead.
Minnesota Crookston has come into 2014 playing good basketball, sweeping Upper Iowa University and Winona State University Jan. 3 and 4 and playing Augustana and Wayne State close on the road. They will look to continue a solid start to the calendar year against the Wolves and Dragons.
MINNESOTA DULUTH - The Newman sisters each took a turn leading Minnesota Duluth on the offensive end as the Bulldogs earned a weekend conference sweep over Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. In Friday’s 69-59 win over USF, senior forward Katrina Newman tossed in 20 second-half points to finish with 27 on the night. When her older sister’s game quieted during Saturday’s 64-60 win over Southwest Minnesota State, junior guard Jessica Newman took control, leading all scorers with 17 points on the night. Senior center Hannah Rutten led the Bulldogs on the offensive end, hauling in 11 defensive rebounds on the weekend (22 total), while adding four steals and one block.
While the Newman sisters grabbed the headlines, junior guard Danielle Flood quietly led the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 15.5 points including 16-of-18 free throws. She added six rebounds, six assists (1.5 assist-turnover ratio), one block, and a steal on the weekend.
MINNESOTA STATE - The Mavericks took to the road for a pair of road games with north division foes, the Mavericks were unable to solve Northern State, falling 79-63 and were led by Ali Wilkinson who netted 12 points and 11 rebounds. Saturday Minnesota State rebounded with an 85-57 win over MSU-Moorhead to improve to 10-4 overall with a mark of 7-3 in league action. The Mavericks return to action as they host Augustana and Wayne State this coming weekend, looking to improve their program-best 23 game winning streak.
Senior Ali Wilkinson (Blue Mounds, Wis.) led the Mavericks once again, as she averaged 12.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. Wilkinson connected 44% of her shots from the field and 33% from the charity stripe. The 6-0 forward began the weekend with a 12 point, 11 rebound game against Northern State, notching her 30th career double-double and followed it up with a 13 point 11 rebound performance against MSU-Moorhead, earning her 31st career double-double.
MSU MOORHEAD - Haley Thomforde (G, 5-8, Sr., Apple Valley, Minn. / Eastview HS) averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists for MSUM, which went 1-1 on the week. She scored a career-high 26 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the Dragons’ 81-68 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Friday night. She was a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range and also was 9-of-12 from the line. Thomforde also had eight rebounds and three assists.
Senior Megan Strese reached a career milestone during MSUM’s home loss to Minnesota State, Mankato on Saturday. Strese became the 20th player in MSUM school history to surpass 1,000 career points when she hit a field goal just two minutes into Saturday’s game. For the week, Strese averaged a double-double at 11.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. She set a career-high with 18 rebounds in the win over Concordia.
MINOT STATE - #50 Christina Boag (F, 6-2, Jr., Tamworth, Australia / Abbotsleigh) helped push Minot State to its first road sweep in conference play as she averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in wins over Upper Iowa and Winona State. Boag scored a game-high 23 points and finished with seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks against the Peacocks. She amassed four assists, four blocks and a steal to go along with her points and rebounds on the weekend.
Minot State earned its first weekend road sweep of the year to keep pace in the NSIC North Division, topping Upper Iowa 77-67 Friday and Winona State 60-59 Saturday. #22 Katie Hardy (F, 6-0, Jr., Fairview, N.D. / Fairview) hit a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining to complete a second-half comeback in which the Beavers trailed by as many as 11 points. MISU sits in second place in the NSIC North with a 7-3 record. #50 Christina Boag (F, 6-2, Jr., Tamworth, Australia / Abbotsleigh) turned in a solid weekend with a game-high 23 points against UIU and averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds on the weekend. Starting point guard #24 Alisha Jones (G, 5-7, Sr., Killeen, Texas / Ellison / Temple Junior College) reached double figures twice and dished out 12 assists to go along with 25 total points, hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers, keeping her season average above 50 percent on triples. MISU plays host to Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State in a key NSIC North battle this weekend.
NORTHERN STATE - Northern State University boosted their win streak to seven this last weekend with victories over Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. The Wolves led a majority of the game in each match-up over the weekend scoring a season high 50 points in the second half against the Mavericks. Alison Kusler nearly matched her career points record scoring 28 in the game, while three other players were also in double-digit points. The team also shot a season high 34 points from the free-throw line. The Wolves continued to stay hot against the Golden Bears with four players in double-digit points and junior Sadie Stotesbery with a season high of 18. Northern will now play two weekends of conference play on the road beginning at Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. NSU came out on top in each of the earlier contests this season.
#52 Sadie Stotesbery (C, 6-2, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Washington HS) scored a season high 18 points this past weekend in Northern’s 61-59 win over Concordia-St. Paul. Stotesbery also notched her first double-double of the season racking up 13 rebounds in the game. The previous night she shot 62.5 percent from the floor, while going a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. In the two games Stotesbery average 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and one block.
SIOUX FALLS - After failing to notch their first victory of 2014, the Cougars split games this weekend falling to Minnesota Duluth 69-59 and defeating St. Cloud State 92-79. The difference in the two games came from behind the arc as USF shot 30% from three-point land in the loss to UMD and shot 51.7% in the victory of SCSU. In the loss to Duluth, USF took a two-point lead into the locker room, but the Bulldogs made the lead disappear as they went on a 12-3 run to open the half. Minnesota Duluth looked as though they had put the game away with 4:55 left when Katrina Newman made a pair of free-throws to give UMD an 11 point lead. However, the Cougars cut the Bulldogs lead down to four points over the next two and a half minutes. Duluth put the game out of reach by converting at the stripe as they went 7-of-11 from the charity stipe in the final minutes of the game. The Cougars improved their play on Saturday against St. Cloud State as they used a 29-7 run to take control of the game in the first half when Bailey Bouman and Jaicee Ulmer hit three-straight three-point shots for USF. The Cougars lead was cut down to eight points, but a Jaicee Ulmer jump shot took USF into the half with a ten point lead. The Cougars then extended their lead in the second half to sixteen points when Jaicee Ulmer hit a three-point shot with just over 15 minutes left. The Huskies closed the gap down to seven points against the Cougars with just over two minutes left, but it was too little too late as USF went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the last 1:30 of the game. USF came away from the game with a 92-79 victory, coming away with their first victory in their last four attempts. The Cougars had five players in double-digits in the victory and were led by Laura Johnson who dropped 20 points of her own. For the weekend, Laura Johnson (F, 6-0, Sr., Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls HS) averaged 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. Johnson also shot 41.6% from three-point land in the two games and 87.5% from the charity stripe. The Cougars will return to the Stewart Center this weekend as they host Upper Iowa and Winona State. USF will look to improve after losing to both teams earlier this season by a combined six points. In the two losses, the Cougars struggled mightily shooting the ball as they shot 40% from the field and 22.6% from behind the arc.
SMSU - Ellen Degler (F, 6-0, Sr., Chanhassen, Minn. / Chaska) averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as the junior forward led Southwest Minnesota State in close road losses to St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth over the weekend. Degler combined to score 29 points on 12 of 17 shootings and grabbed 15 rebounds, while picking up two assists and a steal. Degler shot 70.6 percent from the floor in 43 total minutes and hit on all five of her free throw attempts. In Friday’s loss to St. Cloud State, Degler finished with 16 points and seven boards on 8 of 11 shooting. On Saturday, Degler was one of four Mustangs that scored double-digits as she led with her 13 points and eight rebounds. In NSIC games this season, Degler is shooting 58.3 percent and averaging 7.3 points per game – she led the NSIC in shooting percentage last season at a clip of 60.2 percent.
ST. CLOUD STATE - The St. Cloud State University women’s basketball team took the court at Halenbeck Hall against Southwest Minnesota State Friday evening. It was a battle to the final buzzer consisting of 10 tied scores and 15 lead changes. St. Cloud State took the final lead with just under two minutes to play. The Huskies pulled off a 65-62 win over the Mustangs to extend their winning streak at Halenbeck Hall to seven straight.
Jessica Benson led all players with 18 points on the night. Benson went six for 11 from the field and five of five from behind the line. She finished with a team-high seven rebounds. Sam Price connected on eight of eight shots from the free throw line to finish with 14 points. St. Cloud State took on the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday evening. The Huskies couldn’t seem to stop the offensive force put on by the Cougars. The Huskies fell to the Cougars 79-92. Jessica Benson (Grand Meadow) led all players as she finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. This marked Benson’s ninth double-double of the season. Sam Price (Eau Claire, Wis.) finished with 24 points, draining five shots from beyond the arc. Price dished out four assists and grabbed four steals. St. Cloud State dropped to 9-5 overall and 5-5 in the NSIC. Saturday’s loss snapped the Huskies seven-game winning streak at Halenbeck Hall.
UPPER IOWA - The Peacocks lost a pair of NSIC cross-division affairs at home this past weekend. UIU matched up well with Minot State on Friday, but a late run allowed the Beavers to pull away, 77-67. The Peacocks then challenged U-Mary, but came up on the short end of a 64-60 decision. Whitney Kieffer led the team in scoring with 17 points per game and was joined by Sam Thrapp (13.5) and Lauren Buck (13) in double figures. Buck added 8 rebounds per game, while Thrapp dished out 16 assists including 12 on Friday night. The Peacock point guard earned her first double-double with 14 points and 12 assists versus the Beavers. Upper Iowa will be on the road this weekend with games against Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. The Peacocks will look to snap their current five-game losing streak against the Cougars and Mustangs, two teams that represent the last wins for UIU. In Fayette, UIU defeated SMSU 68-60 and USF 78-75 on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14.
WAYNE STATE - A plethora of players helped the #11 Wildcats to a weekend home sweep with wins over Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. Four player averaged double digits over the weekend as the 16-1 Wildcats maintained a hold of first place in the NSIC with a 9-1 league mark. Friday night, juniors Jordan Spencer and Ashton Yossi combined for 43 points as WSC recorded a sluggish 67-56 win over Minnesota Crookston. Spencer had 22 points and 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year while Yossi added 21 points and four assists.
Saturday, WSC raced out to a 40-13 halftime lead and the Wildcat bench scored 56 points that included a career-high 24 from junior forward Jaylan Spencer as Wayne State cruised past Bemidji State 87-41.
For the weekend, Jaylan Spencer led the Wildcats in scoring at 15.0 points a game followed by older sister Jordan Spencer with 14 points and 8.0 rebounds a contest. Sophomore guard Addy Roller (12.0) and junior guard Ashton Yossi (11.5) also averaged double digits over the weekend for the Wildcats.
WINONA STATE - Connor Nagle, G, So., 5-6, Preston, Minn. (Fillmore Central) put on a shooting clinic for Winona State, averaging 21.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in games against U-Mary and Minot State. Nagle was outstanding against Minot State, connecting on seven shots from behind the 3-point line on the way to a career-high 27 points. She had set career-bests the previous night against U-Mary, scoring 16 points in the game on the strength of four triples, while grabbing eight rebounds and handing out five assists. The sophomore hit 11 shots from behind the 3-point line on the weekend, shooting them at a 50 percent clip. Starting at point guard for the first time in her career, Nagle had five assists against U-Mary and three against Minot State while also recording four steals on the weekend.
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)
12/19/13 - Anika Whiting - CU
12/23/13 - Kate Warmack - BSU
1/6/14 - Katrina Moenkedick - UMC
1/13/14 - Sadie Stotesbery - NSU