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WBCA Top 25 National Rankings
WBCA Announces
2010 Academic Top 25
Wayne State / Winona State in Top 20
July 20, 2010 | WBCA Release
ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its winners for the 2009-10 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. This award, given in NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and Junior College/Community College, awards teams throughout the nation that carry the highest grade point averages (GPA) for the entire season based on the nomination submitted by WBCA-member head coaches. Wayne State and Winona State both finished in the top 20 in NCAA Division II. The Wildcats, coached by Chris Kielsmeier had a 3.454 GPA while the Warriors, coached by Scott Ballard, had a 3.446 GPA. Both teams finished in the top six in the NSIC standings last season. Wayne State made the NCAA Regional Tournament and finished with a 26-5 overall record.
“Congratulations to these teams who have excelled academically during the 2009-10 school year," WBCA CEO Beth Bass said. “Each of these coaches set an extraordinary example for their peers to follow by holding academics in such high esteem with their student-athletes."
GPAs are calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by each student-athlete on an institution's roster in the given academic terms by the total number of hours earned by the team. The GPAs are rounded to the nearest thousandth of a point. Per a motion passed by the WBCA Board of Directors in 2007, teams making the list of Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll must obtain at least a 3.000 overall GPA.
NSIC Third Nation in Women's Basketball Attendance
Northern State Leads Nation
May 13, 2010 | NCAA Attendance 
Indianapolis - The NSIC has three teams ranked in the top ten in the nation in women's basketball attendance for the 2009-10 season, including the top team in Northern State University. The NSIC drew 182,171 fans to 192 games this season for a 949 fan per game average.
Northern State University women’s basketball team led the NCAA Division II in attendance at home games. Through 14 home contests in the 2009-10 campaign, the Wolves drew a total of 40,563 fans for an average of 2,897 per game. St. Cloud State was fourth (2,080) while Augustana was 8th (1,559).
SMSU Names Allison Kruger as Women's Basketball Coach
April 7, 2010 | SMSU Release
MARSHALL, Minn. - Southwest Minnesota State University Director of Athletics Chris Hmielewski announced on Wednesday that Allison Kruger has been named the new head women’s basketball coach at SMSU.
Kruger becomes the seventh head coach in program history and takes over for Mike Jewett, who stepped down as head coach on March 1 after four seasons.
“I am very excited about the positive energy and passion Allison will bring to the SMSU women’s basketball program,” Hmielewski said on Wednesday. “Allison’s success as a player and assistant coach have prepared her well to begin the next step in her professional career as a head coach. I believe her leadership, communication skills and ability to develop strong relationships will help the overall growth and development of the Mustang women’s basketball program at SMSU, in the Marshall Community and throughout the region. I would like to welcome Allison Kruger to the Mustang family.”
Kruger recently completed her second season as assistant coach at NCAA Division I University of South Dakota. During her two seasons at USD, the Coyotes had a combined record of 33-27 as the program moves from NCAA Division II to Division I. Prior to coming to USD, Kruger was an assistant for four seasons at Wayne State College. During her time at WSC, the Wildcats compiled a record of 88-35, which included two appearances in the NCAA tournament, one Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular championship and one tournament championship.
“I am extremely excited to join the Mustang family and the community of Marshall,” Kruger said. “Southwest Minnesota State University is an outstanding institution that has so much to offer. I am grateful to Chris Hmielewski for the opportunity to begin my career as a head coach and to build on an already successful Mustang women’s basketball program.”
Prior to starting her coaching career, Kruger played four seasons at NCAA Division II University of Nebraska-Kearney. She was a second team All-America selection in 2004 and was named honorable mention All-America in 2003. A two-time team captain, Kruger was twice named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year (2002-03 & 2003-04) and was also a two-time All-North Central Region honoree. She was also a standout in the classroom, twice earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors while earning Academic All-RMAC three times.
Kruger finished her career ranking third all-time in school history in points scored (1,682), fourth in rebounds (788), fourth in field goals made (623), second in free throws made (426) and fourth in blocked shots (91), while helping lead the Lopers to four RMAC regular season championships, three RMAC tournament championships and four NCAA tournament appearances. UNK finished 101-21 during Kruger’s four seasons as a player.
Kruger is a 2004 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney with a degree in education and earned her master’s degree from Wayne State College in sport management in 2006.
“Allison is ready to be a head coach,” said Ryun Williams, head women’s basketball coach at the University of South Dakota. “She is a passionate, intense and organized coach, who knows the game as well as anyone I’ve been around in coaching. SMSU is getting a quality person as its next head coach.”
Southwest Minnesota State University, located in Marshall, is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. SMSU finished 15-12 this past season, recording the program’s first winning season since 2004-05.
UIU Names Carol Russell as Women's Basketball Coach
March 31, 2010 | UIU Release
Fayette, Iowa - Upper Iowa University Director of Athletics David Miller has announced that Carol Russell has been selected as the new head women's basketball coach at UIU. Russell, who spent the last eight seasons as the head women's basketball coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, has accepted the head coaching position and will be the 12th head coach in the 35-year history of the Peacock women's basketball program.
"We are excited to bring someone of Carol's caliber to lead our women's basketball program," stated Miller. "She has the background and experience we were seeking. Carol is an accomplished and proven coach within the NCAA Division II ranks and within our region."
Russell posted a record of 163-79 in her eight seasons as the leader of the Lopers. She led UNK to a pair of RMAC titles and five trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Her 2002-03 squad helped her break the record for wins in a season (25) by a first-year head coach at UNK. The Lopers have reached 20 wins six times under the Manhattan, Kansas native.
"Carol is a head coach who has enjoyed success throughout her career," said Miller. "She knows the X's and O's of the game, is a proven recruiter, places value on academic achievement and graduation, and believes in a positive, student-athlete experience. I am proud to have her as our coach at Upper Iowa University."
At UNK, Russell coached 4 All-Americans, 6 All-Region players, and 17 All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Players. Three Lopers were named RMAC Players of the Year and two were named RMAC Freshman of the Year. In the classroom, the Lopers had 7 Academic All-District players, 2 RMAC Academic Players of the Year, and the 2006-07 team earned a 3.58 GPA, the second highest in NCAA Division II that year.
Prior to taking over at Nebraska-Kearney, Russell made coaching stops as an assistant coach at Texas Pan American (2000-2002), Truman State (1995-2000), Nebraska (1994-95), and Bradley (1993-94).
"We are pleased to have Carol along with her husband, Todd Sorensen, and two boys, Isaac and Avery, as members of the Peacock family. They will be a great addition to our department, University, and community," added Miller.
A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Russell played 105 games in a Husker uniform with 25 starts. She was the team's captain as a senior and was named Academic All-Big 8 honors (1989-90).
Current Drake University head women's basketball coach, Amy Stephens, had the following to say about her former Husker teammate, "Coach Russell had an outstanding career at the University of Nebraska and has now turned into one of the best DII coaches. She really knows the game of basketball and has the ability to coach her teams to the highest level. Upper Iowa hired a great coach in Carol Russell!"
Fort Lewis Edges CU in NCAA Central Region Championship
March 15, 2010 | Box Score | Season Wrap Up PDF
Durango, Colo. - The Golden Bears (26-6) were smothered by a Fort Lewis College (33-3) defense and were knocked out of title contention Monday night in Durango, Colo., 73-64. The loss finishes Concordia’s season in the Sweet Sixteen round of play and advances the Skyhawks to the Elite Eight. The Golden Bears fought back in the second half of play but came up short of the Central Region trophy to a Skyhawk team that showed control of the ball and composure on their home court.
The Golden Bears fought back from a 32-23 halftime deficit, opening with a 7-0 run and taking a 43-42 lead by the 12 minute mark. The teams contended for the lead until the waning minutes, the Skyhawks breaking a 60-60 tie with an 8-0 run to leave just over a minute to play.
The Golden Bears sunk just one field goal in the final 3:37 of play after they tied the game 60-60. Fort Lewis, on the other hand, was zoned in with 5-of-6 field goals and 13 free throws in the last 7 minutes of the game. FLC applied full court pressure to slow down the nation’s #3 offense and force CU into 17 turnovers. The team also had the supportive influence of 1,875 screaming fans to give FLC an undefeated home season.
Junior Maurika Hickman (G, Minneapolis, Minn.) gave the Golden Bears multiple boosts before finishing as the team’s leading scorer with 16 points. One of the top three free throw shooters in the nation, Hickman stepped to the line and single-handedly scored 7 straight points with 5-of-5 charity shots and a three-pointer to draw CU to within a point, 18-17 in the first half. She canned another three-pointer to stop a Skyhawks run in the second half.
Concordia’s biggest momentum shift was at the midpoint of the second half when they went on an 8-0 run to lead the game 53-47. Jineen Williams (G, Jr., Racine, Wis.) took the ball coast-to-coast and successfully layed a ball in over two defenders and got the whistle to complete a three-point play to highlight the run.
Fort Lewis’ Laura Haugen then turned the tide of the game with what could possibly have been the most important two shots of her career, both from beyond the arc. The hits were the finale of an 11-0 FLC run that relinquished Concordia’s lead for the final time, 58-53. Despite the Golden Bears tying the game after this mark, they were stalled in the final minutes for the loss, having lost some composure as they went to the final minutes with a deficit.
Hickman was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points. Williams was close behind with 15 and eight rebounds. Jamie Jones (F, Sr., Mounds View, Minn.) had 13 points and three assists. Center Gillian Bjerke (Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) had the potential to be a game-changer for CU, but her court time was stymied by fouls and she finished with 10 points. CU shot 36.1% from the field and, due to a tough full court press, had 17 turnovers. For the first time this season, they lost a game when winning on the boards, which they did by a 43-37 margin.
Fort Lewis College was held to just 40.7% shooting but had a number of players shine in the game. Guard Abby Jackson connected on four three-pointers on her way to 17 points. Katie Mackey had 15 points and tournament MVP Allison Rosel had a tremendous 12-point, 17-rebound game.
The Golden Bears wrap up their successful season with a 26-6 record. They were the NSIC’s regular season champion (17-3)and were ranked in the national poll for over half of the year. The Golden Bears had six players see the final game of their careers tonight, graduating Jamie Jones, Kali Olstad, Gwen Young, Gillian Bjerke, Chanica Hall and Ashley Viehauser.
Text Courtesy of CU Sports Information
Augie Ends Season with 79-52 Loss to Fort Lewis College
March 13, 2010 | Box Score
Durango.Colo. - A strong first half by the No. 1 seeded Fort Lewis College ended the season of the Augustana women’s basketball team, beating them 79-52 in the semi-finals of the NCAA Div. II Central Regional Championships on Saturday. The Skyhawks improve to 32-3 on the season and advance to the championship game against Concordia-St. Paul on Monday at 7 p.m. (MT). The Vikings end their season 24-7.
The Vikings led early, when a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Molly Hayes at the 18:14 mark made the score 5-2. Augie wouldn’t see the lead again as Fort Lewis went on an 18-2 run to take a 20-7 lead with 10:34 remaining.
The Vikings were able to put two buckets together with a layup by junior guard Megan Doyle and another trey by Hayes with 9:14 remaining, pulling the Vikings within eight at 20-12. That was the closest the Vikings would get all game.
A tough full-court press by the Skyhawks only allowed the Vikings to score 10 more points in the half as they took a 43-22 lead at half thanks to a long three by senior guard Laura Haugen with just five seconds on the clock.
The Vikings were a dismal 27.3 percent (9-of-33) from the floor in the first half, and were just 20 percent (3-of-15) from downtown.
Fort Lewis was 48.6 percent (17-of-35) shooting and 50 percent (5-of-10) from behind the arc.
Strong defense by the Skyhawks forced the Vikings to commit 10 turnovers in the half while only tallying five of their own. They also collected six steals compared to three by Augustana.
The Vikings seemed to regroup in the second half, outscoring the Skyhawks 7-3. Hayes was fouled on a made layup, and made the extra shot to move the score to 46-31 with 17:22 remaining.
Fort Lewis then scored 10 straight points; including a trey by senior forward with 15 minutes to play that barely beat the shot clock. This made the score 56-31.
Augustana went on a small run, outscoring the Skyhawks 11-5 in the next 5:36 to make the score 59-42. This stretch included aggressive play underneath by sophomore center Teri VerSteeg, who made four points in the run.
Fort Lewis proved to be too strong for the Vikings, and they emptied their bench at the 2:05 mark with a 76-52 lead.
A trey by Fort Lewis sophomore guard Stephanie Beeman with 36 second on the clock made the final 79-52.
The Vikings ended the game shooting 33.3 percent (20-of-60) from the floor and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range. They were 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the charity stripe.
Fort Lewis was 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the floor and 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from downtown. They were nearly perfect from the free throw line, making 10-of-11.
Hayes led the offensive effort for Augie, ending the game with 17 points and five rebounds.
Doyle was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points.
Allison Rosel was the leading scorer for the Skyhawks with 14 points, and Audrey George recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Text Courtesy of Augustana Sports Information Office
Concordia-St. Paul Advances to Regional Championship
March 13, 2010 | Box Score
Durango, Colo. - The Golden Bears (26-5) shot their way to an 83-56 win over CSU-Pueblo (21-11) shot their way to an 83-56 win over CSU-Pueblo in the Central Region semifinals on Saturday evening. Concordia shot 46.4% from the field and hit 13 three-pointers to make to the program’s second-ever appearance in a regional championship game. They play for the Central Region title and a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight on Monday evening at 8:00 pm (CT). They will play the winner of the Fort Lewis College/Augustana game.
Things were working well for the Golden Bears both in the paint and from beyond the arc from start to finish. Gillian Bjerke (C, Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) got the game going with a 6-0 run, the Concordia guards feeding into the paint for all three buckets. The game then went to the distance with three-point shots falling from all around the arc. A Jamie Jones (trey set the score at 20-9 at the 10:38 mark. The triple found the basket four more times in a Concordia 18-3 run that put the Golden Bears up 35-12 with less than five minutes to play.
The Golden Bears sealed off an extremely impressive first half with back-to-back triples in the final minute, Zoraa Quoie (G, Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) hitting a high-arcing long ball over two defenders to beat the shot clock and Maurika Hickman (G, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.) erupting the bench with a buzzer-beater.
Concordia was 9-of-13 from three-point range in the first half on their way to a huge 45-19 lead. The shooting warfare came from virtually every player who saw court time. Jones had a team high 11 points with 3-of-3 from long range and 4-of-5 shots made from the field. The Golden Bears shot 52.9% from the field, while the ThunderWolves had just a 20% shooting average.
Golden Bear posts largely dominated the second half of play, Bjerke dumping in 14 points and Ashley Viehauser (F, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) heading toward one of the best games of her career with 14 points. Concordia had a 36-24 edge in the paint throughout the game and also out-rebounded CSUP 41-37.
Even accidentals went Concordia’s way as the CU lead continued to build, a banked three-pointer from Jones here, a loose ball falling into Viehauser’s hand there. Even the Golden Bear reserves, who saw plenty of court time in the waning minutes of the win, sunk their shots to maintain the lead. Concordia led by at least 30 points for the final 12 minutes of the game and finished with an 83-56 victory.
While the Golden Bears were sinking more than half of their field goals, the ThunderWolves of CSU-Pueblo got lost in turnovers and off-aim shots. Their only answer to Concordia’s offense came with a spackling of three-pointers made and Golden Bears fouls early on. Forward Katrina Selsor put in 14 points for the ThunderWolves before succumbing to fouls. CSUP played with much more control in the second half, turning the ball over just six times.
Concordia connected on 13 three-pointers in the win with Jones out-shining all players with seven made triples. Her 25 points led the Golden Bears to the win and also matched a career high. Posts Bjerke and Viehauser each put in 14 points, Viehauser leading the rebounding front with nine boards. Hickman fed eight assists to her teammates, leading all players. The team finished with a 46.4% field goal average.
The ThunderWolves shot 32.8% from the field, an improvement from their first half performance but not nearly enough for the win.
Text Courtesy of CU Sports Information
Augie Defeats UMD 74-57 to Advance to Regional Semfinals
March 12, 2010 | Box Score
Durango.Colo. - Augustana College defeated Minnesota Duluth 74-57 in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. With the win, the Augustana women's basketball team advanced to the semi-final game of the NCAA Div. II Central Regional Tournament. The Vikings outrebounded their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe, 56-43 in the victory.
The Vikings improve to 24-6 on the season with the win, while UMD ends their season 20-11.
This was the rubber match for the two teams, with UMD beating Augie 81-63 on Jan. 3 in Duluth, Minn. Augie took the second meeting, 80-69 on Feb. 27 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
In a physical first half, the Vikings took the lead right from the start, outscoring the Bulldogs 7-2 in the first 2:35 of the game. A 3-pointer by UMD’s Shelly Stemper made the score 7-5 with 17:15 to play.
The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, until UMD’s Monica Mayry made two buckets in a row to pull to within one at 12-11 with 12:20 on the clock.
That was the closest the Bulldogs would get, as the Vikings went on a 8-2 run with 8:15 remaining to take a 20-13 lead.
UMD’s Kaiya Sygulla made a bucket at the 7:43 mark, but freshman forward Lydia Nelson made back-to-back treys to build their lead to 11 points with 7:02 on the clock.
The Vikings continued to push the pace, and a layup by junior guard Megan Doyle with 2:05 on the clock made the score 34-26 and gave Doyle her 1,001st career point. Sophomore guard Faith Tinklenberg then sank a 3-pointer with just under a minute on the clock.
A jumper by UMD’s Emma Van Winkle ended the half 37-28 in favor of the Vikings.
The Vikings shot well from the field, shooting 43.8 percent (14 of 32) from the floor and 38.5 percent (5 of 13) from 3-point range. They were also 66.7 percent (4 of 6) from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs were 35.3 percent (12 of 34) shooting and 50 percent (4 of 8) from behind the arc. They didn’t get to the free throw line in the first half.
UMD’s Kelsey Hewitt scored the first four points of the half, but the Vikings countered by scoring seven unanswered points to take a 44-32 lead with 16:58 remaining. The Bulldogs went on a little run of their own, scoring five straight points. Doyle then drove in for a layup at 14:40 to keep Augie in the lead, 46-37.
UMD’s Jheri Booker made a jumper, but Doyle drove to the hole again, splitting two defenders and laying the ball in at the 13:32 mark to make the score 48-39.
Minnesota Duluth pulled to within six with 11:29 to play, when a jumper by Ella Olson made the score 50-44. But Augie’s next four field goals were 3-pointers, with sophomore guard Molly Hayes draining three of them to make the score 62-49 with 7:49 to play.
The Bulldogs were just 2 of 10 on free throws in the last 7:39 of the game, and a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Liz Helsper with 2:17 remaining was the nail in the coffin of Minnesota Duluth, and the Vikings walked away with a 74-57 victory.
Augie shot 40.9 percent (27 of 66) from the field and were 30.3 percent (10 of 33) from downtown.
UMD was 31.5 percent (23 of 73) shooting and 25 percent (5 of 20) from 3-point range.
Neither team was very effective from the charity stripe with Augie going just 10 of 17 (58.8 percent) and UMD making just 6 of 14 (6 of 14).
Hayes led the Vikings offensively, scoring 17 points on 6 of 15 shooting. She was 4 of 8 from behind the arc.
Doyle recorded her fourth double-double on the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Nelson netted 13 points and a career-high five blocks.
Augustana will now play in the semi-final game against the No. 1 seeded Fort Lewis College on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
Text Courtesy of Augustana Sports Information Office
Concordia-St. Paul Advances with 87-59 win over Adams State
March 12, 2010 | Box Score
Durango.Colo. - Concordia St. Paul defeated Adams State 87-59 in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional Tournament played Friday in Durango, Colo. Concordia followed the lead of junior Jineen Williams, who finished with 32 points. The Golden Bears played a solid defensive game with 11 steals and forcing 27 Grizzlies turnovers. The team advances to the regional semifinals tomorrow night at 6:00 pm (CT) where they will take on CSU-Pueblo, who defeated #2-seeded Wayne State College earlier in the day.
"We rebounded well and showed our athleticism, I'm very pleased," said head coach Paul Fessler. He explained his team's approach to the Grizzlies, saying, "Our defense was active with hands up and moving. We didn't give them (Adams State) great vision on the court. Our defensive scheme worked very well."
The Golden Bears ran out to huge first half lead, making use of sharp shooting from a number of players and using tough defense to force many Grizzlies turnovers. Jineen Williams (G, Jr., Racine, Wis.) started the rampage off by sinking multiple long range shots, not normally her strength but certainly working for her against Adams State.
Zoraa Quoie (G, Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) then stepped in off of the bench for additional Golden Bear firepower. Quoie also connected on the long range shot and took off into the paint for other hits. Her efforts rebounding did not go unnoticed either, maintaining three of Concordia’s possessions with offensive boards. Quoie finished the half leading the squad on the glass, also adding 10 points.
The action kicked into high gear at the 14 minute mark when CU blew out a 16-3 run to lead 31-16. Williams was responsible for 12 of the 16 points in this run, capping it all off with two three-point plays, one coming from the distance and the other being an old-fashioned three-point play.
The Grizzlies attempted to counter Concordia’s outside shooting by pumping the ball in down low, but with plenty of pressure surrounding the shooters, they were only able to make 35.7% of their shots in the period. As was anticipated by the pre-game scouting report, turnovers haunted the Grizzlies and led to plenty of CU points. Adams State gave the ball up 15 times in the half, which CU turned into 19 points. CU led 45-22 at the half.
The Grizzlies used improved shooting to get their deficit to under 20 points, but the Golden bears stayed on top of things with high percentage fast break buckets. Jamie Jones (G, Sr., Mounds View, Minn.) pulled up for a mid-range jumper around the 12:30 mark, hitting the 1,000th point of her career. Jones becomes the 14th player in Concordia women’s basketball history to put up 1,000 points as a Golden Bear.
A mid-period slip saw Adams State connect on several jumpers and layups while Concordia took its turn giving up the ball. A sly feed from Williams on the right baseline fed Kali Olstad (G, Sr., Elgin, Minn.) right under the hoop for an nice looking bucket. Williams came right back to hit her 4th triple of the game for a 64-42 Concordia lead.
Concordia’s lead never slipped under 20 points again. The squad continued to pressure the Grizzlies into turnovers, seeing more give-aways in today’s game than in all but one other game of the year at 27.
Williams’ 32 points led all players. The junior shot 11-of-16 from the field with four three-pointers made, a season high. Williams also had four assists and two steals. Gillian Bjerke (C, Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and Quoie each finished with 12 points, Quoie also nabbing five boards. Ashley Viehauser (F, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) winded up with the most rebounds in a 40-36 CU effort, taking down seven on her own. Concordia shot 46.4% from the field.
The Grizzlies hit 50% of their shots in the second half to put up a final field goal average of 42.6%. Vera Jo Bustos had a team high 19 points and eight boards. Chloe Cable had 18 points and seven boards.
Text Courtesy of CU Sports Information Office
Wayne State Falls in NCAA Central Regional
March 12, 2010 | Box Score
Durango.Colo. - Wayne State College went 11:07 without a basket in the second half as 7th-seeded CSU-Pueblo rallied from an 11 point second half deficit to shock the 2nd-seeded Wildcats 59-48 Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional Women’s Basketball Tournament in Durango, Colorado. The ThunderWolves advance to Saturday’s semifinals with a 21-10 record while ending Wayne State’s season at 26-5.
The Wildcats used strong defense in the first half to build a nine point half time lead (27-18), holding CSU-Pueblo to just 24 percent shooting (7 of 29). Mara Hjelle scored the first four points of the game for WSC followed by an Ali Schwartzwald layup that put the ‘Cats up 6-3 at the 16:32 mark. Moments later, CSU-Pueblo’s Erica Hicks scored back-to-back baskets to give the Thunderwolves a 10-9 lead with 13:21 left in the half. Wayne State’s Ashley Arlen then scored the next six points for the Wildcats to give WSC a 15-10 lead at the 10:05 mark.
After CSU-Pueblo’s Kendall Babler hit a three pointer to get the ThunderWolves within two at 15-13 with 8:31 left in the half, Wayne State’s Mara Hjelle took over inside and scored the next 10 points for the ‘Cats as WSC slowly built their lead at the end of the first half. Back to back baskets by Hjelle at the 3:12 and 2:18 marks followed by an Ashley Arlen basket with 1:39 left in the half allowed WSC to close the half with the final six points to give WSC a 27-18 lead at halftime.
The second half saw WSC build an 11 point lead early as Hjelle opened the half with an offensive put back followed by Kati Jo Christensen three point that put the ‘Cats ahead 32-21 with 16:45 to go in the game. The ThunderWolves used back to back baskets by Katrina Selsor to cut the Wildcat lead to six at 34-28,but Hjelle responded with back to back buckets to put WSC back up by 10 at 38-28 with 13:04 left. CSU-Pueblo got within six points again at 40-34 with 11:58 left following a Babler three pointer, but Arlen hit a three on the next possession to push the ‘Cats lead back to nine at 43-34.
But WSC went ice cold from the floor, going 11:07 without a basket, as CSU-Pueblo rallied for the win. A basket by Caitlyn Jewell with 5:52 left in the game gave the ThunderWolves a 46-44 lead, their first lead since early in the second half. CSUP would score another 11 points before WSC ended its scoring drought on a Mara Hjelle basket with 35 seconds left in the game that made the score 57-46 as CSU Pueblo went on to the 59-48 win.
“In all my years of coaching I’ve never seen anything like that,” said WSC head coach Chris Kielsmeier about the WSC scoring drought. “We just couldn’t make any shots and we made some poor reads. Games come down to making shots and plays and give them (CSU-Pueblo) credit, they made shots and plays and we didn’t.”
After shooting 48 percent (12 of 25) in the first half, WSC hit just 9 of 28 shots in the second half and finished the game shooting 21 of 53 from the field for 39.6 percent. The ‘Cats were 3 of 14 from the three point line and 3 of 6 at the charity stripe.
Mara Hjelle led all scorers with 27 points and 12 rebounds for WSC, going 12 of 26 from the field. Ashley Arlen added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.
For CSU-Pueblo, Kendall Babler had 19 points and six rebounds on 6 of 11 shooting, including 4 of 5 from the three point line. Katrina Selsor contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds for the ThunderWolves, who shot 20 of 56 from the field for 35.7 percent, hitting 9 of 23 shots behind the three point line. CSUP was also 10 of 12 at the free throw line.
CSU-Pueblo held a slight 36-34 edge in rebounding over WSC while the Wildcats had 20 turnovers to 15 for theThunderWolves.
Wayne State ends the season at 26-5 and has just one senior, Kati Jo Christensen, on the team.
Text Courtesy of WSC Sports Information
Daktronics All-Region Team Announced
Pueblo, Colo. – Minnesota-Duluth forward Jheri Booker has been voted the Daktronics Women’s Basketball Central Region Player of the Year, headlining the 2010 Daktronics Women’s Basketball all-Central Region team.
Booker, a transfer from Tennessee State and a Summerville, Ga. native, averaged 20.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs this season and was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s (NSIC) offensive and defensive player of the year. Booker, who also was an all-Central Region first team selection, was joined on the all-Central squad by Wayne State (NE)’s Ashley Arlen, Fort Lewis (CO)’s Allison Rosel, Chadron State (NE)’s Kaitlin Petri, and Colorado State-Pueblo’s Rachel Espinoza.
Fort Lewis, the host of this weekend’s NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament, also netted another all-region selection in addition to Rosel, as teammate Katie Mackey earned second-team honors. Mackey was joined on the second-team by Concordia-St. Paul (MN)’s Maurika Hickman, Minnesota State-Moorhead’s Alison Nash-Gerlach, Adams State (CO)’s Vera Jo Bustos, and Colorado Christian’s Abby Rosenthal.
The Daktronics All-Central Region team was voted upon by sports information directors throughout the Central Region. Each of the five first-team all-region selections will now be listed on the Daktronics Division II Women’s Basketball All-American ballot, with the announcement of those All-American teams expected Tuesday, March 23.
Daktronics All-Central Region First Team
Jheri Booker, F, Minnesota Duluth (2010 Central Region Player of the Year)
Ashley Arlen, F, Wayne State (Neb.)
Allison Rosel, C, Fort Lewis (Colo.)
Kaitlin Petri, G, Chadron State (Neb.)
Rachel Espinoza, G, Colorado State-Pueblo
Daktronics All-Central Region Second Team
Maurika Hickman, G, Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)
Alison Nash-Gerlach, F, MSU Moorhead
Katie Mackey, G, Fort Lewis (Colo.)
Vera Jo Bustos, G, Adams State (Colo.)
Abby Rosenthal, F, Colorado Christian
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 16
NCAA WBB Central Region Teams Announced
March 8, 2010 | NSIC Release | NCAA Championship Site
The NCAA announced the brackets for the 2010 NCAA Women's Central Region Tournament that will take place March 12, 13 and 15 in Durango, Colo. Fort Lewis College is the top seed and will host the tournament.
The NSIC picked up the second, third, fourth and fifth seed in the tournament. Wayne State got the second seed and will play CSU-Pueblo. Concordia-St. Paul was the third seed and will play Adams State while Augustana College was the fourth seed and will play the fifth seed of Minnesota Duluth.
NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Central Regional Seeds
1. Fort Lewis (30-3)
2. Wayne State (26-4)
3. Concordia-St. Paul (24-5)
4. Augustana (23-6)
5. Minnesota Duluth (20-10)
6. Adams State (21-7)
7. Colorado State-Pueblo (20-10)
8. Colorado School of Mines (18-8)
Wayne State Wins NSIC/Sanford Health WBB Tournament Title
March 7. 2010 | Box Score
St. Paul, Minn. - Wayne State defeated Minnesota Duluth 77-67 to win the 2010 NSIC/Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Tournament played at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia University, St. Paul. The Wildcats won their second NSIC Tournament Title, the last coming in 2006, thanks to the play of Mara Hjelle, the Tournament MVP. She scored 26 in the championship game and averaged 20 points per game throughout the three games in the tournament.
The Wildcats were a perfect 30 of 30 from the free throw line in the ball game. Tournament MVP Mara Hjelle earned her eighth double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Ashley Arlen, who was also named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team, added 23 points in the win. The win marks the 15th straight for the Wildcats and gives them a 26-4 overall record.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the first two minutes, but Ali Schwartzwald hit a three pointer followed by two free throws for a 7-6 lead for WSC. The 'Cats were dealt an early blow in the game when starting center Mara Hjelle picked up her second personal foul at the 16:31 mark and had to go to the bench.
Arlen’s four straight points gave WSC a five point lead at 15-10, but that was cut to two on a Jheri Booker three that trimmed the 'Cat lead to 15-13. Clare Duwelius hit a three pointer at the 14:25 mark to push WSC’s lead to 18-13.
Arlen hit a three pointer at the 10:08 mark of the half to give WSC a lead of 21-16. The Bulldogs dominated the offensive boards in thefirst half, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds in the opening stanza, and used the offensive glass to cut the Wildcats' lead to 23-21.
With Wayne State leading 32-29 with 2:52 left in the half, the Wildcats hit six straight free throws and used an Alisha Brown jumper with 20 seconds left in the half to take their biggest lead of the first half at 40-33. But UMD's Jheri Booker was fouled with four seconds left in the stanza and hit two of her three free throws to cut Wayne State’s lead to 40-35 going into the break.
Hjelle opened the second half with eight straight points and Ashley Arlen’s pair of free throws gave WSC a 50-41 lead at the 11:56 mark of the first half. The 'Cats put together a 12-0 run over a span of 5:52 and took their biggest lead of the game at 58-41 on a Mara Hjelle jumper with 11:28 to play.
The Bulldogs would respond by going on a 12-0 run from the 9:09 mark to 5:44 left in the game to cut the Wildcat lead to 58-53. Clare Duwelius would hit four straight free throws to build the Wildcats' lead to nine at 62-53 with 4:42 remaining.
Minnesota Duluth would get as close as four on a three pointer by Jheri Booker with 3:13 left making the score 65-61. Wayne State would continue to shoot lights out from the line as the 'Cats hit 13 more free throws to extend the lead to 77-67 giving the Wildcats the 2010 NSIC Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship.
Wayne State shot 36.8 percent (21 of 57) from the field, 35.7 percent (5 of 14) from the three point line and 100 percent (30 of 30) from the free throw line.
Minnesota Duluth shot 31.3 percent (25 of 80) from the field, 18.2 percent (4 of 22) from the three point line and 76.5 percent (13 of 17) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs out rebounded the Wildcats 48-45 grabbing 26 offensive rebounds.
Wayne State was led by Hjelle with 26 points with 16 coming in the second half. Arlen added 23 points to round out Wildcat players in double figures. Arlen was 12 of 12 from the free throw line in the ball game and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Jheri Booker led the Bulldogs in scoring with 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Booker was 4 of 9 from the three point line. Lindsay Miller added 14 points to go along with six rebounds.
The Wildcats earned an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Central Region Tournament played next weekend. Colorado State University-Pueblo, winners of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, earned their conference’s automatic bid Saturday. The six other teams in the field will be announced Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. during the NCAA Division II selection show. Watch the event live via webcast at www.NCAA.com.
NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team
| 22 | Shelly Stemper | G/F |
6-0 |
So |
UMD |
Becker, Minn. |
| 23 | Monica Mayry | G |
5-7 |
Sr |
UMD |
Chippewa Falls, Wis. |
| 10 | Jheri Booker | F |
5-10 |
Sr. |
UMD |
Summerville, Ga. |
| 31 | Ashley Arlen | F |
6-2 |
So. |
WSC |
Cascade, Iowa |
| 54 | Mara Hjelle (MVP) | C |
6-2 |
Jr. |
WSC |
White Bear Lake, Minn. |
NSIC Women's Basketball All-Conference Team Announced
March 4, 2010 | PDF Release
St. Paul, Minn. - The 2009-10 NSIC All-Conference Teams have been announced, as voted on by the league coaches. This year's awards will consist of a first and a second all-conference team, an all-freshman team and an all-defensive team. The coaches also vote for the NSIC Player of the Year, NSIC Defensive Player of the Year, NSIC Freshman of the Year and NSIC Coach of the Year.
NSIC Player of the Year &
NSIC Defensive Player of the Year
#10 Jheri Booker (F, 5-10, Sr., Summerville, Ga. / Chattooga HS)
University of Minnesota Duluth
Jheri Booker was the catalyst in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s run to an overall record of 19-9 and a 4th place finish in the NSIC (13-7) in 2009-10. Tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year in the NSIC, Booker lived up to the hype by leading the conference in scoring with an average of 21.6 points per NSIC game. She reached double figures in each of the Bulldog’s 27 games and recorded eight double-doubles on the year. In the regular season finale, Booker ran her career point total to 1,004, becoming the 17th player in UMD history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Booker was equally impressive on defense and built on her solid defensive reputation by being named the NSIC’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. She led the NSIC in steals for the second straight year, averaging 3.25 per game. Booker also ranked sixth in NSIC games in rebounding (8.0 rpg), with the majority of that harvest consisting of defensive rebounds (5.80 per game).Her strong presence in the paint was vital in UMD holding its NSIC opponents to an average of 66.6 points per game, the 4th-lowest total in the league. This marks the first time in league history that a player was voted by the coaches as both the NSIC Player of the Year and NSIC Defensive Player of the Year.
Note: NSIC Player of the Year was first award in 1993-94 season and Defensive Player of the Year was first awarded in 2000-01 season.
NSIC Freshman of the Year
#44 Alex Feeney (C, 6-0, Fr., Bismarck, N.D. / Bismarck HS)
Augustana College
Alex Feeney started every game for Augustana this season on her way to earning the NSIC Freshman of the Year award. She is fourth in the team in scoring with 10.7 points per game and is second on the club in rebounding, pulling down 5.6 boards per contest. Feeney scored in double-figures 17 times, including a career-high 21 points against Bemidji State on Jan. 10. She led the team in blocks while collecting a career-high five against the University of Sioux Falls on Nov. 18. Feeney also has two double-doubles on the season, one of which was a 12-point, 12-rebound effort against Winona State on Feb. 13. He 12 rebounds in that game marked her season/career high.
Note: NSIC Freshman of the Year was first award in 1993-94 season.
NSIC Coach of the Year
Chris Kielsmeier
Wayne State College
Wayne State’s Chris Kielsmeier was voted by his peers as the 2009-10 NSIC Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 16-4 NSIC record and a tie for second place in the league standings. In only his second year at Wayne State, Kielsmeier has a 28-12 (.700) record in league play. This season the Wildcats defense led the NSIC in scoring defense, holding their opponents to 58.7 point per game while his offense put up 71.9 ppg. The Wildcats held their opponents to a league low 36.9% field goal percentage as well. After starting league play 4-4, the Wildcats rolled off 12 straight wins to finish the season, including a 87-69 win at then #23 Concordia-St. Paul.
Kielsmeier is a native of Iowa, graduating from Hubbard-Radcliffe High School, and is a 1999 graduate of Iowa State University. He served eight years as head coach at Division III Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, before taking over the Wayne State program last year. At HPU he led the Lady Jackets to a 33-0 record and the NCAA Division III National championship in the 2007-08 season.
Note: NSIC Coach of the Year was first award in 1988-89 season.
NSIC First Team All-Conference
32 |
Megan Doyle |
G |
5-7 |
Jr. |
Augie |
Alexandria, S.D. |
10 |
Maurika Hickman |
G |
5-6 |
Jr. |
CU |
Elgin, Minn. |
22 |
Jineen Williams |
G |
5-9 |
Jr. |
CU |
Racine, Wis. |
10 |
Jheri Booker |
F |
5-10 |
Sr. |
UMD |
Summerville, Ga. |
12 |
Tiffany Moe |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
MSU |
Brookings, S.D. |
40 |
Liz Trauger |
F |
6-0 |
Sr. |
MSU |
Livermore, Iowa |
24 |
Alison Nash-Gerlach |
F |
6-1 |
Sr. |
MSUM |
Roseville, Minn. |
31 |
Ashley Arlen |
F |
6-2 |
So. |
WSC |
Cascade, Iowa |
54 |
Mara Hjelle |
C |
6-2 |
Jr. |
WSC |
White Bear Lake, Minn. |
34 |
Ana Wurtz |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
WSU |
Fond du Lac, Wis. |
NSIC Second Team All-Conference
24 |
Molly Hayes |
G |
5-5 |
So. |
Augie |
Harrisburg, S.D. |
24 |
Gillian Bjerke |
C |
6-3 |
Sr. |
CU |
Detroit Lakes, Minn. |
11 |
Kali Olstad |
G |
6-1 |
Sr. |
CU |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
23 |
Jamie Zelinsky |
F |
5-11 |
Jr. |
UMC |
Brooklyn Park, Minn. |
24 |
Lindsay Miller |
G |
5-9 |
So. |
UMD |
Wausau, Wis. |
22 |
Meghan Rettke |
C |
6-3 |
Sr. |
MSUM |
Hutchinson, Minn. |
35 |
Mikayla Barondeau |
F |
6-1 |
So. |
NSU |
Frederick, S.D. |
3 |
Megan Stadler |
G |
5-4 |
Sr. |
SMSU |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
11 |
Talisha Barlow |
G |
5-8 |
Jr. |
SCSU |
Little Canada, Minn. |
21 |
Natalie Gigler |
F/C |
6-0 |
Jr. |
WSU |
Brooklyn Park, Minn. |
NSIC All-Defensive Team
5 |
Jamie Jones |
G |
5-5 |
Sr. |
CU |
Mounds View, Minn. |
4 |
Zoraa Quoie |
G |
5-7 |
Jr. |
CU |
Woodbury, Minn. |
24 |
Alison Nash-Gerlach |
F |
6-1 |
Sr. |
MSUM |
Roseville, Minn. |
10 |
Jheri Booker |
F |
5-10 |
Sr. |
UMD |
Summerville, Ga. |
54 |
Mara Hjelle |
C |
6-2 |
Jr. |
WSC |
White Bear Lake, Minn. |
NSIC All-Freshman Team
44 |
Alex Feeney |
C |
6-0 |
Fr.. |
Augie |
Bismarck, N.D. |
54 |
Jessica Althoff |
F |
6-1 |
Fr. |
BSU |
Becker, Minn. |
12 |
Taylor Luke |
G |
5-8 |
Fr. |
U-Mary |
Amery, Wis. |
4 |
Brittani Wiese |
G |
5-7 |
Fr. |
UMC |
Albertville, Minn. |
13 |
Katie Wolff |
G |
5-6 |
Fr. |
WSU |
Marshfield, Wis. |
NCAA Central Region WBB Rankings #6
March 3, 2010 | NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee has released this week’s Division II women’s basketball regional rankings. The top 10 teams in each region are listed for each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released every Wednesday through March 3. Selections will be Sunday, March 7.
Rk |
Team
|
OV DII Rec
|
Reg DII Rec
|
LW
|
1. |
Fort Lewis (RMAC) |
26-2-0 |
25-2-0 |
1 |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
23-4-0 |
21-4-0 |
2 |
3. |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
19-4-0 |
19-4-0 |
3 |
4. |
Augustana (NSIC) |
17-5-0 |
17-5-0 |
5 |
5. |
Adams State (RMAC) |
19-5-0 |
18-5-0 |
4 |
6. |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
17-9-0 |
16-9-0 |
6 |
7. |
Colorado Mines (RMAC) |
18-7-0 |
18-7-0 |
8 |
8. |
MSU Moorhead (NSIC) |
16-8-0 |
14-8-0 |
7 |
9. |
Colorado Christian (RMAC) |
17-8-0 |
17-8-0 |
9 |
10. |
Northern State (NSIC |
14-11-0 |
14-11-0 |
NR |
Dropped Out: #10 Colorado St.-Pueblo (RMAC)
Jewett Steps Down as SMSU Head Women's Basketball Coach
March 1, 2010 | SMSU Release
MARSHALL, Minn. - Mike Jewett, who has spent the past four seasons as the head women’s basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University, announced on Monday afternoon that he has declined a contract renewal and will no longer serve as the head women’s basketball coach. Jewett will continue to serve as an assistant professor in the Department of Wellness and Human Performance at SMSU through the end of the academic year.
SMSU Director of Athletics Chris Hmielewski announced that current SMSU assistant coach Jina Johansen has been named interim head coach. A national search for a permanent head coach will begin soon.
“The past four years have been both challenging and rewarding, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to coach at SMSU,” Jewett said. “My experiences here have made me a better person and professional. I would like to thank the young ladies in our program for their hard work and commitment. Their efforts have strengthened the program and elevated it to a competitive level in a very tough conference.”
Jewett, the sixth head coach in program history, spent four seasons on the Mustang sideline compiling a record of 48-65. The program saw marked improvement each of his four years, going from seven victories in his first season in 2006-07, to 15 victories this past season, including recording the program’s first winning campaign since 2004-05. The Mustangs finished 15-12 this season and missed qualifying for the NSIC tournament by one game.
(Read More)
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 15
March 1, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#24 Alison Nash-Gerlach
F, 6-1, Sr.,
Roseville, Minn.
Roseville HS
MSU Moorhead
Alison Nash-Gerlach averaged 22.5 points and 15 rebounds per game this past week as she had her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season. She was 14-of-25 from the field on the week, and hit all of her attempts from the free-throw line (17). On Wednesday, against NSU, she had 18 points and 17 rebounds. On Saturday, she tied the MSUM single season record for free-throws made in a season as she went 11-11 from the charity stripe to increase her total to 160 from the line. She led the field with 27 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.Nash-Gerlach went 8-for-12 from the field. This marks the second time this season she has been named NSIC Player of the Week (12/7/09).
Tiebreakers - Augustana College and Wayne State split during the season. Augustana College won Strength of Schedule (SOS) tiebreaker.
Winona State played MSU Moorhead once this season in Moorhead, Minn. and won, giving them the tiebreaker.
Concorida-St. Paul Wins NSIC WBB Regular Season Championship
February 27, 2010 | Box Scores
FAYETTE, Iowa - The Concordia women's basketball team is the sole victor of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season title for the fourth time in school history. They took the title outright with a 67-55 win over Upper Iowa University (2-25, 0-20 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears (23-4, 17-3 NSIC) have earned a spot as the top seed in the 2010 NSIC Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament, whose quarterfinal round starts on Wednesday evening. The No. 8 seed of the tournament is yet to be determined.
The Golden Bears were assured no less than a share of the regular season title, but in order to take the honor themselves, they had to defeat Upper Iowa this afternoon. On the outside, the task appeared to be a breeze with the Peacocks winning only two games on the year and having gone all season without an NSIC victory. But a poor shooting game created some nerves for Concordia followers.
With an extremely low 27.0% shooting average in the first period, the Golden Bears were knotted up with the Peacocks 28-28 at halftime. No Concordia player put in more than two field goals in the first 20 minutes but, with the help of 12 Upper Iowa turnovers, the team went into the second half with the simple goal of outscoring the league's worst team through one period of play.
The squad snapped out of its scoring funk to shoot 46.9% from the field in the final period of the regular season, due in large part to the efforts of junior guard Zoraa Quoie (Woodbury, Minn.). In her first start of the season, Quoie scored 11 second half points and took away five steals to give the Golden Bears the edge they needed. Gillian Bjerke (C, Jr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) dumped in nine points and had two steals in the final half. She gave the Golden Bears their final edge over Upper Iowa, who had pulled ahead 50-49 with a set of free throws at the 6:16 mark. Back-to-back layups gave CU a 53-50 lead, with more Bjerke points tagged on in the final minutes to secure the win.
The final 12 point lead was the largest of the game for Concordia, who has the NSIC's highest scoring offense and has defeated 10 opponents by 20 or more points this year. The season low shooting average of 36.2% comes on the heels of a season high 65.0% performance on Wednesday night over St. Cloud State. With postseason games now looming, the Golden Bears have a chance to set a new school record for season shooting average, as their current mark of 47.3% is far ahead of the record set in 2007-08 at 44.9%.
Bjerke finished as the game's scoring leader with 13 points, also pulling down eight boards to match Quoie for the team lead. All of Quoie's 11 game points came in the second half. The speedy guard came away with seven steals against the Peacocks. Concordia had 14 total steals in the game, which were crucial in tabbing 36 points off of UIU turnovers.
Upper Iowa was led in the game by Jennifer Herrick with 12 points and five rebounds. The Peacocks shot 38.5% from the field and gave up the rock 28 times throughout the course of the game. They out-scored the Golden Bears from three-point range, however, hitting seven shots from the distance to CU's four.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 14 - Updated
February 25, 2010 | PDF Release
Above is a link to the Updated NSIC Women’s Basketball Release. All record, polls, standings and stats have been updated in this release. The NSIC Final Games are this weekend. The NSIC / Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Bracket will be release Saturday night following the 6:00 p.m. game.
CU Claims at Least a Share of Regular Season Title
Febrauary 24, 2010 | Box Scores
ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Three-pointer, three-pointer, three-pointer. That was the play-by-play recap of Concordia's 100-48 win over St. Cloud State (10-16, 5-14 NSIC) on Wednesday night. Senior Kali Olstad blew out the single game records for both Concordia and the NSIC when she canned ten, yes TEN, three-pointers for the Golden Bears. Her play inspired pure awe from the Halenbeck Hall crowd, hitting 10-of-12 field goals, all long range attempts, on her way to a career high 30 points. Concordia (22-4, 16-3 NSIC) heads into their final NSIC game on Saturday afternoon against Upper Iowa with the chance to clinch the program's fourth NSIC regular season title.
To say that the Golden Bears, and Olstad (G, Sr., Elgin, Minn.) in particular, were untouchable would be an understatement. The team shot 69% from the field in the first half and finished with a season high 65% field goal average, downing 16-of-21 shots from beyond the arc along the way.
Olstad missed one long range shot attempt in each half but connected on a whopping ten threes in the game to set the new records for both the Concordia program and the NSIC. Until tonight, no other CU player had hit more than seven triples in a game, although Olstad herself connected on six twice already this season. In Northern Sun Conference play, the former record sat at nine made three-pointers. On the year, Olstad has 70 made three-pointers, which sets her career mark at 230 made triples, just three away from the school record.
Olstad started the game out with a triple for the team's first field goal. She capped a 13-0 Concordia run with another hit from long range. Things never looked up for the Huskies of St. Cloud State, who were looking to continue a short winning streak as their season wrapped up. But as shot after shot fell through the net on Concordia's end, the scoring margin only grew wider.
The Huskies not only had to look out for Olstad on the arc, but a fiesty Maurika Hickman (Minneapolis, Minn.) caused troubles from the field as well, connecting on 6-of-7 shots in the first half for a team high 16 points, including 2-for-2 three-pointers. The junior guard hit another perfect set of threes in the second half and finished as runner-up to Olstad in scoring with 22 points.
The Golden Bears led by as many as 61 points late in the second half and finished with 52 point advantage, by far a season high. This is the second time this season that they hit the century mark in scoring, taking points from nine different players. Rebounding also favored Concordia 36-21.
The whooping gives the Golden Bears the confidence they need to head into their regular season finale in search of the NSIC season title, which they will claim with a win over the league's bottom dweller, Upper Iowa. The NSIC Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament kicks off a week from tonight with the Golden Bears assured a home game in the quarterfinals with a chance to play the remainder of the tournament on their own floor, where they have gone 10-1 this season.
Other notes from the game include an 11-point, 5-rebound performance from Gillian Bjerke (C, Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and five assists each from Zoraa Quoie (G, Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) and Chanica Hall (G, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.). Olstad was also the squad's leading rebounder on the night with six grabs off of the glass.
The Huskies shot 30.4% from the field and were led in scoring by two bench players with seven points each. The Huskies turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 30 CU points.
NCAA Central Region WBB Rankings #5
February 24, 2010 | NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee has released this week’s Division II women’s basketball regional rankings. The top 10 teams in each region are listed for each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released every Wednesday through March 3. Selections will be Sunday, March 7.
Rk |
Team
|
OV Rec
|
Reg Rec
|
LW
|
1. |
Fort Lewis (RMAC) |
24-2-0 |
23-2-0 |
1 |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
21-4-0 |
19-4-0 |
2 |
3. |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
17-4-0 |
17-4-0 |
3 |
4. |
Adams State (RMAC) |
18-4-0 |
17-4-0 |
4 |
5. |
Augustana (NSIC) |
15-5-0 |
15-5-0 |
5 |
6. |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
16-8-0 |
15-8-0 |
6 |
7. |
MSU Moorhead (NSIC) |
15-7-0 |
13-7-0 |
7 |
8. |
Colorado Mines (RMAC) |
16-7-0 |
16-7-0 |
10 |
9. |
Colorado Christian (RMAC) |
15-8-0 |
15-8-0 |
9 |
10. |
Colorado St.-Pueblo (RMAC) |
15-9-0 |
13-9-0 |
8 |
Dropped Out: None
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 14
February 22, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#22 Jineen Williams
G, 5-9, Jr.,
Racine, Wis.
Case HS
UW-Milwaukee
Concordia-St. Paul
Jineen Williams set a new NCAA-era CU scoring record with her 36 points over MSU Moorhead on Saturday afternoon, the largest output of scoring in the NSIC this season. The outpouring of points is also the second highest scoring effort all-time at Concordia, just six points shy of the record. Williams hit a string of jump shots to get her NSIC-leading Golden Bears off to a great start against MSU Moorhead, who entered the game in a tie for fourth place in the league. She continued her scoring barrage of the Dragons in the second half, thundering her way to the hoop and completing difficult layups. With the game tied up with 4:45 to play, Williams banged her way to the basket in successive possessions to give the #20-ranked Golden Bears the late edge. In addition to her scoring efforts, Williams also led the team in rebounding with eight boards and also had three assists. She shot 14-of-21 from the field (66.7%) and 8-of-11 from the free throw line.
CU Beats MSU Moorhead 88-82 - Retains 1st Place
Febrauary 20, 2010 | Box Scores
ST. PAUL, Minn. - It all came down to five tense final minutes, the game tied up 69-69 and Concordia University's possession of league leadership in danger. Behind the school's new NCAA-era single game scoring leader the Golden Bears played nearly flawlessly down the stretch and battled their way to an 88-82 win over MSU Moorhead. Junior Jineen Williams scored 10 of her career high 36 points in the last five minutes to put her name in the Golden Bear record book. With her record effort, Concordia finished the home portion of the regular season with the most intense game played at the Gangelhoff Center, where they have gone 10-1 this season. Two road games remain up for CU before the postseason begins.
The Golden Bears went 5-of-6 from the field and 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of play to outscore the Dragons 19-13 and walk away with the win. The game got progressively heated as time ticked away in the second half, MSU Moorhead fighting for a home playoff spot in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals and Concordia battling to take the regular season championship, currently a game and a half ahead of Wayne State and Augustana College.
To take the series sweep over the Dragons, the Golden Bears took away MSUM's main strength in rebounding. Concordia came out with a 38-34 lead on the glass, seeing all players on the roster work hard to pull down possessions. Concordia finished with 15 offensive boards to MSUM's seven and dumped in 18 second chance points to MSUM's six. In addition to her scoring prowess, Jineen Williams (G, Jr., Racine, Wis.) also walked away as the team's leading rebounder with eight.
Williams made her case as an unstoppable scorer from the beginning of the game, laying in a bucket off of the tip and putting up 10 fast points from 4-of-5 field goals and a set of free throws in less than seven minutes of play before being subbed out. She resumed her scoring spree five seconds after returning to the court and finished the half with 15 points. Another 21 points came in the second half to set Williams as Concordia's top single game scorer in the NCAA era and the second all-time best mark in school history with her 36 points. Williams was zoned in on mid-range jump shots in the first half and went to attacking the basket despite tough MSUM defense in the second half.
The CU all-time scoring record was set by Jolene Bammert in 1984-85 with 42 points against St. Scholastica.
The Golden Bears gave up a 40-34 halftime lead when the Dragons put up nine straight points early in the second half to lead 51-48. MSU Moorhead then led the pace of the game until the midpoint of the half, using outstanding shots from their forwards to keep the lead. The Golden Bears slowly worked their way back into the decision as the Dragons were called for multiple fouls. Finding themselves tied up 69-69 with 4:45 to play, the determined fire in Williams' eyes burned brighter as she lifted her team to an 81-76 lead nearly on her own.
The final scoring effort to give the team the lead came largely from Williams, but a well-rounded defensive and rebounding effort from the entire team was needed to pull away from the Dragons' pressure. Zoraa Quoie (G, Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) gave the team steals and rebounds and finished the pressure-ridden final 30 seconds off with perfect free throw shooting. The Dragons had their chances to use fouls to come back but a missed shot here and a lost rebound there were the difference and led to the CU win.
Williams finished the night 14-of-21 from the field and 8-of-11 from the stripe, also pulling down the team high eight boards to go with three assists. Maurika Hickman (G, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.) hit three important three-point shots and finished with 13 points, while Quoie pitched in with 11 points and seven rebounds. The Golden Bears shot 44.6% from the field and committed just seven turnovers.
Just as she did in a December meeting between the teams, forward Angie Jetvig led her Dragon squad in scoring, finishing with 20 points. Fellow forward Alison Nash-Gerlach had 18 points, while gurad Krista Opheim reeled in 15 thanks to 9-of-10 free throw shooting. MSU Moorhead was excellent from the field at 52.6% shooting on the night. They were also careful in handling the ball, turning it over just nine times.
Concordia is on the road this Wednesday at St. Cloud State and wraps up the regular season next Saturday at Upper Iowa.
NCAA Central Region WBB Rankings #4
February 17, 2010 | NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee has released this week’s Division II women’s basketball regional rankings. The top 10 teams in each region are listed for each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released every Wednesday through March 3. Selections will be Sunday, March 7.
Rk |
Team
|
OV Rec
|
Reg Rec
|
LW
|
1. |
Fort Lewis (RMAC) |
22-2-0 |
21-2-0 |
1 |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
20-4-0 |
18-4-0 |
2 |
3. |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
15-4-0 |
15-4-0 |
4 |
4. |
Adams State (RMAC) |
16-4-0 |
15-4-0 |
3 |
5. |
Augustana (NSIC) |
13-5-0 |
13-5-0 |
6 |
6. |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
15-8-0 |
14-8-0 |
7 |
7. |
MSU Moorhead (NSIC) |
15-6-0 |
13-6-0 |
5 |
8. |
Colorado St.-Pueblo (RMAC) |
14-8-0 |
12-8-0 |
8 |
9. |
Colorado Christian (RMAC) |
14-7-0 |
14-7-0 |
NR |
10. |
Colorado Mines (RMAC) |
14-7-0 |
14-7-0 |
10 |
Dropped Out: #9 Winona State (NSIC)
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 13
February 15, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#32 Megan Doyle
G, 5-7, Jr.,
Alexandria, S.D.
Hanson HS
Augustana
Megan Doyle had one of the best weekends of her career this weekend, leading Augustana to wins over Upper Iowa and Winona State. In a 104-49 victory over the Peacocks, Doyle recorded her third double-double on the season, scoring 18 points and dishing out 10 assists. She also collected seven steals (six of which were in the first half) six rebounds, and two blocks. Against Winona State, Doyle scored 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting (62.5 percent). She was also 3 of 5 from behind the arc. She had another seven assists and no turnovers while collecting five more rebounds, two steals and a block. For the weekend she averaged 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. She was 61.5 percent (16 of 26) from the field and 60 percent (6 of 10) from 3-point range. She was also 3 of 4 on free throws. Doyle also averaged 8.5 assists and 1 turnover per game for an 8.5 assist to turnover ratio. She collected 4.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots.
NCAA Central Region WBB Rankings #3
February 10, 2010 | NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee has released this week’s Division II women’s basketball regional rankings. The top 10 teams in each region are listed for each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released every Wednesday through March 3. Selections will be Sunday, March 7.
Rk |
Team
|
OV Rec
|
Reg Rec
|
LW
|
1. |
Fort Lewis (RMAC) |
20-2-0 |
19-2-0 |
1 |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
18-4-0 |
16-4-0 |
2 |
3. |
Adams State (RMAC) |
15-3-0 |
14-3-0 |
3 |
4. |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
13-4-0 |
13-4-0 |
4 |
5. |
MSU Moorhead (NSIC) |
14-5-0 |
12-5-0 |
5 |
6. |
Augustana (NSIC) |
11-5-0 |
11-5-0 |
6 |
7. |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
13-8-0 |
12-8-0 |
7 |
8. |
Colorado St.-Pueblo (RMAC) |
13-7-0 |
11-7-0 |
10 |
9. |
Winona State (NSIC) |
11-8-0 |
11-8-0 |
9 |
10. |
Colorado Mines (RMAC) |
12-7-0 |
12-7-0 |
8 |
Dropped Out: None
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 12
February 8, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#31 Ashley Arlen
F, 6-2, So.,
Cascade, Iowa
Cascade HS
Iowa State University
Wayne State
Arlen scored 32 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season to power Wayne State to its sixth straight win Saturday night in a 75-46 rout of Augustana College at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb.. Arlen had 20 points and 10 rebounds at halftime as WSC built a commanding 43-19 lead at the break. For the game she was 10-of-17 from the field, 3-of-5 from the three point line and 9-of-12 at the free throw stripe while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds in just 30 minutes of playing time. During Wayne State’s current six game win streak, Arlen is averaging 23.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, shooting 53.7 percent (51 of 95) from the field and 80.5 percent (33 of 41) at the charity stripe. This marks the second week in a row and third time this season Arlen has been named NSIC Player of the Week.
MSUM's Opheim Becomes Schools All-Time Assists Leader
Febrauary 5, 2010 | Box Scores
MARSHALL, Minn. - Senior Krista Opheim led the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons women's basketball to their 10th conference win on Friday night as she became the all-time assists leader for the program. The Dragons topped the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs 67-55.
Opheim tallied seven assists on the night, moving her career total to 438. She surpassed Lisa Clark (1983-87) who had held the record until tonight, with 435 total. Opheim's record breaking assist came with two seconds left in the first half as she hit a wide-open Kaycee Charette for a long three-pointer, moving the Dragons lead at half to 39-26.
The Dragons had a slow start, as the Mustangs went up by five early in the game. Meghan Rettke brought the team back into the game as she layed the ball into the hoop and connected from the free-throw line to complete the three point play and bring the Dragons to within two. Charette hit a jumper in the Dragons following possession to tie the game, both buckets were assisted by Opheim. The Dragons did not trail for the rest of the game.
MSUM began to break away from SMSU in the final four minutes of the first half as they went on a 12-3 run to close the half.
The Mustangs cut the Dragons lead to nine with 11 minutes left in the game but the Dragons scored seven unanswered points to take the 16 point lead and the momentum to win the game.
Rettke led the field with 17 points, charting her 11th double-double of the season with 11 rebounds. Angie Jetvig tallied 14 points, going 6-for-10 from the field with eight rebounds. Alison Nash-Gerlach also contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. Opehim ended the game with eight points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The Dragons are now 16-5 overall and are third in the league with a 10-4 mark. SMSU moves to 7-7 in the NSIC and 13-8 overall.
NCAA Central Region WBB Rankings #2
February 3, 2010 | NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee has released this week’s Division II women’s basketball regional rankings. The top 10 teams in each region are listed for each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released every Wednesday through March 3. Selections will be Sunday, March 7.
Rk |
Team
|
OV Rec
|
Reg Rec
|
LW
|
1. |
Fort Lewis (RMAC) |
18-2 |
17-2 |
1 |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
16-4 |
14-4 |
2 |
3. |
Adams State (RMAC) |
14-2 |
13-2 |
3 |
4. |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
12-4 |
12-4 |
7 |
5. |
MSU Moorhead (NSIC) |
13-4 |
11-4 |
4 |
6. |
Augustana (NSIC) |
11-4 |
11-4 |
6 |
7. |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
12-7 |
11-7 |
5 |
8. |
Colorado Mines (RMAC) |
11-6 |
11-6 |
8 |
9. |
Winona State (NSIC) |
10-7 |
10-1 |
9 |
10. |
Colorado St.-Pueblo (RMAC) |
11-7 |
9-7 |
10 |
Dropped Out: None
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 11
February 1, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#31 Ashley Arlen
F, 6-2, So.,
Cascade, Iowa
Cascade HS
Iowa State University
Wayne State
Ashley Arlen averaged 28 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in helping Wayne State win a pair of NSIC road games over the weekend. Arlen made 11 of 16 shots from the field on her way to 25 points and eight rebounds in Friday’s 66-52 win at St. Cloud State and followed that with 31 points, making 10 of 20 shots from the field and 9 for 10 from the free throw stripe, as she powered the Wildcats to a 87-69 win at NSIC leader and 23rd-ranked Concordia-St. Paul. For the weekend, Arlen shot 58.3 percent (21 of 36) from the field and 11 of 12 (91.7 percent) from the free throw line. Arlen now has eight games of 20 or more points this season with two games of 30 or more. She is now averaging 19.2 points per game this season for the Wildcats, now 16-4 overall and 9-4 in the NSIC. This marks the second time this season Arlen has been named NSIC Player of the Week (1/11/10).
CU Regains Sole Possession of 1st Place with Win Over Augie
January 29, 2010 | Box Scores
ST. PAUL, Minn. - In a game that decided who the new NSIC leader was, the Concordia-St. Paul (16-3, 10-2 NSIC) shot their way to an 84-71 win over Augustana College (15-4, 9-3 NSIC) to regain their lead in the conference. Zora Quoie led CU with 19 points, five boards, four assists and two steals in the Concordia win. The Golden Bears shot 50.9% from the field and was just two three-pointers shy of the school's single game record, hitting 14 in the game.
The Vikings, who lead the NSIC in threes per game, had the Concordia defense dialed in to start the game, snapping off a three-pointer off of the tip, using their first possession to match the number of threes they made in the first meeting of the teams. Concordia's Jamie Jones (G, Sr., Mounds View, Minn.) canned a triple for CU's first bucket, setting the tone for the game that would split the top teams in the league.
Three-point shooting indeed continued to play a key role in the game. Trailing by their largest margin in the first half, 13-18, the Golden Bears took back-to-back threes from Jineen Williams (Jr., G, Racine, Wis.). The Golden Bears finished with a season high 14 made triples, including a team high four from Quoie (G, Jr., Woodbury, Minn.). The Vikings, on the other hand, hit just 6-of-20 threes in the decision.
Concordia's real first half swing came in the final five minutes of the game as CU got out to defend Augustana guards and force Augie posts to take looks at the basket, which they more often than not missed. The Golden Bears ended the half with a 14-5 run, jump-started with a Kali Olstad (G, Sr., Elgin, Minn.) three-pointer and fueled by free throws, threes and steals from Quoie.
With 10 made shots from long range and a 55.6% shooting average, the Golden Bears walked into the break with a 51-39 lead. They moved the ball well around an Augustana zone defense, assisting every one of their 15 first half field goals and a final 26 assists in the game, matching a season high. Gillian Bjerke (C, Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) made herself available throughout the contest, receiving dishes and dumps on her way to 17 relatively easy points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field.
The Vikings were forced to continue pumping the ball into their post players as the second half resumed. Forward Alex Feeney was the first half scoring leader and opposing forward/guard Kristi Board took over in the second half, but regardless of what player was scoring, it was almost never an outside shooter.
On the other hand, the Golden Bears continued to jack up the three-point shot, breaking out of an early slumber to spread out a meaningful lead in the final ten minutes of play.
Quoie's fourth three-pointer of the game kicked off a 16-4 run that moved Concordia from a five-point lead to a 17-point advantage by the 2:51 mark, largely putting the game out of Augustana's reach. Chanica Hall (G, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) dropped in back-to-back triples during the stretch. The lead was their largest in the game and plenty to secure a win with a final score of 84-71.
Quoie's 19 points was one of four double figure scoring performances, followed by Bjerke's 17 points and team high nine boards, 15 points from Williams and 10 from Maurika Hickman (G, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.). Hall matched a season high seven assists in the win. The Golden Bears went over the 50% shooting mark for the sixth time this season with a final mark of 50.9%.
The Vikings were limited to six three-pointers against Concordia, far less than their 9.22 average. The Vikings shot 42.1% from the field but turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 18 CU points off of turnovers. Forwards Board and Feeney were the final scoring leaders with 21 and 18 points each, respectively. Board was true to her name with a team high nine pulls off of the glass.
NCAA Central Region WBB Rankings #1
January 27, 2010 | NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee has released this week’s Division II women’s basketball regional rankings. The top 10 teams in each region are listed for each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released every Wednesday through March 3. Selections will be Sunday, March 7.
Rk |
Team
|
OV Rec
|
Reg Rec
|
LW
|
1. |
Fort Lewis (RMAC) |
16-2 |
15-2 |
-- |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
15-3 |
13-3 |
-- |
3. |
Adams State (RMAC) |
11-2 |
10-2 |
-- |
4. |
MSU Moorhead (NSIC) |
11-4 |
9-4 |
-- |
5. |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
12-5 |
11-5 |
-- |
6. |
Augustana (NSIC) |
10-3 |
10-3 |
-- |
7. |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
10-4 |
10-4 |
-- |
8. |
Colorado Mines (RMAC) |
10-5 |
10-5 |
-- |
9. |
Winona State (NSIC) |
9-7 |
9-7 |
-- |
10. |
Colorado St.-Pueblo (RMAC) |
11-5 |
9-5 |
-- |
Dropped Out: NA
U-Mary's Last Second Three Pointer to Defeat #20 CU
U-Mary defeated NSIC-Leading and 20th-ranked Concordia University 67-66 when Shaunna Knife drilled a three pointer from the right wing with 1.6 seconds remaining in the game. The freshman led the Marauders with 15 points.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 10
January 25, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#15 Jamie Zelinsky
G, 5-11, Jr.,
Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Park Center HS
Minnesota, Crookston
Jamie Zelinsky tallied 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and stole three UIU passes in a close 70-69 win Friday night. On Saturday, Zelinsky blew the roof off Lysaker Gymnasium against Winona State with red-hot second half shooting. She knocked down 24 second half points on her way to a career-high 33 points, just one point off the school record of 34 held by Jessica Forsline who did it in 2000 and 2001. Zelinsky was 11 of 18 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line. Defensively she led her squad with nine rebounds. On the weekend, Zelinsky averaged 22.5 points/game. She led the team with 8.5 rebounds/game, was second on the team in assists with 5 and tied a team-high with six steals.
U-Mary Upset #20 Concordia-St. Paul on Knife Buzzer Beater
January 23, 2010 | Box Scores
Bismarck, N.D. - U-Mary defeated NSIC-Leading and 20th-ranked Concordia University 67-66 when Shaunna Knife drilled a three pointer from the right wing with 1.6 seconds remaining in the game. The freshman led the Marauders with 15 points.
Trailing by three, freshman Taylor Luke stepped to the free throw line with five seconds left in the game. She made the first free throw to pull U-Mary within 66-64 but missed the second. Cassandra Kelsch powered into the lane to rip down the rebound and kicked the ball out to Knife on the right wing. With no hesitation, the freshman forward from Bottineau, ND, calmly drained the open shot before a Golden Bears defender could challenge. Concordia attempted to throw the ball the length of the court but Luke intercepted the inbound pass to seal the Marauders victory.
For the third time in the last four games, Knife led the Marauders in scoring. She had 15 points off the bench, making 2-of-3 behind the arc and dropping half of her 12 shots.
Another freshman, Laura Petersen, scored 11 points for the Marauders. She had five rebounds and made 5-of-6 free throws. Liz Sipma also had 11 points and tied Rachel Zillmer for the team-high in rebounds with six. Abby Bratlien added eight points and five rebounds and Kayla Rogers contributed seven points.
Maurika Hickman led all players with 27 points for the Golden Bears. Kali Olstad added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Early in the game it looked like Concordia would run the Marauders off the court, going on a 13-1 run to build a 17-5 lead. The CU lead would eventually grow to 16 points before U-Mary began to climb back into the game.
Petersen would lead the Marauders to 16 straight points late in the first to tie the game. Twice she converted three-point plays and scored eight points total. CU would hit a basket just before half to enter intermission leading 39-37.
After the Marauders would even the game early in the second half, the Golden Bears again flexed their muscles to lead 63-51 after Hickman drained a three with just over five minutes left in the game. But the rest of the night would belong to the Marauders.
Two free throws by Maria Weigelt and a trey by Knife cut the deficit to seven points. Rogers followed with two free throws before CU ended the U-Mary run with a lone free throw.
A Golden Bears turnover led to a Rogers three-pointer and U-Mary trailed 64-61 with 69 seconds left in the game. With the Marauders breathing down their collective neck, Sipma grabbed the rebound off a Concordia miss. Sipma then hit a layup off a Rogers feed and the deficit was one with nine seconds left.
The Marauders fouled immediately and Zoraa Quoie responded by making two free throws to build the Golden Bears advantage to three with eight seconds on the clock. Luke then took the inbounds pass and was knocked out of bounds with five ticks remaining to set up the final heroics of the night for the Marauders.
U-Mary’s biggest advantage of the night was the Marauders ability to get to the line. The Marauders made 22-of-29 free throws while the Golden Bears went 9-of-14 at the charity stripe. U-Mary also had a 39-36 advantage on the boards. The Marauders also dominated in points off the bench as the U-Mary reserves outscored CU 35-11.
After a weekend sweep, the Marauders improve to 7-11 overall and 3-8 in the NSIC. The win also avenged a loss earlier this season to CU at the NSIC Holiday HoopsFest. Concordia slips to 15-3 overall and 9-2 in the Northern Sun, allowing Augustana to move into a first place tie.
UMC Gets Weekend Sweep with 89-83 OT Win Over WSU
January 23, 2010 | Box Scores
Crookston, Minn. - The University of Minnesota, Crookston Women's Basketball team walked away with an NSIC weekend sweep today as the Golden Eagles knocked out the Warriors in an overtime slugfest 89-83. Minnesota, Crookston also swept the season series after defeating Winona State 78-66 in another overtime game on November 28 at the NSIC Hoopfest in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Minnesota, Crookston could do no wrong in the first half. The UMC defense caused 10 Winona turnovers and turned them into 12 points, equal to the team's largest lead of the half. The squad got hot at the 16:37 mark when they went on a 13-0 run to eventually take a 38-28 halftime lead. The Golden Eagles were led by Gina Jaroszewski (F, 5-11, JR, Moorhead, Minn.) who hit four three-pointers to lead all players with 12 points. Jamie Zelinsky (G, 5-11, JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) followed Jaroszewski with seven points and a team-high five rebounds. Winona State was led by Natalie Gigler who had eight points.
The second half saw more drama than Golden Eagle fans would have liked. Zelinsky blew the roof off Lysaker Gymnasium with red hot shooting. She knocked down 24 second half points to help Minnesota, Crookston to a 17 point lead with 5:32 remaining. Winona State would not be denied down the stretch as Ana Wurtz scored 11 second half points on 3 of 5 three-point shooting. She was matched by Michelle McDonald who tallied 11 second half points of her own. At the 5:32 mark of the second half, the Warriors began their charge. They rattled off a 22-5 run and with four seconds remaining in the game, tied the score on a McDonald layup to force overtime.
Winona State took an early four point lead in the extra session. Bri Zabel (F, 6-0, JR, Northfield, Minn.) hit a jumper with 1:17 remaining and the Golden Eagles went on a 6-0 run to earn one of the team's biggest wins of the season. The Golden Eagles were led through 45 minutes of play by Zelinsky who finished with a career-high 33 points, just one point off the school record of 34 held by Jessica Forsline who did it in 2000 and 2001. Zelinsky was 11 of 18 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line. Defensively she led her squad with nine rebounds. Zabel followed Zelinsky with 16 points. She was also 9 of 10 from the free-throw line. Jaroszewski finished the game with 14 points and Brittani Wiese (G, 5-7, FR, Albertville, Minn.) closed out the top scorers with 10 points. She led all players with four steals and tied a game-high with seven assists. The Golden Eagles as a team tied a season-high with nine three-pointers made.
Winona State was led by Michelle McDonald's 22 points. She was 9 of 12 from the field and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Ana Wurtz followed with 18 points. She was 6 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from long range.
The Golden Eagles advance to 8-9 overall and 6-5 in Northern Sun play while the Warriors fall to 12-7 overall and 7-5 in conference play. Minnesota, Crookston hits the road next weekend when they travel to the University of Mary and Northern State University. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on both nights.
UMC Edges UIU 70-60
January 22, 2010 | Box Scores
Brittani Wiese pulls up for a jump shot over a Peacock defender
Photo Courtesy of www.KROXam.com
Crookston, Minn. - The University of Minnesota, Crookston Women's Basketball team continued Northern Sun play tonight as they hosted the Upper Iowa University Peacocks. The lead changed hands seven times in the first half but after the first 20 minutes of play, the Golden Eagles only allowed the Peacocks to tie the score two more times before going on to the 70-69 victory.
The give and take first half saw the Golden Eagles lead the Peacocks 37-32 as the teams headed to their locker rooms. Leading the way for the Golden Eagles in the first half was Brittani Wiese (G, 5-7, FR, Albertville, Minn.) who tallied a half-high 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Laurie Tyson (C, 6-1, Rosemount, Minn.) recorded six total points and six total rebounds including four offensive boards. Minnesota, Crookston dominated the paint with an impressive 12 offensive rebounds and 11 defensive rebounds while the UMC defense caused 13 Upper Iowa turnovers. Leading the Peacocks in the first half was Karina Berinobis with nine points and Kenya Howard with seven points and eight rebounds.
The Golden Eagles we led in the game by Brittani Wiese who was 8 of 13 from the field, 1 of 1 from deep, and 1 of 1 from the free-throw line for a total of 18 points. Bri Zabel (F, 6-0, JR, Northfield, Minn.) finished the game with 16 points with 11 of her points coming from the line and 14 coming in the second half. Jamie Zelinsky (G, 5-11, JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) added 12 points and Laurie Tyson (C, 6-1, FR, Rosemount, Minn.) played the best 33 minutes of her career tying a career-high with 10 points, setting a career-high with 13 rebounds and securing the first double-double of her career.
Upper Iowa was led by Kenya Howard who was 7 of 14 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line for a total of 19 points. She led the team in rebounds with a game-high 17 boards. The Peacocks also got offensive productivity out of Karina Berinobis who had 15 points, and Cassandra Deiters who put up 12 point in the contest.
The Golden Eagles advance to 7-9 overall and 5-5 in Northern Sun play. The Peacocks fall to 1-16 overall and 0-11 in conference play. Minnesota, Crookston returns to the court tomorrow to host Winona State University. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. for the women and 6:00 p.m. for the men.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 9
January 18, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#24 Molly Hayes
G, 5-5, So.,
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Harrisburg HS
Augustana College
Molly Hayes had one of the best weekends of her career as she led Augie to wins over Upper Iowa and Winona State. Hayes scored 23 points in the win over Upper Iowa, shooting 69.2 percent (9 of 13) from the field. She was also a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line and collected eight assists and two steals. In the Winona State game, Hayes scored her second 20-point game of the weekend, pouring in 22 points on 6 of 9 shooting (66.7 percent). She was also 2 of 4 from behind the arc and 8 of 8 from the charity stripe. Hayes picked up her rebounding in this game, pulling down six rebounds to go with her seven assists. For the weekend, Hayes averaged 22.5 points and 7.5 assists. She shot 68.2 percent (15 of 22) from the field and 42.9 percent (3 of 7) from 3-point range. Hayes did not miss a free throw all weekend, going 12 of 12. She also contributed 3.5 rebounds per game and had a 2.1 assist to turnover ratio. This marks the second time this season Hayes has been named NSIC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.
SCSU Clutch Jumper Buries MSU 63-62
January 16, 2010 | Box Scores
Talisha Barlow scored the game-winning basket for the Huskies.
Mankato, Minn. – With the clock winding down and St. Cloud State down 62-61, junior Talisha Barlow (Little Canada) drove into the Minnesota State University paint and hit a tough jumper with six seconds to go in the game to earn a 63-62 win over the defending national champions Saturday night in front of 1,486 fans at the Bresnan Arena.
The Huskies earned its first road win of the season with the victory and improve to 8-8 overall, while going 3-6 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. A night after taking down the conference-leading Concordia University Golden Bears, Minnesota State drops its first home game of the season and its record to 10-6 and 5-4 in the NSIC.
St. Cloud State came out firing in the first five minutes of the game, making three of four shots from beyond the arc to set the tone and take an early 13-6 lead.
The Huskies started the game making 6-of-8 shots from the field and continued to pressure the Mavericks, taking a 25-13 lead after a Barlow scored her 13th point of the half on a breakaway layup.
St. Cloud State held the Mavericks to just six made field goals in the half, while causing 10 Minnesota State turnovers to take a 37-17 lead into halftime. The Mavericks scored just one basket in the final 13:52 of the half and ended the first 20 minutes of play shooting 6-for-30.
Barlow finished the half with 13 points, while sophomore Becca Friestleben (Victoria) scored all 12 of her first half points from beyond the arc.
After going 17:12 without a basket in the middle of the game, the Mavericks came out of halftime firing on all cylinders starting with an 8-0 run in the first five and a half minutes. Minnesota State would eventually go on to take the lead at 44-43 with a three pointer at the 8:52 mark.
The Huskies got the game tied at 50-50 after a Amanda Wagner (Webster) three pointer and eventually would take the lead back in its next possession as Wagner scored three points the hard way to take a three point lead with five minutes remaining in the the game.
Both teams battled through two ties and nine lead changes, as the Huskies were able to outlast the Mavericks for its third conference win.
Barlow finished the night with 19 points and tied a season high with nine rebounds, while Friestleben also added 19 with a 5-for-10 night from beyond the arc. Wagner scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded four steals in the game.
The Huskies remain on the road next week when they travel to Bismarck, N.D. to take on the University of Mary in a 6 p.m. game on Friday, January 22.
Second Half Pushes MSU Past #20 CU
January 15, 2010 | Box Scores
Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State Mavericks defeated the #20-ranked Golden Bears of Concordia University-St. Paul, Friday evening in the Taylor Center, 79-76. The Win marks the eighth consecutive victory at the Taylor Center and 573rd victory in program history.
Sophomore center Laura Weber opened the game winning the tip-off for the Mavericks. MSU allowed Concordia to score the first points of the game off a jumper. Senior forward Liz Trauger put up the first points for the Mavericks. The Mavericks took the lead at 13:56 by five points. Concordia battled back tying the game with nine minutes left in the half. The Golden Bears took the largest lead of 10 points with four minutes left in the half after five good jumpers. Cutting the lead the Mavericks ended the half with an eight point deficit, 41-33.
A close first half the score was tied six times while there were six lead changes. MSU shot 39.4 percent from the field while out rebounding the Golden Bears 25-19. The Mavericks scored five points off of Concordia turnovers. Leading the Mavericks in the first half with 14 points was Trauger, while senior guard Tiffany Moe and sophomore guard Lauren Barber both contributed six points to the scoring in the first half.
The Mavericks came out strong in the second half with Weber putting down three layups, cutting the deficit to two points. The Golden Bears started the half with their largest lead that would not be given back to them. With eight minutes left in the half Concordia had a five-point lead on the Mavericks to be taken away as Moe put down two jumpers, followed by one more by Weber.
At 6:42 left in the game Concordia received a technical foul, where Moe put two shots in at the line to tie the game, followed by a jumper to give the Mavericks a two-point lead. The game was tied three more times before the Mavericks ran away with the lead by six points with 26 seconds left in the game to be cut to three after the Golden Bears sank a shot from the arc with 13 seconds left on the clock but wasn’t enough.
Minnesota State shot 51.6 percent from the field while out rebounding the Golden Bears 44-31. Trauger led the Mavericks in scoring earning her career-high points with 24, grabbing nine rebounds, followed by Weber earning her first career double-double while earning her career high of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Moe tallied 19 points to put her at 1,004 career points. Barber tallied 11 points for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks now 10-5 overall and 5-3 in the NSIC will host the Huskies of St. Cloud State tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. in the Taylor Center.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 8
January 11, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#31 Ashley Arlen
F, 6-2, So.,
Cascade, Iowa
Cascade HS
Iowa State University
Wayne State
Ashley Arlen averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds per game in helping the Wildcats notch an NSIC home sweep with wins over the weekend against Minnesota, Crookston and MSU Moorhead. Arlen had 27 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s 73-52 win over Minnesota, Crookston for her fourth double-double of the season and followed that by scoring 21 points (16 in the first half) and grabbing seven rebounds in Sunday’s 74-57 win over MSU Moorhead. For the weekend, Arlen shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field and 70 percent (12-of-17) at the free throw stripe.
WSC Upends MSU Moorhead
January 10, 2010 | Box Scores
WAYNE, Neb. - After taking a big win over the Augustana Vikings on Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons were unable to complete the NSIC weekend sweep as they suffered a 74-57 loss to the Wayne State Wildcats on Sunday.
The Wildcats may have had just one less turnover than the Dragons, which have been MSUM’s achilles heel in losses this season, but WSC was able to score more points off of turnovers tallying 28 to the Dragons 18. WSC also hit more baskets as they shot 47 percent from the field to the Dragons 31.
WSC had four players in double figures in scoring, while the Dragons had two. Alison Nash-Gerlach scored 18 points, on her way to her second double-double in two nights, grabbing 11 boards. Brittany Mayclin had her third consecutive game where she has posted double figures, with ten points in the game she also had four rebounds.
The Dragons 57 points were the lowest total scored by the team in a game this year, the prior lowest of 63 was in their loss to Barry (Fla.) that was played in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The team’s overall record moves to 11-4 and 5-3 in the NSIC. The Wildcats move to 11-3 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC.
Rettke & Nash-Gerlach Lead MSUM to 80-75 Win Over Augie
January 9, 2010 | Box Scores
Rettke had 24 points and 15 boards in Win over Augie
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Seniors Meghan Rettke and Alison Nash-Gerlach combined for 40 points and 27 rebounds on Saturday afternoon to lead the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons to a 80-75 win over the Augustana Vikings.
Rettke scored 24 points to lead the field and grabbed 15 boards. She was 7-of-16 from the field and went 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Nash-Gerlach chipped in 16, six coming from the free-throw line and had 12 rebounds.
The Vikings hit 7-of-12 attempts from the three-point line in the first half to spread the Dragons defense, leading at halftime 40-38. Megan Doyle led the Vikings with 12 points, three baskets coming from behind the arc. Three of the Dragons starters each tallied 10 points in the first half to only have six points come off the bench in the first half. Nash-Gerlach, Rettke and Brittany Mayclin each hit double-figures in the first half.
“Our goal in the second half was to guard the three-point shooters better,” Head Coach Karla Nelson said. “And we hit some timely three’s in the second half that allowed us to spread their defense and keep feeding our posts.”
Betsy Dickson hit a three-pointer at 19:03 in the second half to give the Dragons a one point lead. The Vikings hit a two-pointer from the top of the key just seconds later to regain the lead and hold a share of it until the 15-minute mark when Marisa Yernatich came off the bench and hit a three.
The lead would change back to the home team one more time before the game was tied at 51 at 13:23 when Rettke scored on a lay-up. This began a ten point run for the Dragons, all of which came at the post position, with Angie Jetvig leading down-low with six in the spread. MSUM led 59-51 with 10:18 left in the game.
AC pulled to within one at 4:35, trailing MSUM 69-68, but after key time-out called by the Dragon’s bench, the visitors went back up by seven on back-to-back jumpers by Rettke and Mayclin and followed by two free-throws by Rettke.
Teri VerSteeg hit two free-throws with 57 seconds left in the game to cut the Dragons lead to three and after a MSUM turnover, her teammate, Faith Tinklenberg would cut the lead to one on a lay-up following an offensive board, trailing 76-75.
Rettke and Mayclin would each hit two free-throws on the Dragons following two possessions and the Vikings were unable to hit a shot to give the Dragons the 80-75 win.
The Dragons scored 18 points in the paint and 17 points off turnovers in the second half, while the Vikings only combined for 19 in both the categories. The Dragons also held the Vikings to a 36 percent shooting average in the second half after the home team shot 52 percent in the first half.
Rettke and Nash-Gerlach led the Dragons to out-rebound their opponent, 43-35. Twenty-nine of the Dragons rebounds came on defense, with Rettke grabbing 11 defensive boards. Jetvig also grabbed six boards for the Red and White. She scored eight points in the game.
Mayclin hit a career-high 17 points in the game, going 6-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. Only ten points came from the Dragons bench in the game as the starters combined for 70.
MSUM moves to 5-2 in the Northern Sun Conference and 11-3 overall. The Vikings suffered their second loss in league play moving to 4-2 and 10-3 overall.
The Dragons travel to Wayne, Neb., on Sunday to face Wayne State at 2 p.m.
WBB: WSU Comes Back for 2-Point in Over SMSU
January 8, 2010 | Box Scores
WINONA, MN -- Winona State University held off a final charge by Southwest Minnesota State University to post a 64-62 Northern Sun IntercollegiateConference victory in McCown Gymnasium.
The Warriors had built a six-point, 57-51, lead with 3:52 left to play. But SMSU fought back to cut the margin to two, at 64-62, with five seconds left. The Mustangs then got off a a last-second shoot only to have Afton Glander pull down the rebound for the Warriors and preserve the WSU win.
The Warriors never led in the first half, as SMSU led 30-23 at the intermission. From there WSU tied the game a 34-all with 9:34 left to play and after a, 49-49, tie at 7:39, trailed 51-49 with 7:16 on the clock, The Warriors then went on an 8-0 run for its 57-51 lead.
Natalie Gigler led the Warriors with 21 points. She also pulled down six rebounds, dished out two assista and had one steal.
Ana Wurtz, playing in her 100th game as a Warriors, scored in double figures for the 60th time in her WSU career with 15 points.
Bonnie Bjorke led the Warriors with seven rebounds and snatched three steals.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 7
January 4, 2010 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#21 Bri Zabel
F, 6-0, Jr.,
Northfield, Minn.
Florida Gulf Coast
Minnesota, Crookston
Bri Zabel averaged 20 points per game as Minnesota, Crookston defeated defending National Champion and #11 ranked Minnesota State 88-74 and followed that performance up with a 76-72 victory over Southwest Minesota State. She scored 17 points against the Mavericks as she was 7-13 from the field, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing four assists. Against the Mustangs, Zabel put the contest away with 13 seconds left when she hit two free-throws to close out the contest 76-72. Zabel led all scorers with 23 points in the game. She was 5-11 from the field and a staggering 11-12 from the free-throw line. On the weekend Zabel averaged 20 points/game on 12-24 (.500) shooting. She was 3-8 from long range and 13-16 from the free-throw line. She was second on the team in rebounds with 13 (6.5 rebounds/game), assists (8) and tied for the team lead with two steals.
WBB: UMD Hands Augustana First NSIC Loss
January 3, 2010 | Box Scores
Duluth, Minn.- In terms of statistics, the University of Minnesota Duluth had its strongest performance of the young season, and that resulted in a convincing 81-63 victory over Augustana Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs set 2009-10 single-game highs for field goal percentage (49.2 percent), three-pointers made (15), and three-point percentage (60 percent) on their way dealing Augustana its first conference Ioss of the year.
Senior forward Jheri Booker helped UMD complete the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference weekend sweep with a 25-point effort. The Summerville, Ga., native also led the Bulldogs in rebounds with seven. Sophomore guard Lindsay Miller added 21 points as she went 8-of-13 from the floor (including 5-of-9 from three-point range). Miller also came away with seven steals, a Bulldog single-game high this season.
UMD took care of the ball all afternoon, as the Bulldogs (9-4 overall and 4-2 in the NSIC) finished with 24 assists compared to 13 turnovers. Constant pressure by the UMD defense caused the Vikings (10-2; 4-1) to lose the turnover battle (Augustana turned the ball over a 23 times.) UMD will be back on the road again next weekend for a pair of NSIC engagements.
The Bulldogs travel to St. Cloud State University on Saturday (Jan. 8) before heading to Concordia University-St. Paul on Sunday. Both games are set to get underway at 6:00 p.m.
WBB: UMC Upsets #11 Minnesota State
January 2, 2010 | Box Scores
Photo Courtesy of KROX Radio - Crookston, Minn.
Crookston, Minn.- The University of Minnesota, Crookston Women's Basketball team returned to NSIC play this afternoon as they hosted 11th ranked Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Golden Eagles were battling an 11 day layoff but conquered that obstacle when they took a three-point lead at the 11:10 mark of the first half on a Jamie Zelinsky (G, 5-11, JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) three-pointer and did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game. Minnesota, Crookston extended the lead to 16 points in the first half and 24 in the second half before taking the 88-74 NSIC victory and handing the Mavericks their first conference loss of the season and the biggest win for the Golden Eagles thus far this season. The Mavericks won the NCAA Division II National Championship and defeated Minnesota, Crookston by three points in each of their two meetings last season.
The Golden Eagles used the long ball in the first half as the team hit a season-high seven first half three-pointers. Minnesota, Crookston's bench set the tone as well, accounting for 16 first-half points to the Mavericks eight. Pacing all players through the first 20 minutes of play were Brittani Wiese (G, 5-7, FR, Albertville, Minn.) and Zelinsky. Wiese tallied a half-high 16 points on 6-7 shooting and was 3-3 from the free-throw line. Zelinsky scored 14 points. She was 4-7 from the field, 2-3 from long range and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Kelsey Van Ackeren (G, 5-9, SR, St. Cloud, Minn.) continues to show her senior leadership as she earned eight points and grabbed a half-high five rebounds. No Maverick scored in double-digits in the first half and the team was 3-13 from beyond the arc. Lauren Barber led Minnesota State with eight points in 12 minutes of play.
The Golden Eagles exploded again in the second half as Gina Jaroszewski (F, 5-11, JR, Moorhead, Minn.) helped Minnesota, Crookston go up by a game-high 24 points as she put in a layup at the 7:47 mark of the second half. Minnesota State would cut the lead to 14 but the Golden Eagle defense was too much as they held the Mavericks to 42 percent shooting from the field. Minnesota, Crookston finished the game with six players in double-digits. Wiese tied a game-high with 18 points. She was 7-13 from the field, 3-3 from the free-throw line and dished out a game-high and tied a team season-high six assists. Bri Zabel (F, 6-0, JR, Northfield, Minn.) tallied 13 points in the second half to tie Zelinsky with 17 points in the game. Zabel was 7-13 from the field, grabbed seven assists and dished four assists. Zelinsky was 5-9 from the field, 3-4 from long range and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Van Ackeren closed out the game with 14 points on 6-11 shooting. She grabbed a game-high eight rebounds including three big offensive boards. Jaroszewski and Diana Taddy (G, 5-6, JR, Two Rivers, Wis.) closed out the top Golden Eagle scorers with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Minnesota State was led by Jennie Noreen who tallied 18 points. She was 5-12 from the field and 6-7 from the free-throw line. Lauren Barber, Laura Weber and Ali Wilkinson closed out the leading scorers for MSU with 10 points each.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 6
December 21, 2009 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#24 Molly Hayes
G, 5-5, So.,
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Harrisburg HS
Augustana College
Molly Hayes enjoyed her best game of the season in leading Augustana to an 87-64 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire last week. Hayes netted a season-high 21 points and matched her career high with 10 assists as she recorded a double-double. It was her second double-double of her career, both of which have come this season. In addition, Hayes grabbed 5 rebounds and racked up 3 steals. Hayes connected on 8 of her 11 field goal attempts (72.7 percent) and 5 of her 8 3-point shots (62.5 percent). Her 5 treys were a career-high.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 5
December 14, 2009 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#14 Katie Pettit
G, 5-6, Fr.,
Howard Lake, Minn.
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted HS
Bemidji State
Katie Pettit averaged 17.0 points last weekend, guiding the Beavers to a 2-0 NSIC road trip at Winona State (79-69) and Upper Iowa (78-76). She averaged 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 29.0 minutes of work. In the two games she shot .600 from the field, .667 from the 3-point line and .800 from the free throw line. In the win against WSU, Pettit scored a career-high 26 points, adding five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, while shooting .800 percent from the field and .800 from beyond the arc.
WBB: Warriors Topple Minnesota Duluth
December 13, 2009 | Box Scores
WINONA, Minn. -- Winona State University held its focus down the stretch and handed the University of Minnesota Duluth a 74-70 setback in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action in McCown Gymnasium.
The game was tied at 59-all with 5:26 left when UMD went on to take a 64-61 lead with 3:25 left to play. But from there the Warriors went on a 9-2 run for a 70-66 lead with 58 seconds left on the clock. During that run Michelle McDonald and Bonnie Bjorke each hit a key field goal while Katie Wolff connected on two free throws and Marieanna Dulas clicked on a three-point field goal.
After that run, Bjorke hit another field goal with 17 seconds left to play and Ana Wurtz pretty well iced the contest with two free throws with 12 seconds remaining.
Wurtz and McDonald each scored team-high 17 points, while McDonald contributed eight rebounds and two steals.
Bjorke, with 14 points, and Dulas, with 10, rounded out the double-figure scoring for WSU. Dulas also tossed in seven assists.
Concordia-St. Paul and MSU Moorhead Remain Unbeaten
December 11, 2009 | Box Scores
The Golden Bears shot a season high 50.8% from the field and improved to 7-0 on the season and 3-0 in Northern Sun Conference play with an 89-56 win over Minnesota, Crookston (3-5, 1-2 NSIC) on Friday night. Concordia had a balanced scoring effort and never trailed in the game. Seniors Meghan Rettke and Alison Nash-Gerlach both registered their second straight double doubles to lead the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons to their eighth straight win, topping St. Cloud State University Huskies Friday night 74-62. The two unbeatens will clash Saturday evening in Moorhead, Minn.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 4
December 7, 2009 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#24 Alison Nash-Gerlach F, 6-1, Sr.,
Roseville, Minn.
Roseville HS
MSU Moorhead
Nash-Gerlach led the Dragons with 30 points and 21 boards this weekend as she recorded two double-doubles, her first and second of the season. On Friday against Bemidji State, she scored 12 and had 11 rebounds, and on Saturday in Duluth, she had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nash-Gerlach scored five points in the first three minutes of the second half against the Bulldogs that aided the team to take a comfortable lead. Five points early in the second half was half of her points in the second half. She also went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe. She had four assists, four steals and two blocks over the weekend.
NSIC Opener Equals Double Overtime in Bemidji
Decemeber 4, 2009 | Box Score
BEMIDJI, Minn. - Five Dragons scored in double-figures in the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball win over the Bemidji State Beavers in the NSIC opening barn-burner.
Sophomore Angie Jetvig and senior Alison Nash-Gerlach each tallied their first double-doubles of the season. Jetvig tallied 13 points with 11 boards, whild Nash-Gerlach scored 12 and had 11 rebounds.
Freshman Kaycee Charette scored 12, while Brittany Mayclin had 10. Krista Ophiem also had 10, and scored a game-changing three pointer to put the Dragons up by five with a minute left in the second overtime period.
Both teams started the game slow on offense and the Dragons ( 6-0, 1-0 NSIC) held a 25-24 lead at halftime. In the second half, the lead changed six times and the score was tied three times. A freshman Jessie Althoff (C, Becker, Minn.) free throw with 1:48 remaining in the second half tied the contest 54-54 and that is where the score would stay, as neither team found the bottom of the net before the final buzzer. The first overtime session saw a back-and-forth game, but only six points a side were scored and the two teams battled into the fourth frame. MSU Moorhead got out to a four point lead in the first two minutes, but BSU didn’t want to lose the epic battle and tied the game at 66-66 with just over two minutes remaining. Unfortunately, those would be the last points the Beavers (4-2, 0-1 NSIC) would muster in the game and they lost 75-66.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 3
November 30, 2009 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#35 Mikayla Barondeau
F, 6-1, So.,
Frederick, S.D.
Frederick-Leola HS
Northern State
Mikayla Barondeau paced Northern State in their 1-1 weekend at the NSIC Holiday Hoops Fest. In the Wolves’ 64-60 loss to Minnesota State Saturday, Barondeau recorded a school-record 22 rebounds, breaking a record of 21 that had stood since 1979. Also in the game she totaled 12 points, three assists, a block, and four steals giving her the first double-double of the season for Northern State and her seventh overall during her young career. In the Wolves 62-58 win over Minnesota, Crookston on Sunday she notched 13 points and 12 rebounds for her second-consecutive double double, and her eighth as a member of the Wolves. She also had three assists, two blocks, and two steals in helping the Wolves improve to 3-2 on the year. For the weekend she averaged 12.5 points, 17.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 3.0 steals and 39.5 minutes of action per game.
Augie Beats St. Cloud State 84-63 at NSIC HoopsFest
November 29, 2009 | Box Score
Sioux Falls, S.D. - A 84-63 win over St. Cloud State Sunday night at the Sioux Falls Arena gave head women’s basketball coach Dave Krauth his 400th career win. Krauth has been a head coach at Augustana for 21 seasons, where he has now amassed a career record of 400-186 with 10 NCAA tournament appearances.
Augustana College (3-1) beat St. Cloud State (3-2) 84-63 on day two of the NSIC Holiday HoopsFest. The Vikings had four players in double figures, led by Molly Hayes' 17 points. Megan Doyle added 15 while Kristi Board (13) and Alex Feeney (10) also had double figure points in the game. St. Cloud State was led by Becca Friestieben, who had 17 points and Tashia Barlow had 12 points of her own.
CU Remains Undefeated With Win over U-Mary
November 29, 2009 | Box Score
Sioux Falls, S.D. - Four players scored in double figures, lead by Maurika Hickman's 22 points as Concordia-St. Paul improved to 4-0 with at 81-77 win over the University of Mary (1-3) at the NSIC Holiday HoopsFest. Jineen Williams added 19 points while Gillian Bjerke (16) and Jamie Jones (14) both added double digit performances in the win. U-Mary was led by Rachel Zillmer's game-high 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting. U-Mary had four players score in double digits in the loss.
Bjorke's Jumper Propels WSU Past MSU on Day Two of NSIC HoopsFest
November 29, 2009 | Box Score
Sioux Falls, S.D. - Trailing by as many as 15, Winona State rallied for a 60-59 win over Minnesota State as Bonnie Bjorke hit a jumper with five seconds left to lift the Warriors over the country's sixth ranked team. The Mavericks lead 53-38 with nine minutes to go, but the Warriors battled back using a pair of 6-0 runs to knock MSU from the ranks of the undefeated. Marienanna Dulas led the Warriors with 16 point in the game, while Ana Wurtz and Michelle McDonald both added 11 points. Tiffany Moe led the Mavericks with 16 points including a jumper with 14 seconds left to regain the lead before Bjorke hit hers nine seconds later.
UMC Falls to NSU to Open Day Two at NSIC HoopsFest
November 29, 2009 | Box Score
Sioux Falls, S.D. - Northern State University (3-2) held on to defeat the University of Minnesota, Crookston (2-2) 62-58 to open day two of the NSIC Holiday HoopsFest. The Wolves had three players in double figures including the game's leading scorer Emily Becken, who dropped in 17 points. Mikayla Barondeau added a double double as she had 13 points and 12 rebounds in the contest. Jenna Higgins added 12 points of her own in the win. The Golden Eagles were led by Jamie Zelinsky's 12 points as both teams go 1-1 at the HoopsFest.
UMC Knocks off Winona State in HoopsFest Opener
November 28, 2009 | Box Score
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Nyhus
Sioux Falls, S.D. - The University of Minnesota, Crookston Women's Basketball team opened the 2009 NSIC Holiday Hoopfest with a non-conference contest against Winona State University. The Warriors, who defeated the Golden Gophers on November 4, could not find an answer for Diana Taddy (G, 5-6, JR, Two Rivers, Wis.) and Brittani Wiese (G, 5-7, FR, Albertville, Minn.) as the Golden Eagles took down the Warriors 78-66 in an overtime gem.
Minnesota, Crookston took a four point lead into the break on a Wiese three-pointer with six seconds remaining. Winona State took a two-point lead at the 19:06 mark of the second half but Taddy hit a jumper with 33 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. The Golden Eagles dominated the extra session outscoring Winona State 16-4 in the final five minutes of play. As a team, Minnesota, Crookston buried the Warriors in the paint outscoring Winona State 38-14 down low. UMC also turned 23 Winona turnovers into 25 points in the game.
Taddy led the Golden Eagles with a game and career-high 23 points. She was 7-16 from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line. She tied a game-high with three steals and dished out a game-high five assists. Taddy was two rebounds away from a double-double as she finished with eight. Wiese finished with a career-high 21 points on 8-11 shooting. She went 3-5 from long range and was 2-2 from the free-throw line. She tallied four assists and stole three Warrior passes. Bri Zabel (F, 6-0, JR, Northfield, Minn.) closed out the top scorers with 15 points in 39 minutes of play.
Winona State was led by Katie Wolff's 14 points and eight rebounds. Ana Wurtz finished with 13 points while Michelle McDonald and Marieanna Dulas finished with 11 points each.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 2
November 23, 2009 | PDF Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#10 Jheri Booker
F, 5-10, Jr.,
Summerville, Ga.
Tennessee State U
Minnesota Duluth
Jheri Booker has paced the University of Minnesota Duluth in scoring in each of the Bulldogs’ four games so far this season, leading them to a record of 3-1. She scored a career-high 30 points in the season-opening loss at home against No. 1 Michigan Tech University, and posted double-doubles against Michigan Tech and the University of Central Missouri. Booker put up 44 points and hauled in 25 rebounds (16 against UCM) in two games at the Central Missouri Tournament last weekend en route to earning All-Tournament Team recognition.
NSIC Women's Basketball Weekly Release No. 1
November 17, 2009 | PDF Release
St. Paul, Minn. - The 2009-10 NSIC Women's Basketball season tipped off Sunday with five teams in action. The other half of the league will kick off their seasons later this week. The non-conference season extends until Dec. 4, when the 20-game league schedule begins. Remember to watch all the NSIC home basketball games live and free at www.NorthernSun.tv.
Winona State Shocks Gophers in Exhibition!
November 4, 2009 | Box Score
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Winona State’s Natalie Gigler hit a 12-foot jumper from the left baseline with one second left in the game to give the Warriors a 64-62 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in exhibition action at Williams Arena on Wednesday.
Gigler finished the game with ten points, while Ana Wurtz paced the Warriors with a game-high 20 points. The Golden Gophers were led by Kiara Buford with 18 points.
Gigler was five-of-six from two-point range and missed both of her three-point field goal attempts, while grabbing four rebounds and coming up with an assist and a steal each.
Wurtz hit six three-point field goals out of the 12 she attempted and added four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Michelle McDonald and Bonnie Bjorke led the Warriors with five rebounds each and Marieanna Dulas had a team-high seven assists.
The Warriors were outrebounded 41-29, but shot 50 percent from the field by hitting 25-of-50 shots. WSU was also 12-for-25 from the three-point arch and 2-for-5 from the free thorw line.
Meanwhile, Winona State caught fire. The Warriors hit eight first-half three-pointers to take a 33-28 lead into intermission. Senior guard Ana Wurtz notched four of those triples and torched the Gopher defense for 14 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 20.
The exhibition game does not count on the regular-season record, however Warrior records show that the two teams had split the previous six meetings with the last game coming January 17, 1978.
Defending Champs of MSU Ranked Sixth in National Poll
November 4, 2009 | Full Release
St. Paul, Minn. - The Minnesota State women’s basketball team is ranked sixth in the USA Today ESPN Division II Poll.
Last season Minnesota State finished first in the nation winning the 2009 national championship against Franklin Pierce. MSU tallied an outstanding 32-2 overall record and 19-1 in the NSIC.
Minnesota State is the only ranked team from the Northern Sun Conference. Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State and MSU-Mooorhead were placed in the “Others receiving votes category”.
MSU will play an exhibition game tomorrow night (Nov. 5) against South Dakota State in Brookings, South Dakota at 7 p.m. The Mavericks will host Dana on November 17 at 7:00 p.m. in Taylor Center. Full WBCA Poll
Defending Champs of MSU Repeat as NSIC WBB Preseason Coaches’ Favorite
October 16, 2009 | Full Release
St. Paul, Minn. - The defending National Champions of Minnesota State University, Mankato were selected for the second straight year as the NSIC Women’s Basketball Preseason favorite, as voted on by the league’s coaches. Minnesota State accumulated 176 points with nine first place votes to earn the honor. Concordia-St. Paul (154) and Augustana College (145) both got two first place votes and come in second and third, respectively. MSU Moorhead was right on Augie’s heels with 142 points while Winona State came in with 140 points and a first place nod. Minnesota Duluth (131) and Wayne State (111) round out the top half of the teams.
Minnesota Duluth's Jheri Booker has be picked by the league coaches as the 2009-10 NSIC Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year. Booker, finished off a stellar breakout season for the Bulldogs in 2008-09 by being named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. She led her team in scoring and steals last season. Booker, who held the top slot in the NSIC (3.75 spg ) and No. 10 mark in the NCAA (3.6 spg), tied the single-season steals record with UMD alum Susan Anderson, who had 99 total steals in 2000-01. She also contributed 15.3 ppg and missed reaching double-digits in only seven games this season. She scored her career-high 27 points against Wayne State on Jan. 2, 2009. Booker also helped dominate the backcourt, averaging 7.4 rpg. Her leadership, skill and dynamic abilities helped bring the Bulldogs’ to a 16-12 overall record last season.
NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 13 with a first place vote receiving 14 points, second place 13, third place 12, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.
The 2009-10 women’s basketball season gets underway on Sunday, November 15.
| 2009-10 NSIC WBB Coaches | ||
| Preseason Poll | Pts |
|
1. |
Minnesota State (9) | 176 |
2. |
Concordia-St. Paul (2) | 154 |
3. |
Augustana (2) | 145 |
4. |
MSU Moorhead | 142 |
5. |
Winona State (1) | 140 |
6. |
Minnesota Duluth | 131 |
7. |
Wayne State | 111 |
8. |
St. Cloud State | 99 |
9. |
University of Mary | 96 |
10. |
Northern State | 73 |
11. |
SMSU | 66 |
12. |
Minnesota, Crookston | 55 |
13. |
Bemidji State | 37 |
14. |
Upper Iowa | 32 |
| ( ) First Place Votes | ||
NSIC Holiday HoopsFest Tickets On Sale Now
October 1, 2009 | Full Release
Sioux Falls, S.D. - Tickets for the 2009 NSIC Holiday HoopsFest will go on sale Thursday, October 1, 2009. The NSIC Holiday HoopsFest, sponsored by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority, features NSIC men’s and women’s basketball teams competing on Thanksgiving weekend, November 28 and 29, in games played at the Sioux Falls Arena and the Elmen Center at Augustana College. Tickets will be on sale at the Sioux Falls Arena Box Office or through www.ticketmaster.com. Lower level reserved seat tickets for two-game sessions at the Arena are $12.50 each. Upper level Arena seats are all general admission and are $10 for adults and $5 for students per session. Lower level Arena reserved seat All-Session tickets are $50 and may be purchased by calling the Sioux Falls Sports Authority at (605) 373-2041. Tickets for games played at the Elmen Center are general admission and will be available at the door on game days.
Competing in this year’s NSIC Holiday HoopsFest on the women’s side are the defending NCAA Division II National Champions of Minnesota State University, Mankato along with 2009 NCAA Regional participants Augustana College, Winona State, and St. Cloud State. Concordia-St. Paul, University of Mary, Minnesota, Crookston and Northern State round out the eight teams on the women’s side. On the men’s side 2009 NCAA Regional qualifiers Augustana College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, St. Cloud State, Northern State and Winona State will all be in action along with Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota, Crookston and the University of Mary.
2009 NSIC HOLIDAY HOOPSFEST GAME SCHEDULE
Visiting Team (D) = Dark Uniform Home Team (W) = Light Uniform
Saturday, November 28, 2009
at Sioux Falls Arena
1 p.m. Northern State Women (D) vs. Minnesota State University, Mankato Women (W)
3 p.m. Northern State Men (D) vs. Minnesota State University, Mankato Men (W)
6 p.m. Augustana College (D) Women vs. Concordia University- St. Paul Women (W)
8 p.m. Augustana College (D) Men vs. Concordia University- St. Paul Men (W)
at Elmen Center
12 p.m. Winona State University Women (D) vs. University of Minnesota Crookston Women (W)
2 p.m. Winona State University Men (D) vs. University of Minnesota Crookston Men (W)
5 p.m. University of Mary Women (D) vs. St. Cloud State University Women (W)
7 p.m. University of Mary Men (D) vs. St. Cloud State University Men (W)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
at Sioux Falls Arena
1 p.m. Minnesota State University, Mankato Women (D) vs. Winona State University Women (W)
3 p.m. Minnesota State University, Mankato Men (D) vs. Winona State University Men (W)
6 p.m. St. Cloud State University Women (D) vs. Augustana College Women (W)
8 p.m. St. Cloud State University Men (D) vs. Augustana College Men (W)
at Elmen Center
12 p.m. University of Minnesota Crookston Women (D) vs. Northern State Women (W)
2 p.m. University of Minnesota Crookston Men (D) vs. Northern State Men (W)
5 p.m. Concordia University- St. Paul Women (D) vs. University of Mary Women (W)
7 p.m. Concordia University- St. Paul Men (D) vs. University of Mary Men (W)
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