Women's Basketball | January 22, 2015

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Teams: Minot State vs. Minnesota Duluth | Series: MSU leads 3-2
Date: Friday, Jan. 23, 2015 | Time: 6 p.m. | Site: Minot State Dome
Teams: Minot State vs. St. Cloud State | Series: SCSU leads 5-0
Date: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015 | Time: 4 p.m. | Site: Minot State Dome

THIS WEEK: Minot State returns to the friendly confines of the MSU Dome for the first two of four straight games at home. MSU takes on Minnesota Duluth Friday (6 p.m.) and St. Cloud State Saturday (4 p.m.).

RECORDS: The Beavers come into the weekend at 8-10 overall and are 3-9 in the Northern Sun. UMD and SCSU are 6-6 in the conference, while the Bulldogs are 8-8 overall and the Huskies come in at 10-6.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State is coached by Sheila Green Gerding. In her 20th season at the helm of the Beaver women's basketball program, Green Gerding has amassed an impressive 342-232 overall record. Green Gerding is the Beavers all-time wins leader and has all 342 wins with the Beavers. She has qualified Minot State for six NAIA National Tournaments over her career while also coaching 12 All-Americans both at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels. Annette Wiles is the head coach at Minnesota Duluth and is nearing 100 wins with UMD as she enters the weekend with a 91-66 record. Wiles had great success at Fort Hays State and Bethany College before coming to Duluth and is 391-207 overall. SCSU's head coach is Lori Fish, who is in her sixth season. She has been successful going 148-121 overall.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MSU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at msubeavers.com. Friday's game Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram and Pinterest with all feeds accessible at msubeavers.com/stayconnected.

RANKINGS: None of the three teams playing this weekend received votes in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II Poll.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State split a pair of NSIC road games, winning 74-61 Friday at Upper Iowa, but dropped a 52-47 defensive struggle Saturday at Winona State. MSU improved to 2-1 on the road on Friday's in the conference with the win at UIU as Morgan Klose (Sr., G, Fairview, N.D.) broke out of a scoring slump with a game-high 20 points. Christina Boag (Sr., F, Tamworth, Australia) netted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Beavers. In Saturday's loss, Savana Kingsbury (Jr., F, Omaha, Neb.) had 12 points and eight rebounds for her best all-around game with the Beavers. UMD ran into a buzz saw in NSIC South Division powerhouse Wayne State College, losing 91-53 Friday, but rebounded with an impressive 73-68 win over Augustana College Saturday. Taylor Meyer had 30 points combined in two games for UMD. SCSU couldn't get the same split, losing 79-70 to Augustana College and 82-63 against WSC. Lexy Petermann had 27 points against Augie and led the Huskies both nights in rebounding.

OVERALL SERIES: MSU has a slight edge over UMD, 3-2, in their short stint in the NSIC, but is 0-5 against SCSU. MSU split with the Bulldogs last season, with each team winning at home. SCSU topped Minot State both times last year.

NOTING THE BULLDOGS: Minnesota Duluth has three players averaging more than 30 minutes per game and Danielle Flood is logging an incredible 35.1 minutes of a 40 minute game… The Bulldogs' Taylor Meyer is having a breakout junior campaign as she is averaging 18.4 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game. She has made 101 of 228 shots from the field and is a solid 83 percent free throw shooter… Jessica Newman leads the team with 32 3-pointers and is scoring 13.1 points per game… Flood has missed just 10 free throws in 70 attempts and is third on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game… UMD has been to the free-throw line 142 times more than its opponents and has outscored its opponents 282-172 from the line… Turnovers have hurt the Bulldogs as they average 16.3 per game and have just a 0.6 assist-to-turnover ratio (153 assists, 261 turnovers).

NOTING THE HUSKIES: St. Cloud State's Lexy Petermann has been very good to start the season for the Huskies, averaging 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She has the most 3-pointers on the team with 27 and shooting 51.7 percent from the floor… SCSU was one of the hottest teams in the country as they opened the season with eight wins, including a 62-54 upset win over Northern State. But the Huskies are just 2-6 since a 75-74 loss at Minnesota Duluth a week after the NSU win… The Huskies have been very good form the free-throw line as they are shooting at a 73.2 percent clip, but have been outscored by 36 from the line as opponents are hitting at 74 percent and have taken 46 more shots from the charity stripe… Betsey MacDonald is having a solid sophomore campaign, hitting for 10.1 points and dishing out 54 assists on the season… SCSU has only 27 blocks on the year with leader Nichole Whittman swatting just six.

BREAK-OUT GAME: MSU senior Morgan Klose (G, Fairview, N.D.) had been struggling from the field until a big game Friday in the Beavers win over Upper Iowa. Klose hit 8 for 11 from the field, knocked down three 3-pointers and led the team with 20 points. She also added six rebounds and two blocks in the win. Klose scored 29 points in two games last weekend.

FRIDAY IS MY DAY: Minot State has won its last two Friday road NSIC games, shooting a high percentage from the floor as a team in both games. MSU was 31 of 54 from the field in Friday's win over Upper Iowa, hitting 57.4 percent from the field and hit five 3-pointers. Two weeks earlier, the Beavers were even better, going 53-for-32 shooting from the floor for 60.4 and hit 7 of 11 3s in a rout of Bemidji State.

BOAG WATCH REACHES FEVER PITCH: Minot State senior Christina Boag (F, Tamworth, Australia) is within striking distance for 1,000 career points, netting her 975th career point Saturday. She looks to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 career points. She is also poised to become the sixth player to finish their career with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. She has 577 rebounds in four seasons, sixth highest number in school history.

KINGSBURY OF HER CASTLE: It was a career night Saturday for Savana Kingsbury (F, Omaha, Neb.). She nearly finished with a double-double as she rebounded as she has all season, pulling down eight boards. But Kingsbury looked to score more than at any point in her career and netted 12 points, including that elusive first 3-pointer on the season. She is averaging 4.6 points and 6.4 rebounds on the season.

945 AND COUNTING: While an injury has slowed her pace a little, senior forward Katie Hardy (Fairview, N.D.) is also within striking distance of 1,000 career points. Hardy has 945 points in three seasons and with 11 games, should have no problem becoming the 12th or 13th player in school history with 1,000 points (depending on Boag's progress). Hardy also has 415 rebounds in just under four full seasons.

BY THE NUMBERS
8: Games since a conference opponent has scored in the 70s against Minot State's defense. The Beavers have been one of the top defensive teams in the NSIC all season as have given up 70 or more points just three times this year and only once in conference play, a 71-61 setback to the University of Sioux Falls.

73: Free throw attempts by sophomore Diondra Denton (G, Great Falls, Mont.), nearly double of the next closest teammate. Denton has been to the line 31 times more than Alex Haley (So., G, Libertyville, Ill.), who is second on the team in attempts with 42.

770: Career points for senior Morgan Klose (G, Fairview, N.D.). Klose, along with fellow seniors Katie Hardy (F, Fairview, N.D.) and Christina Boag (F, Tamworth, Australia) have combined for 2,890 points. WOW!