Women’s Basketball Chosen For Fifth in the NSIC North and 11th Overall in NSIC Coaches’ Poll

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – St. Cloud State's women's basketball team has been tabbed to finish fifth in the NSIC North Division and 11th overall by the league coaches in the annual preseason poll, the league office announced on Wednesday morning. Oct. 25. The Huskies also saw senior Andrea Thomas tabbed as a 2017 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player to Watch for the upcoming season.

NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first-place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.

The Huskies picked up a total of 91 points to finish ahead of Southwest Minnesota State (58), Minnesota Crookston (51), Bemidji State (43), Upper Iowa (39) and Minot State (36). MSU Moorhead were chosen to win the conference with 213 points and 10 first place votes to edge out Northern State, who had 209 points and four first place votes. Augustana received the other two first place votes and 200 points. MSU Moorhead was also the choice to win the NSIC North Division this season with five first-place votes and 47 points.

Thomas sported an 8.3 points per game average last season, while shooting 86 percent from the foul line. She also finished second on the team with her 43 steals. Thomas placed eighth in the NSIC in assists per game (3.6) and 10th in total steals.

The St. Cloud State women's basketball team, who went 11-16 overall and 9-13 in the NSIC last year, start the campaign with a pair of home games on the first two weekends of the year. The program takes on Valley City State on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall. The team then hosts Northland College the following weekend on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m.

Other key returners for the SCSU women this season are senior guard Amanda Christianson and redshirt sophomore post player Brianna Johnson. Christianson averaged 11 points a game last season, while starting all 27 contests. She shot 44 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from three-point range. She also ranked fifth in the NSIC in three-point shooting percentage. Johnson picked up 5.7 rebounds per game in only 16.3 minutes a contest to rank in the top 30 in the league (27th). She played in 26 contests off the bench and averaged 4.6 points a game.

SCSU head coach Lori Fish is entering her 10th season leading the program and 14th season overall as a collegiate head coach. She has an overall record of 194-168. Her 2016-17 squad averaged 72.5 points per game. The team was second in the NSIC in scoring and third in three-point percentage (34.8). The program also placed fourth in the league in assists per game (15.6) and sixth in steals a contest (7.7).

The regular season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. The 16-team NSIC / Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place Sat.-Tues., Feb. 24-27 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. First round games will be played on the campus of the top eight seeds on Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Located in Central Minnesota along the oak-crowned west bank of the Mississippi River in the city of St. Cloud, Minn., St. Cloud State University sponsors 19 varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Huskies compete at the NCAA Division I level in men's hockey (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) and women's hockey (Western Collegiate Hockey Association), while its NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the University's nordic ski team competes in the Central Collegiate Ski Association.

To learn more about the academic opportunities available at St. Cloud State University, please visit stcloudstate.edu

2017 NSIC Overall Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll

1.	MSU Moorhead (10)	213
2.	Northern State (4)	209
3.	Augustana (2)	200
4.	Wayne State	182
5.	Winona State	152
6.	Concordia-St. Paul	140
7.	Minnesota State	132
8.	Minnesota Duluth	126
9.	University of Mary	125
10.	Sioux Falls	123
11.	St. Cloud State	91
12.	Southwest Minnesota State	58
13.	Minnesota Crookston	51
14.	Bemidji State	43
15.	Upper Iowa	39
16.	Minot State	36

first place votes in ()

Preseason NSIC South Player of the Year: Paige Ballinger, Wayne State College
Preseason NSIC North Player of the Year: Drew Sannes, MSU Moorhead

North Division

1.	MSU Moorhead (5)	47
2.	Northern State (3)	45
3.	University of Mary	34
4.	Minnesota Duluth	32
5.	St. Cloud State	26
6.	Bemidji State	15
7.	Minnesota Crookston	13
8.	Minot State	12