Friday, January 24
Aberdeen, SD
5:30 p.m.
St. Cloud State
at
Northern State University
Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
Women's basketball rolls into weekend road series at NSU, MSUM
1/21/2020 3:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team has been on a bit of a roll in the second half of the season. Since January 3, the Huskies are undefeated in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play, posting an immaculate 6-0 record with a 2-0 mark in road games. This weekend, St. Cloud State will truly put its unblemished January record to the test, as the team travels to face Northern State and MSU-Moorhead in two key NSIC games.
The Huskies are the hottest team in the North Division, as they enter this weekend's series riding a six-game win streak, the second-longest active win streak in the NSIC. The streak has allowed St. Cloud State to rise in the NSIC standings, as the team moved to No. 2 in the North Division with its 9-3 record and No. 3 overall. However, the Huskies will face two of their toughest opponents this weekend, as they are set to face Northern State at 5:30 p.m. Friday and MSU-Moorhead at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Live stats and video will be available for both Friday and Saturday's games, as will WJON's live radio broadcast. Score updates will also be made on the team's official Twitter page (@SCSUHUSKIES_WBB).
Here are the five things to know before this weekend's NSIC road trip:
1/2/3/4 – Things are getting pretty bunched up in the NSIC North standings, as all four of the top teams face off this weekend. Currently, St. Cloud State's conference rival and travel buddy Minnesota-Duluth sits atop the Division and overall standings with a nearly perfect 11-1 record with the Huskies sitting right behind them in second place with a 9-3 mark in NSIC play. Right on their heels? None other than the Dragons and Wolves. Preseason favorite MSU-Moorhead currently sits in third place with an 8-4 record in NSIC play, while surprise Northern State sits in fourth in the divisional standings with a 7-5 record.
2-2 – Last season, St. Cloud State posted a 2-2 record against its NSIC North foes, going 2-0 against the Wolves and 0-2 against the Dragons. Both losses to MSU-Moorhead were determined by less than 10 points, as the Huskies fell at home 82-75 and nearly upended the nationally ranked Dragons on the road before falling 65-61. Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / North) was huge for St. Cloud State in both games, averaging 18.0 points, 2.5 blocks and 5.5 rebounds against MSU-Moorhead in 2018-19.
17.3 – The Wolves and Dragons will need to find a way to stop point guard Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere). The sophomore has been on an absolute tear the second half of the season, averaging 17.3 points per game and particularly likes scoring on Saturday's. In the Huskies three Saturday contests, Evans has scored 20, 22 and 23 points respectively to average 21.7 points per game. Additionally, Evans is shooting .634 during the month of January, including a .611 clip from beyond the arc.
60.6/61.9 – The top two defenses in the conference will finally square off on Saturday when St. Cloud State takes on MSU-Moorhead. Currently, the Huskies rank second in the conference in scoring defense, as they've allowed just 61.9 points per game through 12 games this season. The Dragons have been just a smidge better on defense this season, as they've held their conference opponents to just 60.6 points in 12 games this year.
16.8/.557 – St. Cloud State's defense will have its hands full Friday evening, as the team will try to contain Northern State's top scorer Lexi Wadsworth. The sophomore South Dakota native is currently averaging 16.8 points a game against NSIC opponents while shooting .557 from the floor and averaging 1.9 three-pointers per game. All those numbers rank top-15 in the NSIC, as Wadsworth ranks sixth in scoring and second in field goal percentage.
The Huskies are the hottest team in the North Division, as they enter this weekend's series riding a six-game win streak, the second-longest active win streak in the NSIC. The streak has allowed St. Cloud State to rise in the NSIC standings, as the team moved to No. 2 in the North Division with its 9-3 record and No. 3 overall. However, the Huskies will face two of their toughest opponents this weekend, as they are set to face Northern State at 5:30 p.m. Friday and MSU-Moorhead at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Live stats and video will be available for both Friday and Saturday's games, as will WJON's live radio broadcast. Score updates will also be made on the team's official Twitter page (@SCSUHUSKIES_WBB).
Here are the five things to know before this weekend's NSIC road trip:
1/2/3/4 – Things are getting pretty bunched up in the NSIC North standings, as all four of the top teams face off this weekend. Currently, St. Cloud State's conference rival and travel buddy Minnesota-Duluth sits atop the Division and overall standings with a nearly perfect 11-1 record with the Huskies sitting right behind them in second place with a 9-3 mark in NSIC play. Right on their heels? None other than the Dragons and Wolves. Preseason favorite MSU-Moorhead currently sits in third place with an 8-4 record in NSIC play, while surprise Northern State sits in fourth in the divisional standings with a 7-5 record.
2-2 – Last season, St. Cloud State posted a 2-2 record against its NSIC North foes, going 2-0 against the Wolves and 0-2 against the Dragons. Both losses to MSU-Moorhead were determined by less than 10 points, as the Huskies fell at home 82-75 and nearly upended the nationally ranked Dragons on the road before falling 65-61. Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / North) was huge for St. Cloud State in both games, averaging 18.0 points, 2.5 blocks and 5.5 rebounds against MSU-Moorhead in 2018-19.
17.3 – The Wolves and Dragons will need to find a way to stop point guard Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere). The sophomore has been on an absolute tear the second half of the season, averaging 17.3 points per game and particularly likes scoring on Saturday's. In the Huskies three Saturday contests, Evans has scored 20, 22 and 23 points respectively to average 21.7 points per game. Additionally, Evans is shooting .634 during the month of January, including a .611 clip from beyond the arc.
60.6/61.9 – The top two defenses in the conference will finally square off on Saturday when St. Cloud State takes on MSU-Moorhead. Currently, the Huskies rank second in the conference in scoring defense, as they've allowed just 61.9 points per game through 12 games this season. The Dragons have been just a smidge better on defense this season, as they've held their conference opponents to just 60.6 points in 12 games this year.
16.8/.557 – St. Cloud State's defense will have its hands full Friday evening, as the team will try to contain Northern State's top scorer Lexi Wadsworth. The sophomore South Dakota native is currently averaging 16.8 points a game against NSIC opponents while shooting .557 from the floor and averaging 1.9 three-pointers per game. All those numbers rank top-15 in the NSIC, as Wadsworth ranks sixth in scoring and second in field goal percentage.
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