Huskies open NSIC North play against UMary

ST. CLOUD, MINN. - The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is off and running this 2020-21 season. After opening with two nonconference games against Upper Iowa University last weekend, St. Cloud State is ready to get its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) schedule rolling. It will do so this weekend, as the Huskies will officially open "conference" play by hosting the University of Mary Friday and Saturday in Halenbeck Hall.

Due to the unique nature of the season, these two games against the Marauders will be St. Cloud State's first official NSIC games, as last weekend's contests against Upper Iowa were deemed nonconference. On the flip side, these will be Mary's first games of the season. The Marauders were supposed to open the 2020-21 season against the University of Sioux Falls last weekend but saw their games cancelled due to the NSIC COVID-19 protocols.

Friday's tip off is currently scheduled for 6 p.m., while Saturday's game will begin at 4 p.m. At this time, no fans are allowed to attend either game, but they can follow via live stats, video and JW Cox's live coverage on Granite City Sports WJON 1390. Score updates will additionally be made to the team's official Twitter page (@SCSUHUSKIES_WBB).

Here are the five things to know before this weekend's series against Mary:

19.0/4.5/1.5/.462 - Junior point guard Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) put together a mighty impressive weekend in the Huskies series against the Peacocks. In two games, Evans averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals a game while shooting a .462 from the floor. She additionally scored 38 points over the weekend, bringing her within 10 of the 500 career-point threshold.

2 - Would you be shocked to find out senior guard Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) has tallied just two double-doubles in her career at St. Cloud State? It's true. In fact, one of those double-doubles came last weekend against Upper Iowa when Wortz tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's loss.

6-4 - In the last 10 matchups with the Marauders, the Huskies hold a 6-4 advantage, including a 4-2 lead in the last six meetings. Last season, St. Cloud State and Mary split the series with the visiting team claiming victory in the other's respective home. In an early season game at Halenbeck Hall, the Marauders defeated the Huskies 60-51 despite strong defensive play by the home team. Fortunately, St. Cloud State was able to flip the script in January, as the team defeated Mary 80-65 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

1157/72.31 - The Huskies have scored 1157 total points in their last 10 games against the Marauders for an impressive 72.31 points per game average. Last season, St. Cloud State was well below that average in its two meetings with Mary. While the Huskies stingy defense held the Marauders to 62.5 points per game, their offense averaged 65.5 points, which was certainly good enough for victory.

21.0/.502 - Mary will be without its top point producer from 2019-20, as former standout Cassie Askvig graduated at the conclusion of the academic year. The forward led the Marauders in scoring with 692 points (21.0/game) while shooting .502 from the floor. However, two student-athletes are primed to fill Askvig's shoes, as Lauren Rotunda (13.6 points/game, .521 FGP) and Lexie Schneider (9.5 points/game, 536 shooting) return for another season with head coach Rick Neumann.

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Players Mentioned

Brehna Evans

Tori Wortz

Saint Cloud State University Athletics