Women’s basketball opens NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament against MSU

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - It seems like only yesterday the St. Cloud State University women's basketball team was celebrating its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) / Sanford Health Tournament championship win over the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Flash forward nearly a full 365 days. The year is different, and the Huskies are headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to defend their conference tournament title. Their first round foe: none other than Minnesota State University-Mankato, a team St. Cloud State was set to play earlier this season.

The Huskies clinched the No. 2 seed in the NSIC North Division after splitting their series with the top-seeded Bulldogs last weekend and will open the tournament against the Mavericks, who earned the No. 3 seed in the South Division. The game itself seemed like a long awaited destiny playing out on the basketball court. After seeing its series against MSU-Moorhead cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, St. Cloud State was meant to host Minnesota State in a two-game series at the end of January. That series, though, was cancelled at the last minute when the Mavericks had the opportunity to play a South Division foe in a single game that same weekend.

Tipoff of the quarterfinal between the Huskies and Minnesota State is set for 1 p.m. on Friday, February 26 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At this time, fans will not be allowed to attend the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament due to NSIC guidelines. All games will be broadcasted on the NSICNetwork and will air on MidcoSports Network. Live stats will also be available for all games and score updates will be made to the team's official Twitter account (@SCSUHUSKIES_WBB).

Here are the five things to know before the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament:

12 / 17 - This is no doubt going to be one of the most exciting games of the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament as it boasts both the top offense and defense in the conference this season. It's been tough to score points against St. Cloud State all season long, as the Huskies held opponents to just 54.7 points during the regular season, a number that currently ranks 12th in all Division II in scoring defense. The Mavericks are accustomed to scoring points, as they've averaged an impressive 79.3 points per game in 2020-21. That number means Minnesota State owns the most prolific offense in the conference and ranks 17th in the nation in scoring offense.

13.9 / 13.2 - Ironically, not a single Maverick ranks in the top-10 in scoring in 2020-21 despite the fact the team is No. 1 in scoring offense. Sophomore sensation Joey Batt is the highest ranking player from Minnesota State wth her 13.9 points per game average, while teammate Rachel Shumski is not far behind, averaging 13.2 points per game.

3 - Three St. Cloud State student-athletes closed the regular season averaging 10+ points, including Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson), Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) and Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North). Evans and Wortz combined to be one of the best backcourts in the NSIC in 2020-21, as they averaged 15.1 and 14.5 points respectively during the season, while Kilboten was a multifaceted force. The senior averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds during 2020-21 and closed the season as the team's top rebounder, leading the Huskies in the stat in their last four games of the season.

10 - There's a common denominator to St. Cloud State's success this season: outstanding defensive play. The Huskies have held their opponents to under 60 points in 10 games this season and were victorious in all 10. Perhaps even more impressive: St. Cloud State held Mary, Northern State, Bemidji State, Minnesota-Crookston and Minnesota-Duluth to under 50 points at least once during the regular season.

4 - Four of the Huskies five starters from the 2019-20 team will make the return trip to the Pentagon this season. Wortz, Evans, Kilboten and Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) started and played significant minutes in all four of St. Cloud State's NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament games last year and are back for another postseason in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Joining the starting line up this year is senior forward Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) who also saw plenty of court time during the Huskies historic run in 2019-20.