Friday, December 1
St. Cloud, Minn.
7:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Minnesota Crookston
Photo by: Justyce Porter
St. Cloud State Women’s Basketball Opens Conference Play With Pair of Home Games
11/30/2023 8:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Huskies host Minnesota Crookston Friday, Minot State Saturday
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Basketball (3-1, 0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) opens NSIC play at Halenebeck Hall this weekend. On Friday, the Huskies will face off against Minnesota Crookston (4-3, 1-0 NSIC) and Minot State (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) on Saturday. Friday's game tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT and Saturday's game is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the games are available at scsutickets.com. Both games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network (Friday's Stream / Saturday's Stream) and broadcasted on the Varsity Network app. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the livestream and the radio broadcast. Live stats will be covered by St. Cloud State. Links to all coverage options can be found on the St. Cloud State Women's Basketball schedule page.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
The promo for Friday's game is Winter Wonderland White Out – wear white. The promo for Saturday's game is Dog Pound Appreciation – there will be free pizza for students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State returned home last weekend and took on Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. Saturday's game against Michigan Tech saw the Huskies burst out of the gates with an 18-11 lead after the first period. Senior forward Jasmine Litt (Pulaski, Wis.) bombarded the Wildcats from deep as she knocked down three three-pointers in the opening frame. St. Cloud would go into halftime holding an eight-point lead after sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) made a jump shot with 11 seconds remaining in the half. Eggebrecht scored seven points in the 1st half. St. Cloud shot 60% from the field in both quarters and above 50% from beyond the arc. The hot shooting for the Huskies would continue into the 2nd half as they nearly shot 60% from the field again as well as shooting 60% from three-point land. The Huskies would possess a 15-point lead going into the 4th quarter and did not look back. The Wildcats would cut the deficit to six-points with only 42 seconds remaining, but the Huskies were able to put the game away at the free throw line to give them their third victory of the season. Litt finished the game as the leading scorer with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, four three-pointers, and one steal. Eggebrecht poured 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, and three assists. Sophomore forward Ashley Sawicki (Waunakee, Wis.) shut down the paint as she tied her career high for blocks with five in the game. Sawicki also finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Sunday's game against Michigan Tech would not garner the same result for St. Cloud. Michigan Tech was on fire to start the game as they drilled six of their nine three points attempts in the 1st quarter and led 27-13. The 2nd quarter saw the SCSU start to chip away at the deficit as Jasmine Litt and freshman forward Abigail O'Reilly (Elgin, Minn.) scored 15 of St. Cloud State's 17 points in the quarter. St. Cloud would still find themselves down seven points heading into halftime. Michigan Tech would push the lead back up to 12 halfway through the 3rd, but SCSU would again rally and finish the quarter on a 13-2 run. Senior guard Morgan Draheim (Hortonville, Wis.) would score eight points during that run while also cashing in two three-pointers. St. Cloud would be down one point to start the 4th quarter until Draheim drove in for a layup to give SCSU the lead. The lead was short lived as Michigan Tech would score a layup of their own and never looked back. Michigan Tech would shoot 61.54% in the 4th while making 10 of their 11 free throw attempts to seal the game with a six-point victory. The loss would be the first loss for St. Cloud on the year. Draheim finished the game with a career high 16-points along with two rebounds, and two steals. Litt would score 15 points and Jada Eggebrecht would chip on 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, four steals, and one block.
SERIES HISTORY
The Huskies hold a 32-8 record all-time against Minnesota Crookston including two victories last year. In the first matchup, St. Cloud would cruise to a 71-51 victory. Jada Eggebrecht and senior forward Dru Henning (Mukwongo, Wis.) would each score 11-points in the game. Eggebrecht would also dish out seven assists, grab three rebounds, and record two steals. Hennings would tally two steals and knock down three three-pointers. The second matchup would be a closer game, but St. Cloud would still come away with a 68-58 victory. St. Cloud would enter the 4th quarter with a one-point lead, but an 11-4 run to open the quarter would push that lead to eight points. Crookston would get as close as four points the rest of the way as St. Cloud would put the game away at the free throw line by making seven of their eight attempts in the final 63 seconds of the game. Jada Eggebrecht would score a game high 20 points while making all six of her free throws. Ashley Sawicki scored a career high 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Off the bench, Jasmine Litt would chip in 12 points and five rebounds.
St. Cloud also holds a larger advantage in their series against Minot State as they have won 17 of the 22 meetings. The Huskies would take the first matchup in what was a nail biting 57-55 victory. St. Cloud would enter the 4th quarter with a one-point lead. Eggebrecht found lightning in a bottle as she scored nine of her 13 points in the quarter including a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining that would ultimately put the nail in the coffin. Dru Henning would lead the Huskies in scoring as she dropped 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, four rebounds, three three-pointers made, a block, and a steal. In the second matchup, St. Cloud would be on the other end of a nail-biting game as they lost 58-60. Eggebrecht was again clutch down the stretch as she scored 15 of her 22 points in the 4th quarter to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining. Dru Henning would block a game winning layup attempt by Minot with two seconds left, but Natasha Elliot would tip in a layup as time expired to break the hearts of the Huskies. Eggebrecht would also record four rebounds and assists, four made three-pointers, a block, and a steal.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Minnesota Crookston comes into this matchup with a 4-3 record and riding high as they've won four of their last five games. Over the holidays, Crookston traveled to Florida where they faced off against Lynn University and Barry University. The Golden Eagles flew too close to the sun as they suffered a 15-point loss but responded with a six-point victory in the next game. Sophomore guard Emma Miller leads the Golden Eagles by nearly averaging a double-double. Miller has put up averages of 20.1 points, nine rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 44.1% from the field, 41.9% from beyond the arc, and 95% from the free throw line. Miller was also a member of the NSIC Shining 5 team where she averaged 19.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over the course of three games. Sophomore forward Janie Tormanen is Crookston's second leading scorer at 12.9 points per game. Tormanen also averages 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
In the first matchup, St. Cloud kept Miller in check as they held her to 11 points on 5/12 shooting. The second matchup would prove to be even better than the first for the Huskies as Miller again struggled shooting the ball as she scored 15 points, but on 6/22 shooting and 1/11 from three-point range. St. Cloud would also force Miller to commit four turnovers in the game.
Natalie Moynihan is enduring her first season as head coach for Minnesota Crookston after replacing the longest tenured coach in program history; Mike Roysland. Roysland had served as the head coach for the past 17 seasons for Crookston. Moynihan had served as the assistant coach for the University of Bridgeport the past two seasons.
SCOUTING MINOT STATE
Minot State comes into this matchup in the midst of a six-game losing streak and a 1-7 record overall. In the seven losses, Minot is losing by an average of 17.5 points per game including a 29-point loss in their last outing against North Dakota. Junior guard Sydney Gustavsson is the Beavers leading scorer at 13 points per game on 40% from the field. Gustavsson also averages a team high 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
This past offseason, the Beavers lost three of their top five scorers including Kate Head, Kennedy Harris, and Natasha Elliot who all averaged above nine points per game. Head led the Beavers last year with 15.7 points per game.
Mike Brandt enters his third season with Minot State in 2023-2024. Brand has posted a 21-41 record during his tenure including a 12-16 record last season. Prior to Minot State, Brandt had spent the past 14 years as the head coach of South Carolia Aiken where posted a 254-166 record with the program and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Brandt also served as the head coach of Northeastern Junior College where he put together a 253-129 record in his 13 seasons.
Minot State will play Bemidji State on Friday before traveling to Halenbeck Hall on Saturday.
SHINING STAR
Sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) was named to the NSIC Women's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office for her contributions over the weekend. Eggebrecht averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 35 minutes per game while scoring a season-high 16-points against Northern Michigan. She has scored 10+ points in seven consecutive games, dating back to last season. The honor is the first of Eggebrecht's career.
HUSKIES HOOPS PREVIEW
Head coach Lori Fish enters her 16th season at the helm of the SCSU Women's Basketball program that owned an impressive 17-10 (14-8 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) record last season, finishing the season second in the North Division of the NSIC and tied for fourth overall. The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the 2023-24 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll and sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) was named the preseason player to watch by the NSIC.
With a roster of 10 underclassmen, we will rely heavily on our seniors to help prepare our young team for what it takes to work hard every day and compete in the toughest conference in Division II," said coach Fish.
Eggebrecht looks to build off her impressive true freshman campaign in which she earned Second Team All-NSIC honors. She started all 27 games for the Huskies and played a team-high 30.1 minutes per game while averaging 14.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and shot 44.7% from the field, 39.5% from three and 88.9% from the free throw line. She also led the team in field goals attempted (333), three pointers made (49), three pointers attempted (124) and free throw percentage (88.9%) while ranking second on the team in field goals made (149), field goal percentage (44.7%) and points per game (14.3).
"Jada had an outstanding freshman campaign, and we are excited to see how she elevates her game after the offseason and knowing what it takes to play in the NSIC," said coach Fish.
SCSU returns five seniors – guard Morgan Drahiem (Hortonville, Wis.), forward Dru Henning (Mukwonago, Wis.), forward Jasmine Litt (Pulaski, Wis.), guard Tori Peschel (Sauk Centre, Minn.) and guard Makenna Vanzant (Farmington, Ark.) and five sophomores – Eggebrecht, forward Kora Forsline (Aurora, Minn.), forward Madi Herkenhoff (Albany, Minn.), forward Ashley Sawicki (Waunakee, Wis.) and guard Alyssa Stamer (Hutchinson, Minn.) from last year's team. Eggebrecht, Henning and Peschel were starters. The Huskies added five freshmen – guard Kyla Hendricks (Green Bay, Wis.), forward Paige Lambe (Verona, Wis.), forward Abigail O'Reilly (Elgin, Minn.), guard Grace Roesch (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) and guard Alana Zarneke (Appleton, Wis.) to the squad during the offseason.
St. Cloud State Women's Basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available. Fans can purchase season tickets by visiting scsuickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137. The season ticket package includes tickets to 16 regular season home games played in Halenbeck Hall. Single game tickets are also available for purchase.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the games are available at scsutickets.com. Both games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network (Friday's Stream / Saturday's Stream) and broadcasted on the Varsity Network app. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the livestream and the radio broadcast. Live stats will be covered by St. Cloud State. Links to all coverage options can be found on the St. Cloud State Women's Basketball schedule page.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
The promo for Friday's game is Winter Wonderland White Out – wear white. The promo for Saturday's game is Dog Pound Appreciation – there will be free pizza for students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State returned home last weekend and took on Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. Saturday's game against Michigan Tech saw the Huskies burst out of the gates with an 18-11 lead after the first period. Senior forward Jasmine Litt (Pulaski, Wis.) bombarded the Wildcats from deep as she knocked down three three-pointers in the opening frame. St. Cloud would go into halftime holding an eight-point lead after sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) made a jump shot with 11 seconds remaining in the half. Eggebrecht scored seven points in the 1st half. St. Cloud shot 60% from the field in both quarters and above 50% from beyond the arc. The hot shooting for the Huskies would continue into the 2nd half as they nearly shot 60% from the field again as well as shooting 60% from three-point land. The Huskies would possess a 15-point lead going into the 4th quarter and did not look back. The Wildcats would cut the deficit to six-points with only 42 seconds remaining, but the Huskies were able to put the game away at the free throw line to give them their third victory of the season. Litt finished the game as the leading scorer with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, four three-pointers, and one steal. Eggebrecht poured 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, and three assists. Sophomore forward Ashley Sawicki (Waunakee, Wis.) shut down the paint as she tied her career high for blocks with five in the game. Sawicki also finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Sunday's game against Michigan Tech would not garner the same result for St. Cloud. Michigan Tech was on fire to start the game as they drilled six of their nine three points attempts in the 1st quarter and led 27-13. The 2nd quarter saw the SCSU start to chip away at the deficit as Jasmine Litt and freshman forward Abigail O'Reilly (Elgin, Minn.) scored 15 of St. Cloud State's 17 points in the quarter. St. Cloud would still find themselves down seven points heading into halftime. Michigan Tech would push the lead back up to 12 halfway through the 3rd, but SCSU would again rally and finish the quarter on a 13-2 run. Senior guard Morgan Draheim (Hortonville, Wis.) would score eight points during that run while also cashing in two three-pointers. St. Cloud would be down one point to start the 4th quarter until Draheim drove in for a layup to give SCSU the lead. The lead was short lived as Michigan Tech would score a layup of their own and never looked back. Michigan Tech would shoot 61.54% in the 4th while making 10 of their 11 free throw attempts to seal the game with a six-point victory. The loss would be the first loss for St. Cloud on the year. Draheim finished the game with a career high 16-points along with two rebounds, and two steals. Litt would score 15 points and Jada Eggebrecht would chip on 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, four steals, and one block.
SERIES HISTORY
The Huskies hold a 32-8 record all-time against Minnesota Crookston including two victories last year. In the first matchup, St. Cloud would cruise to a 71-51 victory. Jada Eggebrecht and senior forward Dru Henning (Mukwongo, Wis.) would each score 11-points in the game. Eggebrecht would also dish out seven assists, grab three rebounds, and record two steals. Hennings would tally two steals and knock down three three-pointers. The second matchup would be a closer game, but St. Cloud would still come away with a 68-58 victory. St. Cloud would enter the 4th quarter with a one-point lead, but an 11-4 run to open the quarter would push that lead to eight points. Crookston would get as close as four points the rest of the way as St. Cloud would put the game away at the free throw line by making seven of their eight attempts in the final 63 seconds of the game. Jada Eggebrecht would score a game high 20 points while making all six of her free throws. Ashley Sawicki scored a career high 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Off the bench, Jasmine Litt would chip in 12 points and five rebounds.
St. Cloud also holds a larger advantage in their series against Minot State as they have won 17 of the 22 meetings. The Huskies would take the first matchup in what was a nail biting 57-55 victory. St. Cloud would enter the 4th quarter with a one-point lead. Eggebrecht found lightning in a bottle as she scored nine of her 13 points in the quarter including a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining that would ultimately put the nail in the coffin. Dru Henning would lead the Huskies in scoring as she dropped 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, four rebounds, three three-pointers made, a block, and a steal. In the second matchup, St. Cloud would be on the other end of a nail-biting game as they lost 58-60. Eggebrecht was again clutch down the stretch as she scored 15 of her 22 points in the 4th quarter to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining. Dru Henning would block a game winning layup attempt by Minot with two seconds left, but Natasha Elliot would tip in a layup as time expired to break the hearts of the Huskies. Eggebrecht would also record four rebounds and assists, four made three-pointers, a block, and a steal.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Minnesota Crookston comes into this matchup with a 4-3 record and riding high as they've won four of their last five games. Over the holidays, Crookston traveled to Florida where they faced off against Lynn University and Barry University. The Golden Eagles flew too close to the sun as they suffered a 15-point loss but responded with a six-point victory in the next game. Sophomore guard Emma Miller leads the Golden Eagles by nearly averaging a double-double. Miller has put up averages of 20.1 points, nine rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 44.1% from the field, 41.9% from beyond the arc, and 95% from the free throw line. Miller was also a member of the NSIC Shining 5 team where she averaged 19.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over the course of three games. Sophomore forward Janie Tormanen is Crookston's second leading scorer at 12.9 points per game. Tormanen also averages 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
In the first matchup, St. Cloud kept Miller in check as they held her to 11 points on 5/12 shooting. The second matchup would prove to be even better than the first for the Huskies as Miller again struggled shooting the ball as she scored 15 points, but on 6/22 shooting and 1/11 from three-point range. St. Cloud would also force Miller to commit four turnovers in the game.
Natalie Moynihan is enduring her first season as head coach for Minnesota Crookston after replacing the longest tenured coach in program history; Mike Roysland. Roysland had served as the head coach for the past 17 seasons for Crookston. Moynihan had served as the assistant coach for the University of Bridgeport the past two seasons.
SCOUTING MINOT STATE
Minot State comes into this matchup in the midst of a six-game losing streak and a 1-7 record overall. In the seven losses, Minot is losing by an average of 17.5 points per game including a 29-point loss in their last outing against North Dakota. Junior guard Sydney Gustavsson is the Beavers leading scorer at 13 points per game on 40% from the field. Gustavsson also averages a team high 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
This past offseason, the Beavers lost three of their top five scorers including Kate Head, Kennedy Harris, and Natasha Elliot who all averaged above nine points per game. Head led the Beavers last year with 15.7 points per game.
Mike Brandt enters his third season with Minot State in 2023-2024. Brand has posted a 21-41 record during his tenure including a 12-16 record last season. Prior to Minot State, Brandt had spent the past 14 years as the head coach of South Carolia Aiken where posted a 254-166 record with the program and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Brandt also served as the head coach of Northeastern Junior College where he put together a 253-129 record in his 13 seasons.
Minot State will play Bemidji State on Friday before traveling to Halenbeck Hall on Saturday.
SHINING STAR
Sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) was named to the NSIC Women's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office for her contributions over the weekend. Eggebrecht averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 35 minutes per game while scoring a season-high 16-points against Northern Michigan. She has scored 10+ points in seven consecutive games, dating back to last season. The honor is the first of Eggebrecht's career.
HUSKIES HOOPS PREVIEW
Head coach Lori Fish enters her 16th season at the helm of the SCSU Women's Basketball program that owned an impressive 17-10 (14-8 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) record last season, finishing the season second in the North Division of the NSIC and tied for fourth overall. The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the 2023-24 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll and sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) was named the preseason player to watch by the NSIC.
With a roster of 10 underclassmen, we will rely heavily on our seniors to help prepare our young team for what it takes to work hard every day and compete in the toughest conference in Division II," said coach Fish.
Eggebrecht looks to build off her impressive true freshman campaign in which she earned Second Team All-NSIC honors. She started all 27 games for the Huskies and played a team-high 30.1 minutes per game while averaging 14.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and shot 44.7% from the field, 39.5% from three and 88.9% from the free throw line. She also led the team in field goals attempted (333), three pointers made (49), three pointers attempted (124) and free throw percentage (88.9%) while ranking second on the team in field goals made (149), field goal percentage (44.7%) and points per game (14.3).
"Jada had an outstanding freshman campaign, and we are excited to see how she elevates her game after the offseason and knowing what it takes to play in the NSIC," said coach Fish.
SCSU returns five seniors – guard Morgan Drahiem (Hortonville, Wis.), forward Dru Henning (Mukwonago, Wis.), forward Jasmine Litt (Pulaski, Wis.), guard Tori Peschel (Sauk Centre, Minn.) and guard Makenna Vanzant (Farmington, Ark.) and five sophomores – Eggebrecht, forward Kora Forsline (Aurora, Minn.), forward Madi Herkenhoff (Albany, Minn.), forward Ashley Sawicki (Waunakee, Wis.) and guard Alyssa Stamer (Hutchinson, Minn.) from last year's team. Eggebrecht, Henning and Peschel were starters. The Huskies added five freshmen – guard Kyla Hendricks (Green Bay, Wis.), forward Paige Lambe (Verona, Wis.), forward Abigail O'Reilly (Elgin, Minn.), guard Grace Roesch (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) and guard Alana Zarneke (Appleton, Wis.) to the squad during the offseason.
St. Cloud State Women's Basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available. Fans can purchase season tickets by visiting scsuickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137. The season ticket package includes tickets to 16 regular season home games played in Halenbeck Hall. Single game tickets are also available for purchase.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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