St. Cloud State Women’s Basketball Readies for Pair of Crucial Conference Matchups

Thursday, February 8

St. Cloud, Minn.

5:30 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

UMary

Tickets

Photo by: Kaitlyn Zuehl

St. Cloud State Women’s Basketball Readies for Pair of Crucial Conference Matchups

2/7/2024 4:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Huskies look to stay hot, riding three-game win streak

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Basketball (13-7, 10-6 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) hosts UMary (16-8, 12-4 NSIC) on Thursday and travels to Minot State (8-17, 5-11 NSIC) on Sunday. Tipoff for Thursday's game is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall and Sunday's game is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Minot State Dome in Minot, N.D.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to Thursday's game are available at scsutickets.com and the program is available here. The games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network (Thursday's Stream / Sunday's Stream) and broadcasted on The Varsity Network. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the audio broadcast both games and the livestream on Sunday. Live stats will be provided by each home institution (SCSU/MISU). Links to each coverage option can also be found on the St. Cloud State Women's Basketball schedule page.

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY CELEBRATION – Youth girls (13 and under) receive free admission to the game when wearing their jersey or sports team shirt.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, St. Cloud State had a road-home split traveling north to Minnesota Crookston on Thursday and returning home to host Northern State on Saturday. The first quarter against Minnesota Crookston saw both teams struggle mightily offensively, as the Huskies shot just 18% from the field and the Golden Eagles shot 21%. SCSU held 9-8 at the end of the quarter. The offense for the Huskies showed substantial improvement in the second quarter, as they used a 19-5 run to take a 14-point lead with 3:11 left in the first half. SCSU went into halftime with a 39-23 lead after they blitzed the Golden Eagles in the second quarter. The Huskies shot 66% from the field and made all six of their three-point attempts on their way to a 30-point quarter.

St. Cloud State led by 12+ points for the majority of the third quarter, but a 7-0 run brought UMC within eight points with just under three minutes left in the third. In the final stretch of the quarter, the Huskies commenced on a 13-1 run, making four three-pointers, two of which came from sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.). The Huskies went into the final 10 minutes with a 61-41 lead. The St. Cloud State comfortably lead by double-digits points in the fourth quarter and it left Crookston with a 79-64 victory.

SCSU set multiple offensive season-highs – in points (79), field goals (32), three pointers (14), and assists (24). After the first quarter, St. Cloud State shot 50% from the field and a blistering 56% from beyond the arc.

Eggebrecht was the game's leading scorer, tallying 20 points, four three-pointers, three steals and two rebounds. It was the third game this season that Eggebrecht scored 20+ points and was her second time knocking down 3+ three-pointers.
Sophomore forward Ashley Sawicki (Waunakee, Wis.) stuffed the stat sheet for SCSU, posting her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Sawicki set new career-highs in assists and steals while tying her career-high of seven field goals made.

The senior duo of Morgan Draheim (Hortonville, Wis.) and Dru Henning (Mukwonago, Wis.) each scored 13 points while tying each of their season highs of three made three-pointers. Draheim also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. Henning grabbed five rebounds, recorded three assists, and nabbed one steal.

In Saturday's game against Northern State, the Huskies held a modest one-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was a dominant quarter for St. Cloud State for the second consecutive game as it made six three-pointers in the period with. Henning and freshman guard Alana Zarneke (Appleton, Wis.) each drained a pair in the quarter. The Huskies outscored the Wolves 24-8 in the period, shooting 50% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc while holding NSU to 27% from the field and 0% from three. St. Cloud State led 37-20 at halftime. In the second half, the Huskies comfortably led by 12+ points for the remainder of the game and went on to win, 75-55, in a dominant performance.

St. Cloud State's defense shined, holding the Wolves to less than 33% shooting in three of the four quarters and forced a total of 18 turnovers. Offensively, the Huskies shot 47% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc for the game.

Sawicki had a dominant performance, scoring a career-high 22 points on a remarkable 8-of-9 shooting. She made all six of her free throw attempts. The sophomore also grabbed five rebounds and recorded one block and one steal. Sawicki has scored double-digit points in 11 of her past 12 games.

Senior guard Makenna Vanzant (Farmington, Ark.) had a career-day as she scored 17 points, dished out four assists, drained three three-pointers and recorded two steals. Vanzant has registered 2+ steals in three of her past four games. The senior also tied her career-high of five field goal makes and three three-pointers made.

Henning scored nine points, tied her career-high of six assists, and made three of her five three-point attempts. She has scored 9+ points in eight games and dished out 3+ assists in eight games this season.

Highlights from both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

St. Cloud State Team Stats (NSIC Rank)

64.2 points per game (8^th) | 58.6 points per game allowed (1^st) | 5.6 scoring margin (6^th)
40.1 field goal percentage (7^th) | 34.3 three-point percentage (2nd) | 69.2 free throw percentage (10^th)
39.7 opponent field goal percentage (8^th) | 28.2 opponent three-point percentage (4^th)
36.1 rebounds per game (9^th) | 11.1 offensive rebounds per game (6^th)
34.6 opponent rebounds per game (3^rd) | 1.5 rebounding margin (7^th)
13.8 turnovers per game (13^th) | 2.5 turnover margin (2^nd)
3.9 blocks per game (7^th)
8.55 steals per game (3^rd)
14.8 assists per game (1^st)

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's game against UMary will be the 30^th matchup between the teams. St. Cloud State holds a 19-10 advantage and has won six consecutive games against the Marauders including the matchup this season. The first quarter in the game this season went back and forth and UMary took a 17-14 lead at the end of the first. The Huskies fell behind by eight points after an 8-3 run by UMary. Dru Henning scored four of the final six points for the Huskies and they went into halftime trailing 28-23. Offense was hard to come by for St. Cloud State in the first half as they shot 32% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc.

An 8-2 run by the Huskies with 5:38 left in the third quarter cut what was once a nine-point deficit to three points. The Marauders ended the quarter on an 8-4 run to bring a 42-35 lead into the final frame. The Huskies again struggled offensively, shooting 23% from the field, but the tides began to turn at the start of the fourth quarter. UMary held a 48-41 lead with 4:40 left in the game, but that lead would be very short lived. Ashley Sawicki started the comeback by making a layup off an assist by Dru Henning. Henning split a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to four points with just under four minutes remaining. Senior guard Tori Peschel (Sauk Centre, Minn.) was freed up by an off-ball screen by Sawicki and capitalized on a wide-open layup to bring the Huskies within two. St. Cloud State forced a turnover on the defensive end and Sawicki tied the game, knocking down a baseline jump shot off after a series of shot fakes. The Huskies forced another miss, and on the ensuing possession, Jada Eggebrecht blew by her defender on the baseline, making a floater to give St. Cloud State a 50-48 lead with just under two minutes left in the game. The Huskies iced the game at the free throw line, knocking down all eight of their attempts in the final 84 seconds of the game, earning a 60-53 victory. SCSU outscored the Marauders 25-11 in the fourth quarter and ended the game on a 19-5 run.

Sawicki scored a team high 17 points and nearly recorded a double-double with eight rebounds. She also shut down the paint with two blocks and a steal. Dru Henning scored a season-high 15 points and made a career-high nine free throws on a career-high 10 attempts. Nine of Henning's points came in the fourth quarter with seven of those points coming by way of the free throw line. Jada Eggebrecht rounded out the top Huskies performers, posting nine points and grabbing three rebounds.

Sunday's game against Minot State will be the 24^th meeting between the programs. The Huskies hold an 18-5 advantage. St. Cloud State has won nine of the past 10 meeting including their lone matchup earlier in the season. In that game, the Huskies opened the first quarter bombarding the Beavers from deep, knocking in three of their four three-point attempts. Henning cashed in two of those three-pointers on her way to a nine-point, four assist, four steal, and three rebound afternoon. Senior forward Jasmine Litt (Pulaski, Wis.) made make a buzzer beating layup to give the Huskies a 23-17 lead heading into the second quarter. MISU responded with a 12-6 run early in the second quarter to tie the game at 29. The Huskies found themselves only up two-points at halftime after Minot State made a buzzer beating layup of their own to cut into its deficit.

Coming out of halftime, St. Cloud State turned up its defensive intensity, holding the Beavers to 26% from the field in the second half after they shot 66% in the first 20 minutes. The Huskies busted the game open as Eggebrecht scored 10 of her 19 points in the third quarter on 3-of-4 shooting with two made threes. Sawicki scored the final four points in the third quarter for the Huskies and blocked a potential buzzer beating layup to end the period. SCSU retained that momentum in the final period, outscoring the Beavers 19-7 on its way to a 75-54 victory.

Sawicki controlled the paint, registering her first double-double of the season. She scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

SCOUTING UMARY
The Marauders come into Thursday with a record of 16-8 and a 12-4 conference record. The Marauders have won four straight games and six of their past seven and are currently second in the NSIC standings.

Graduate student Lexie Schneider comes into the game nearly averaging a double-double as she leads the NSIC in scoring with 20.9 points per game and rebounding with 9.5 per game. Schneider shoots 54% from the field and leads the Marauders in assists per game with 2.4 and steals with 1.3 per game. The conference awarded Schneider NSIC Player of the Week last week after she averaged 19 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the Marauders two victories over Northern State and Minot State. The graduate student has scored 20+ points in 14 games this season and has won conference player of the week honor five times this season.

Graduate student Megan Zander is the team's second leading scorer with an average of 12.6 points per game on 38% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. Zander is second on the team in rebounding, assists, and steals as she averages 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals. This past weekend, Zander averaged 19 points per game with a career-high 26 points against Northern State.
Graduate student Mariah McKeever is the final Marauder that scores in double-figures with 12.5 points per game on 40% from the field and 46% from three-point range. McKeever also averages 3.5 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, and 1.3 steals. The graduate student has scored 10+ points in five consecutive games including a 19-point performance against Sioux Falls.

Against St. Cloud State, Schneider posted a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double in 34 minutes of play. She shot 50% from the field, dished out three assists, and recorded a block. Zander and McKeever were both held under their scoring average as Zander scored four points and McKeever contributed eight points.

Rick Neumann is in the midst of his 12^th season as the head coach of UMary. Neumann currently holds a 177-154 record in his tenure with the program with five winning seasons and 13 or more wins in nine of his 12 seasons. Neumann has been rooted in UMary for multiple decades as he was an assistant coach with the program since 2003 and graduated from UMary in 1998.

UMary Team Stats (NSIC Rank)

69.6 points per game (3^rd) | 62.2 points per game allowed (6^th) | 7.4 scoring margin (3^rd)
41.3 field goal percentage (4^th) | 33.5 three-point percentage (3^rd) | 73.8 free throw percentage (3^rd)
38.2 opponent field goal percentage (5^th) | 30.6 opponent three-point percentage (8^th)
39.4 rebounds per game (5^th) | 12.2 offensive rebounds per game (3^rd)
33.7 opponent rebounds per game (1^st) | 5.7 rebounding margin (1^st)
15.5 turnovers per game (3^rd) | -0.96 turnover margin (9^th)
4.08 blocks per game (6^th)
8.08 steals per game (5^th)
13.3 assists per game (6^th)

SCOUTING MINOT STATE
The Beavers come into this matchup with an 8-17 record and a 5-11 conference record. Minot State is currently 11^th in the NSIC standings and have lost two consecutive games with losses to Bemidji State and UMary this past weekend.

Junior guard Sydney Gustavsson is the only Beaver averaging double-digit points with 12.2 per game on 40% from the field and 27% from three-point range. Gustavsson is also third on the team in rebounding with 3.2 per game, is second on the team in assists with 1.7, and is second on the team in steals with 1.3 per game. The guard has scored double digit points in three of her past four games including a season-high 22 points against Wayne State.

Sophomore Taylor Goss is the team's second leading scorer with 7.4 points per game on 43% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc. Goss also averages 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Against St. Cloud State, Gustavsson was held to seven points on 2-of-9 shooting and committed four turnovers. Goss only scored two points.

Mike Brandt is in his third season with Minot State in 2023-2024. Brand has posted a 28-51 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 Carolina 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 travel to MSU Moorhead on Thursday before playing the Huskies on Sunday.

Minot State Team Stats (NSIC Rank)

59 points per game (12^th) | 67.9 points per game allowed (14^th) | -8.9 scoring margin (15^th)
38.5 field goal percentage (9^th) | 27.4 three-point percentage (13^th) | 66.5 free throw percentage (15^th)
42.7 opponent field goal percentage (15^th) | 33.5 opponent three-point percentage (14^th)
30.9 rebounds per game (15^th) | 8.8 offensive rebounds per game (11^th)
38.6 opponent rebounds per game (13^th) | -7.7 rebounding margin (15^th)
15 turnovers per game (7^th) | 0.92 turnover margin (4^th)
1.68 blocks per game (13^th)
7.76 steals per game (6^th)
12.24 assists per game (10^th)

SHINING STARS
Sophomore forward Ashley Sawicki (Waunakee, Wis.) was named to the NSIC Women's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office for the third time this season (and her career) on Feb 5. for her contributions throughout the previous week in SCSU's two wins. Sawicki averaged 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals on 62.5% (15-of-24) shooting from the field and 85.7% (6-of-7) shooting from the free throw line in wins over Minnesota Crookston and Northern State.

Sawicki posted her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the Huskies 79-64 win at UMC. She also added five assists and four steals versus UMC, which are both career highs. In the Huskies 75-55 blowout home victory over Northern State, she scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds. She had a nearly perfect day from the field, going 8-of-9 and a perfect day from the charity stripe, going 6-of-6.

She also received the honor on Dec. 18, 2023 and Jan. 22, 2024.

Sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht (Phillips, Wis.) was named to the NSIC Women's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office on Nov. 27 for her contributions that 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. The honor was the first of Eggebrecht's career.

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.