Thursday, November 20
Marquette, MI
4:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
at
RV Northern Michigan
St. Cloud State Women’s Basketball Travels to Michigan for Pair of GLIAC Games Before Conference Opener Against No. 15 Minnesota State
11/18/2025 1:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Huskies face-off against RV Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech, and No. 15 Minnesota State
St. Cloud, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Basketball (2-0) travel to Marquette and Houghton, Michigan on Thursday, November 20 and Friday, November 21 to take on RV Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. After the pair of games, the Huskies will open up conference play on Tuesday, November 25 against No. 15 Minnesota State. Thursday's and Friday's games will both tip-off at 4:30 p.m. CT while Tuesday's game is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
Follow the Huskies
The games on Thursday and Friday will both be streamed on Flo Sports (registration required). Tuesday's game will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network and broadcasted on the Varsity Network. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the audio broadcast. Live Stats for all three games will be provided by the host schools (Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Minnesota State).
Last Time Out
St. Cloud State tipped off their season this past weekend as they competed in the Central Region Challenge against RV Washburn and Central Oklahoma.
Stifling Defense Props Huskies to 73-61 Win in Season Opener Against RV Washburn
Early in the first quarter, St. Cloud State found themselves down 6-0, but back-to-back threes by Alana Zarneke and Rachel Kottke knotted the game back up. The teams battled on the remainder of the quarter as the Huskies trailed 18-17 at the end of the first. A late 8-0 surge in the second quarter partnered with a three-pointer by Zarneke with nine seconds left in the half gave the Huskies a 32-31 lead at halftime.
The third quarter saw similar efforts between the teams as they traded leads and blows throughout the period. The Huskies pushed ahead with another late quarter run as a 15-3 run over the final 3:59 of the third propped SCSU to a 54-45 lead going into the final frame. Washburn made their run in the fourth as a three-pointer cut the lead down to four with 3:01 left in the game. That three-pointer by the Ichabods was their final field goal of the game as the Huskies held them to 0/6 shooting and two turnovers in the final minutes of the game. A few timely buckets and six made free throws secured the win for SCSU. Overall, St. Cloud State forced 19 turnovers and limited Washburn to 37.7% from the field and 20.0% from deep in their 73-61 season opening victory.
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Eggebrecht Comes Up Clutch in Huskies 61-59 Win Over Central Oklahoma
The first quarter of the game bounced back-and-forth as the two teams consistently traded leads. Neither team was able to create much separation, but it was the Huskies that held the lead at the end of the quarter after a three by Alana Zarneke. St. Cloud State carried over that momentum as they slowly started to build up a lead in the second quarter. A three-pointer by Jada Eggebrecht capped off a 9-2 run as SCSU held a 33-22 lead with 2:23 left in the half. The Huskies ultimately went into the break up 37-28 after they outscored the Bronchos 19-13 in the quarter.
Coming out of halftime, UCO opened up with a 9-3 run to force an early timeout by SCSU. Regrouping out of the timeout, the Huskies responded with an 8-3 run to push their lead back up to eight points at 48-40. The teams traded baskets the remainder of the third as St. Cloud State went into the fourth with a 55-51 lead. The fourth quarter saw the Bronchos ramp up their defense as the Huskies did not make a field goal until there was 1:21 left in the game. That field goal came by way of Brynn Olson who brought the Huskies within a point to set the score at 58-59. UCO had multiple opportunities to expand their lead, but they missed shots at the rim as well as key free throws to leave the door open. After forcing a miss at the rim and Olson securing the rebound, St. Cloud State called timeout with 14 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Jada Eggebrecht finished a layup while being fouled off an assist from Rachel Kottke to put the Huskies up 60-59 for a clutch and-one. The program's all-time leader in free throw percentage stepped up to the charity stripe without a nervous bone in her body and connected on the free throw to put the Huskies up two. UCO called a timeout of their own as they had a chance to tie or win the game. With five seconds left, Alana Zarneke denied the Bronchos at the rim with a clutch block. UCO grabbed the offensive rebound but then committed an offensive foul with a second left in the game. St. Cloud State called a timeout and the inbounded the ball as time expired as they secured a thrilling 61-59 victory over Central Oklahoma. SCSU held the Bronchos to zero points in the final 2:24 of the game.
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NSIC Preseason Poll
Coming into this season, St. Cloud State was projected to finish fifth in the 2025-26 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Huskies return 12 players from last season's team with senior guard Jada Eggebrecht being named the player to watch.
Head Coach Lori Fish enters her 18th season with St. Cloud State ahead of the 2025-26 season. Fish and the Huskies are coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw them finish eighth in the NSIC after tallying a 15-14 overall record with an 11-11 mark in NSIC play. Persevering through an injury plagued season, the Huskies still reached the NSIC Tournament and came away with a 64-53 win against Minot State in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals. Their season would come to an end after falling to the eventual NSIC Tournament Champions in Concordia-St. Paul.
"We have a highly motivated group that continues to challenge and push each other daily, consistently putting in the work," said Fish. "Our younger players gained valuable experience last season while navigating a year impacted by injuries. As we move forward, we are eager to get healthy and excited to see what this team can accomplish together."
Entering her senior season coming off her third All-Conference selection, Jada Eggebrecht is primed for another standout season. Last year in her junior year, Eggebrecht led the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game while shooting 41.6% from the field, 35.3% from three, and a single season program record of 94.7% from the free throw line. She also averaged 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 stocks per game. The Phillips, Wisconsin native crossed 1,000 career points last year and enters the season 31st with 1,111 points and an opportunity to crack the top 15 in program history. She also sits eighth all-time in career three-pointers made with 137.
"Jada continues to elevate her game and challenge herself each day to be the best she can be," said Fish. "We have asked a lot of her over the past three seasons, and this year will be no different. She is a tremendous leader both on and off the court—someone her teammates know they can always count on."
The Huskies will also be headlined by All-Conference honorees in junior Alana Zarneke and redshirt junior Ashley Sawicki. Zarneke had a breakout sophomore campaign where she averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 stocks per game. She also shot 39.9% from the field, 39.4% from three, and 84.3% from beyond the arc. She took on a prominent role on both ends for SCSU while starting in all 29 games to earn Second Team All-NSIC. Sawicki appeared in three games prior to injury and averaged 6.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks. The year prior in 2023-24, Sawicki captured Second Team All-NSIC honors after averaging 10.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, with 1.2 steals and blocks. She also totaled six double-doubles throughout the year.
Other notable returners will be juniors Abigail O'Reilly and Paige Lambe and sophomores Rachel Kottke, Kristi Kottke, Reagan Briggs, and Halle Vande Hey. O'Reilly, Lambe, and Briggs started a majority of games with 11, 20, and 24 starts respectively. Both Kottke's and Vande Hey played key roles off the bench for the Huskies last season.
Rounding out the roster is senior transfer CJ Adamson, redshirt junior Brynn Olson, junior Grace Roesch, redshirt sophomore Kyla Hendricks, and freshmen Elise Groppoli, Annika Peper, and Laynie Meister. Adamson transferred from Augustana after spending three seasons with the Vikings. She started 42 games in her tenure and averaged 2.0 assists per game.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
Returning to the NSIC will be the North and South Division. With the insertion of Jamestown to the NSIC, divisions will be back in play for the first time since the 2022-23 season now that there is an even number of teams. The top 12 overall teams will make the NSIC Tournament.
Poll Results (Division Ranking)
Series History
Thursday's game against Northern Michigan will be the 12th all-time meeting between the two teams with St. Cloud State holding an 8-3 record. The Huskies have won three of the past four games against the Wildcats but lost last year's matchup.
Hot Three-Point Shooting by Wildcats Leads to First Loss for Huskies
Both teams got off to slow offensive starts as St. Cloud State shot 33% from the field while the Wildcats shot 23% in the first quarter. The Huskies would still find themselves holding a 12-9 at the end of the quarter. The second quarter saw the teams battle back and forth, but the Wildcats closed the quarter on a 7-3 run to take a 27-24 lead at the break. The Huskies started to take charge in the third quarter as a layup by Alana Zarneke gave St. Cloud State a 37-32 lead at the 5:11 mark of the third quarter. The Huskies held that lead for a few minutes before Sarah Newcomer of Northern Michigan drained three consecutive three-pointers on three straight Wildcat possessions to take a 45-39 lead. The Wildcats knocked down another three-pointer as they would go into the fourth quarter leading 48-39. NMU continued their hot shooting in the fourth quarter as they held a 58-45 lead with five minutes left in the game. St. Cloud State would chip away but could never get within double-digits as they would be defeated 63-52 for the first loss of the season.
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Friday's game against Michigan Tech will be the 13th overall meeting between the programs with MTU holding a 7-5 mark over SCSU. The teams played each other last year where St. Cloud State captured a 72-61 victory.
Huskies use Hot Shooting to Take Down Michigan Tech 72-61
The first quarter for the Huskies was quiet offensively as they shot 33% from the field. St. Cloud State trailed 18-15 at the end of the first quarter but started to pick up their offense in the second as back-to-back threes by Reagan Briggs and Rachel Kottke gave St. Cloud State a 23-22 lead with 5:51 remaining in the half. The teams battled back and forth the remainder of the half as Michigan Tech would narrowly hold a 35-33 lead at the break. The third quarter is when the tides began to turn for St. Cloud State as their offense stayed hot, but their defense came alive as they held MTU to 16 points on 38.9% from the field. Coming out of the break, Jada Eggebrecht capped off an 11-2 run with a transition three-pointer to give the Huskies a 44-37 lead. St. Cloud State held that lead for the remainder of the quarter as they would lead 58-51 going into the fourth after outscoring MTU 25-16. The Huskies held that lead comfortably in the final frame as eight points by Paige Lambe in the fourth kept Michigan Tech at bay. St. Cloud State outscored MTU 14-10 in the fourth quarter as they would go on to win 72-61 to stay undefeated on the year. For the game, the Huskies were hot from three-point range as they shot 12/25.
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Tuesday's game against Minnesota State will be the 116th matchup between the programs. St. Cloud State holds a 67-48 all-time record against the Mavericks but have lost four straight games to Mankato including both meetings a season ago.
Huskies Comeback Attempt Falls Short in 96-87 Loss to No. 10 Mavericks
The game started off slowly for both teams as the Huskies trailed 4-2 at the 5:41 mark of the first quarter. From that point the Mavericks flexed their muscles as St. Cloud State went scoreless for the next three minutes as MSU took a 17-2 lead. A jumper by Paige Lambe stopped the scoreless run, but the Mavericks continued to apply pressure as they closed out the final 2:07 of the quarter with a 13-0 run to lead 30-4 at the end of the first quarter. While the offensive production picked up for the Huskies in the second quarter with 27 points, they would give up another 30 points to the Mavericks as they trailed 60-31 at halftime. With the looks of a blowout in the making, the Huskies roared back in the third quarter as they opened the half on a 15-5 run to cut the lead under 20 with 6:46 remaining in the quarter. St. Cloud State continued to apply offensive pressure as a three-pointer by Kristi Kottke got the game under 10 points with 1:37 left in the quarter. Kottke drained another three with six seconds remaining in the quarter to set the score at 76-68 going into the fourth. St. Cloud State had an offensive explosion in the third quarter as they outscored Mankato 37-16 while making six threes and shooting 65% from the field. The momentum continued for the Huskies into the fourth as a layup by Kylan Gerads brought the Huskies within three-points. The teams traded buckets over the next few minutes as a three by Alana Zarneke again got the lead down to three points. The Mavericks were able to get a comfortable lead again as they pushed it back up to seven points with 2:36 left in the game. St. Cloud State would ultimately run out of gas late as they made two field goals in the final 3:32 of the game. Despite a resilient comeback attempt, the No. 10 Mavericks would go on to defeat St. Cloud State 96-87.
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Turnovers Plague Huskies in 96-61 Loss to No. 25 Minnesota State
The first quarter saw the Mavericks burst out of the gates with a 16-4 lead. A three-pointer by Jada Eggebrecht stopped the bleeding to cut the deficit to seven as Kylan Gerads then finished a layup to set the score at 16-9. The Mavericks would hold a steady lead the remainder of the first quarter as they led 22-13. SCSU kept the game in striking distance to start the second quarter as another inside finish by Gerads brought the Huskies within six points. From that point, MSU burst the game open with a 16-2 run as they now led 41-21 with 2:41 left in the half. The Mavericks kept piling it on as a layup by Destinee Bursch with three seconds left put Mankato up 48-23 going into halftime. The second half saw MSU continue to roll as they led by 25+ points the entirety of the second half. The Mavericks held a lead as big as 43 points as the Huskies would ultimately be defeated 96-61. Mankato forced SCSU into 35 turnovers which they turned into 47 points.
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Scouting Northern Michigan
The Northern Michigan Wildcats come into this matchup holding an undefeated record of 5-0. The Wildcats have beaten California University of Pennsylvania, Gannon, Edinboro, Upper Iowa, and then Lewis. NMU is coming off a 23-9 record with a 15-5 conference record to finish second in the GLIAC. The Wildcats lost in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament but still reached the NCAA Tournament. Northern Michigan came away with a 61-56 win over Hillsdale before falling 68-45 against Ashland. The Wildcats came into this season projected to finish second in the GLIAC and are receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
The Wildcats return three of their five top scorers from last season in Jacy Weisbrod, Sarah Newcomer, and Alyssa Hill. Weisbrod led the team in scoring last year with 13.4 points per game while Newcomer and Hill averaged 8.9 and 7.3 points respectively. Through five games, Weisbrod is averaging 17.4 points while shooting 46.2% from the field and 47.7% from three. Hill nearly averages a double-double with 9.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 58.4% from the field. Newcomer is the teams third leading scorer with 8.6 points to go with 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. She is shooting 41% from the field and 45.8% from three.
Head Coach Casey Thousand enters her fourth year with Northern Michigan in the 2025-26 season. During her tenure, Thousand has produced a 65-32 record and guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons.
Scouting Michigan Tech
The Michigan Tech Huskies come into this game with a 2-0 record after defeating Lewis and Upper Iowa. MTU is coming off a 2024-25 season where they went 12-17 with a 9-11 conference record to finish eighth in the GLIAC. They reached the GLIAC Tournament where they would be defeated 60-47 against Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals. Michigan Tech came into this season projected to finish sixth in the GLIAC.
Michigan Tech returns three of their top four scorers from last year in Kendall Standfest, Janie Tormanen, and Alyssa Wypych. Tormanen leads MTU in scoring through two games with 14.5 points per game while shooting 81.3% from the field. She also is averaging 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 stocks. Wypych is scoring 10.0 points while shooting 46.7% from the field. She is grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game. Standfest is averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. MTU has two other players above 9.0 points per game in Kaitlyn Maxwell (10.5) and Soraya Timms (9.5).
Head Coach Sam Clayton enters her eighth season with Michigan Tech in 2025-26. Clayton has totaled a 122-74 record in her tenure and guided Michigan Tech to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Michigan Tech will play NSIC foe Minnesota Duluth on Thursday before facing the Huskies on Friday.
Scouting Minnesota State
The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks have started their season with a perfect 4-0 record after defeating Edinboro, California University of Pennsylvania, Union, and Wisconsin Eau-Claire. Last season, the Mavericks produced a 25-8 record with an 18-4 mark in the NSIC to finish third in the conference. MSU lost in the NSIC Tournament Championship game to Concordia-St. Paul but still reached the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks took down Missouri Western in the opening round before falling to Pittsburg State in the second round. Minnesota State came into this season projected to finish first in the NSIC and were ranked No. 15 in the WBCA Poll.
The Mavericks return one of their two All-Conference players from last season in Natalie Bremer. Bremer was named First Team All-NSIC last year while being named All-Central Region Second Team as well as WBCA All-American Honorable Mention. She was tabbed as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. Through four games, Bremer is averaging 17.5 points while shooting 51% from the field, 44.4% from three, and 94.1% from the free throw line. She also totaled averages of 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Four other Mavs are above 8.0 points per game in Haylee Stokes, Mackenzie Schweim, Elisabeth Grant, and Rhyan Holmgren. Stokes leads those four with 9.8 points per game.
Head Coach Emilee Thiesse enters her 14th season with the Mavericks in the 2025-26 season. He has guided Minnesota State to six NCAA Tournament appearances including each of the past four seasons. In the 2023-24 season, Thiesse and the Mavericks won the National Championship behind a 32-5 record. She has boasted a 257-124 record in her tenure.
Minnesota State will play Colorado School of Mines on Friday before playing the Huskies on Tuesday.
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
The games on Thursday and Friday will both be streamed on Flo Sports (registration required). Tuesday's game will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network and broadcasted on the Varsity Network. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the audio broadcast. Live Stats for all three games will be provided by the host schools (Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Minnesota State).
Last Time Out
St. Cloud State tipped off their season this past weekend as they competed in the Central Region Challenge against RV Washburn and Central Oklahoma.
Stifling Defense Props Huskies to 73-61 Win in Season Opener Against RV Washburn
Early in the first quarter, St. Cloud State found themselves down 6-0, but back-to-back threes by Alana Zarneke and Rachel Kottke knotted the game back up. The teams battled on the remainder of the quarter as the Huskies trailed 18-17 at the end of the first. A late 8-0 surge in the second quarter partnered with a three-pointer by Zarneke with nine seconds left in the half gave the Huskies a 32-31 lead at halftime.
The third quarter saw similar efforts between the teams as they traded leads and blows throughout the period. The Huskies pushed ahead with another late quarter run as a 15-3 run over the final 3:59 of the third propped SCSU to a 54-45 lead going into the final frame. Washburn made their run in the fourth as a three-pointer cut the lead down to four with 3:01 left in the game. That three-pointer by the Ichabods was their final field goal of the game as the Huskies held them to 0/6 shooting and two turnovers in the final minutes of the game. A few timely buckets and six made free throws secured the win for SCSU. Overall, St. Cloud State forced 19 turnovers and limited Washburn to 37.7% from the field and 20.0% from deep in their 73-61 season opening victory.
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- Alana Zarneke poured in 19 points on an efficient 8/14 shooting to go with three rebounds and assists as well as five stocks.
- Jada Eggebrecht also tallied 19 points on the evening as she shot 6/14 with two assists and a steal.
- Rachel Kottke nearly secured a double-double with nine points and rebounds paired with three assists and two steals.
Eggebrecht Comes Up Clutch in Huskies 61-59 Win Over Central Oklahoma
The first quarter of the game bounced back-and-forth as the two teams consistently traded leads. Neither team was able to create much separation, but it was the Huskies that held the lead at the end of the quarter after a three by Alana Zarneke. St. Cloud State carried over that momentum as they slowly started to build up a lead in the second quarter. A three-pointer by Jada Eggebrecht capped off a 9-2 run as SCSU held a 33-22 lead with 2:23 left in the half. The Huskies ultimately went into the break up 37-28 after they outscored the Bronchos 19-13 in the quarter.
Coming out of halftime, UCO opened up with a 9-3 run to force an early timeout by SCSU. Regrouping out of the timeout, the Huskies responded with an 8-3 run to push their lead back up to eight points at 48-40. The teams traded baskets the remainder of the third as St. Cloud State went into the fourth with a 55-51 lead. The fourth quarter saw the Bronchos ramp up their defense as the Huskies did not make a field goal until there was 1:21 left in the game. That field goal came by way of Brynn Olson who brought the Huskies within a point to set the score at 58-59. UCO had multiple opportunities to expand their lead, but they missed shots at the rim as well as key free throws to leave the door open. After forcing a miss at the rim and Olson securing the rebound, St. Cloud State called timeout with 14 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Jada Eggebrecht finished a layup while being fouled off an assist from Rachel Kottke to put the Huskies up 60-59 for a clutch and-one. The program's all-time leader in free throw percentage stepped up to the charity stripe without a nervous bone in her body and connected on the free throw to put the Huskies up two. UCO called a timeout of their own as they had a chance to tie or win the game. With five seconds left, Alana Zarneke denied the Bronchos at the rim with a clutch block. UCO grabbed the offensive rebound but then committed an offensive foul with a second left in the game. St. Cloud State called a timeout and the inbounded the ball as time expired as they secured a thrilling 61-59 victory over Central Oklahoma. SCSU held the Bronchos to zero points in the final 2:24 of the game.
Top Huskies
- Jada Eggebrecht was the game's leading scorer with 16 points on 6/13 shooting with three made three-pointers. She also totaled three rebounds, two assists, and a block.
- Alana Zarneke scored 12 points to go with five stocks (three steals and two blocks), and four rebounds.
- Paige Lambe was the final Husky to score in double figures as she tallied 12 points (5/10) three rebounds, and two blocks.
NSIC Preseason Poll
Coming into this season, St. Cloud State was projected to finish fifth in the 2025-26 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Huskies return 12 players from last season's team with senior guard Jada Eggebrecht being named the player to watch.
Head Coach Lori Fish enters her 18th season with St. Cloud State ahead of the 2025-26 season. Fish and the Huskies are coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw them finish eighth in the NSIC after tallying a 15-14 overall record with an 11-11 mark in NSIC play. Persevering through an injury plagued season, the Huskies still reached the NSIC Tournament and came away with a 64-53 win against Minot State in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals. Their season would come to an end after falling to the eventual NSIC Tournament Champions in Concordia-St. Paul.
"We have a highly motivated group that continues to challenge and push each other daily, consistently putting in the work," said Fish. "Our younger players gained valuable experience last season while navigating a year impacted by injuries. As we move forward, we are eager to get healthy and excited to see what this team can accomplish together."
Entering her senior season coming off her third All-Conference selection, Jada Eggebrecht is primed for another standout season. Last year in her junior year, Eggebrecht led the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game while shooting 41.6% from the field, 35.3% from three, and a single season program record of 94.7% from the free throw line. She also averaged 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 stocks per game. The Phillips, Wisconsin native crossed 1,000 career points last year and enters the season 31st with 1,111 points and an opportunity to crack the top 15 in program history. She also sits eighth all-time in career three-pointers made with 137.
"Jada continues to elevate her game and challenge herself each day to be the best she can be," said Fish. "We have asked a lot of her over the past three seasons, and this year will be no different. She is a tremendous leader both on and off the court—someone her teammates know they can always count on."
The Huskies will also be headlined by All-Conference honorees in junior Alana Zarneke and redshirt junior Ashley Sawicki. Zarneke had a breakout sophomore campaign where she averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 stocks per game. She also shot 39.9% from the field, 39.4% from three, and 84.3% from beyond the arc. She took on a prominent role on both ends for SCSU while starting in all 29 games to earn Second Team All-NSIC. Sawicki appeared in three games prior to injury and averaged 6.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks. The year prior in 2023-24, Sawicki captured Second Team All-NSIC honors after averaging 10.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, with 1.2 steals and blocks. She also totaled six double-doubles throughout the year.
Other notable returners will be juniors Abigail O'Reilly and Paige Lambe and sophomores Rachel Kottke, Kristi Kottke, Reagan Briggs, and Halle Vande Hey. O'Reilly, Lambe, and Briggs started a majority of games with 11, 20, and 24 starts respectively. Both Kottke's and Vande Hey played key roles off the bench for the Huskies last season.
Rounding out the roster is senior transfer CJ Adamson, redshirt junior Brynn Olson, junior Grace Roesch, redshirt sophomore Kyla Hendricks, and freshmen Elise Groppoli, Annika Peper, and Laynie Meister. Adamson transferred from Augustana after spending three seasons with the Vikings. She started 42 games in her tenure and averaged 2.0 assists per game.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
Returning to the NSIC will be the North and South Division. With the insertion of Jamestown to the NSIC, divisions will be back in play for the first time since the 2022-23 season now that there is an even number of teams. The top 12 overall teams will make the NSIC Tournament.
Poll Results (Division Ranking)
- Minnesota State (No. 1 South)
- Concordia-St. Paul (No. 2 South)
- Sioux Falls (No. 3 South)
- Southwest Minnesota State (No. 5 South)
- St. Cloud State (No. 4 South)
- UMary (No. 2 North)
- MSU Moorhead (No. 1 North)
- Minnesota Duluth (No. 3 North)
- Minot State (No. 4 North)
- Northern State (No. 5 North)
- Minnesota Crookston (No. 6 North)
- Winona State (No. 6 South)
- Wayne State (No. 7 South)
- Bemidji State (No. 7 North)
- Jamestown (No. 8 North)
- Augustana (No. 8 South)
Series History
Thursday's game against Northern Michigan will be the 12th all-time meeting between the two teams with St. Cloud State holding an 8-3 record. The Huskies have won three of the past four games against the Wildcats but lost last year's matchup.
Hot Three-Point Shooting by Wildcats Leads to First Loss for Huskies
Both teams got off to slow offensive starts as St. Cloud State shot 33% from the field while the Wildcats shot 23% in the first quarter. The Huskies would still find themselves holding a 12-9 at the end of the quarter. The second quarter saw the teams battle back and forth, but the Wildcats closed the quarter on a 7-3 run to take a 27-24 lead at the break. The Huskies started to take charge in the third quarter as a layup by Alana Zarneke gave St. Cloud State a 37-32 lead at the 5:11 mark of the third quarter. The Huskies held that lead for a few minutes before Sarah Newcomer of Northern Michigan drained three consecutive three-pointers on three straight Wildcat possessions to take a 45-39 lead. The Wildcats knocked down another three-pointer as they would go into the fourth quarter leading 48-39. NMU continued their hot shooting in the fourth quarter as they held a 58-45 lead with five minutes left in the game. St. Cloud State would chip away but could never get within double-digits as they would be defeated 63-52 for the first loss of the season.
Top Huskies
- Jada Eggebrecht led the Huskies in scoring with 16 points while shooting 6/11 from the field and made two of her three three-pointers. Eggebrecht also tallied two rebounds and a block and steal.
- Abigail O'Reilly recorded her first career double-double as she scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The 10 rebounds were a career-high for O'Reilly.
- Paige Lambe nearly tallied a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Lambe made her first career start while tallying two assists and a block.
Friday's game against Michigan Tech will be the 13th overall meeting between the programs with MTU holding a 7-5 mark over SCSU. The teams played each other last year where St. Cloud State captured a 72-61 victory.
Huskies use Hot Shooting to Take Down Michigan Tech 72-61
The first quarter for the Huskies was quiet offensively as they shot 33% from the field. St. Cloud State trailed 18-15 at the end of the first quarter but started to pick up their offense in the second as back-to-back threes by Reagan Briggs and Rachel Kottke gave St. Cloud State a 23-22 lead with 5:51 remaining in the half. The teams battled back and forth the remainder of the half as Michigan Tech would narrowly hold a 35-33 lead at the break. The third quarter is when the tides began to turn for St. Cloud State as their offense stayed hot, but their defense came alive as they held MTU to 16 points on 38.9% from the field. Coming out of the break, Jada Eggebrecht capped off an 11-2 run with a transition three-pointer to give the Huskies a 44-37 lead. St. Cloud State held that lead for the remainder of the quarter as they would lead 58-51 going into the fourth after outscoring MTU 25-16. The Huskies held that lead comfortably in the final frame as eight points by Paige Lambe in the fourth kept Michigan Tech at bay. St. Cloud State outscored MTU 14-10 in the fourth quarter as they would go on to win 72-61 to stay undefeated on the year. For the game, the Huskies were hot from three-point range as they shot 12/25.
Top Huskies
- Abigail O'Reilly stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 12 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and dished out a career-high four assists. This is the second game this season where O'Reilly has scored in double-figures.
- Rachel Kottke set a career-high in scoring with 11 points to go along with three rebounds, three made three-pointers, and an assist and steal.
- Reagan Briggs also set a career-high in points with nine after shooting 3/6 from beyond the arc.
Tuesday's game against Minnesota State will be the 116th matchup between the programs. St. Cloud State holds a 67-48 all-time record against the Mavericks but have lost four straight games to Mankato including both meetings a season ago.
Huskies Comeback Attempt Falls Short in 96-87 Loss to No. 10 Mavericks
The game started off slowly for both teams as the Huskies trailed 4-2 at the 5:41 mark of the first quarter. From that point the Mavericks flexed their muscles as St. Cloud State went scoreless for the next three minutes as MSU took a 17-2 lead. A jumper by Paige Lambe stopped the scoreless run, but the Mavericks continued to apply pressure as they closed out the final 2:07 of the quarter with a 13-0 run to lead 30-4 at the end of the first quarter. While the offensive production picked up for the Huskies in the second quarter with 27 points, they would give up another 30 points to the Mavericks as they trailed 60-31 at halftime. With the looks of a blowout in the making, the Huskies roared back in the third quarter as they opened the half on a 15-5 run to cut the lead under 20 with 6:46 remaining in the quarter. St. Cloud State continued to apply offensive pressure as a three-pointer by Kristi Kottke got the game under 10 points with 1:37 left in the quarter. Kottke drained another three with six seconds remaining in the quarter to set the score at 76-68 going into the fourth. St. Cloud State had an offensive explosion in the third quarter as they outscored Mankato 37-16 while making six threes and shooting 65% from the field. The momentum continued for the Huskies into the fourth as a layup by Kylan Gerads brought the Huskies within three-points. The teams traded buckets over the next few minutes as a three by Alana Zarneke again got the lead down to three points. The Mavericks were able to get a comfortable lead again as they pushed it back up to seven points with 2:36 left in the game. St. Cloud State would ultimately run out of gas late as they made two field goals in the final 3:32 of the game. Despite a resilient comeback attempt, the No. 10 Mavericks would go on to defeat St. Cloud State 96-87.
Top Huskies
- Kylan Gerads led the Huskies in scoring with 22 points and 12 rebounds to go with three assists and two steals. Gerads shot 10/18 from the field.
- Alana Zarneke was the second Husky to score 20+ points as she tallied 21 points on 9/14 shooting while cash three three-pointers. She also totaled four assists and two rebounds and steals.
- Kristi Kottke scored 17 points and an efficient 6/8 shooting while making three threes. Kottke also tallied five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Turnovers Plague Huskies in 96-61 Loss to No. 25 Minnesota State
The first quarter saw the Mavericks burst out of the gates with a 16-4 lead. A three-pointer by Jada Eggebrecht stopped the bleeding to cut the deficit to seven as Kylan Gerads then finished a layup to set the score at 16-9. The Mavericks would hold a steady lead the remainder of the first quarter as they led 22-13. SCSU kept the game in striking distance to start the second quarter as another inside finish by Gerads brought the Huskies within six points. From that point, MSU burst the game open with a 16-2 run as they now led 41-21 with 2:41 left in the half. The Mavericks kept piling it on as a layup by Destinee Bursch with three seconds left put Mankato up 48-23 going into halftime. The second half saw MSU continue to roll as they led by 25+ points the entirety of the second half. The Mavericks held a lead as big as 43 points as the Huskies would ultimately be defeated 96-61. Mankato forced SCSU into 35 turnovers which they turned into 47 points.
Top Huskies
- Jada Eggebrecht led the Huskies in scoring with 12 points. She also grabbed five rebounds, dished three assists, and recorded a block and steal. This was her sixth game with 5+ rebounds.
- Kylan Gerads closed in on a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. She also nabbed two steals. This was her sixth game with 8+ rebounds.
- Halle Vande Hey scored a career-high seven points to go with seven rebounds and a career-high two assists. This was her second game with 7+ rebounds.
Scouting Northern Michigan
The Northern Michigan Wildcats come into this matchup holding an undefeated record of 5-0. The Wildcats have beaten California University of Pennsylvania, Gannon, Edinboro, Upper Iowa, and then Lewis. NMU is coming off a 23-9 record with a 15-5 conference record to finish second in the GLIAC. The Wildcats lost in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament but still reached the NCAA Tournament. Northern Michigan came away with a 61-56 win over Hillsdale before falling 68-45 against Ashland. The Wildcats came into this season projected to finish second in the GLIAC and are receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
The Wildcats return three of their five top scorers from last season in Jacy Weisbrod, Sarah Newcomer, and Alyssa Hill. Weisbrod led the team in scoring last year with 13.4 points per game while Newcomer and Hill averaged 8.9 and 7.3 points respectively. Through five games, Weisbrod is averaging 17.4 points while shooting 46.2% from the field and 47.7% from three. Hill nearly averages a double-double with 9.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 58.4% from the field. Newcomer is the teams third leading scorer with 8.6 points to go with 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. She is shooting 41% from the field and 45.8% from three.
Head Coach Casey Thousand enters her fourth year with Northern Michigan in the 2025-26 season. During her tenure, Thousand has produced a 65-32 record and guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons.
Scouting Michigan Tech
The Michigan Tech Huskies come into this game with a 2-0 record after defeating Lewis and Upper Iowa. MTU is coming off a 2024-25 season where they went 12-17 with a 9-11 conference record to finish eighth in the GLIAC. They reached the GLIAC Tournament where they would be defeated 60-47 against Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals. Michigan Tech came into this season projected to finish sixth in the GLIAC.
Michigan Tech returns three of their top four scorers from last year in Kendall Standfest, Janie Tormanen, and Alyssa Wypych. Tormanen leads MTU in scoring through two games with 14.5 points per game while shooting 81.3% from the field. She also is averaging 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 stocks. Wypych is scoring 10.0 points while shooting 46.7% from the field. She is grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game. Standfest is averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. MTU has two other players above 9.0 points per game in Kaitlyn Maxwell (10.5) and Soraya Timms (9.5).
Head Coach Sam Clayton enters her eighth season with Michigan Tech in 2025-26. Clayton has totaled a 122-74 record in her tenure and guided Michigan Tech to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Michigan Tech will play NSIC foe Minnesota Duluth on Thursday before facing the Huskies on Friday.
Scouting Minnesota State
The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks have started their season with a perfect 4-0 record after defeating Edinboro, California University of Pennsylvania, Union, and Wisconsin Eau-Claire. Last season, the Mavericks produced a 25-8 record with an 18-4 mark in the NSIC to finish third in the conference. MSU lost in the NSIC Tournament Championship game to Concordia-St. Paul but still reached the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks took down Missouri Western in the opening round before falling to Pittsburg State in the second round. Minnesota State came into this season projected to finish first in the NSIC and were ranked No. 15 in the WBCA Poll.
The Mavericks return one of their two All-Conference players from last season in Natalie Bremer. Bremer was named First Team All-NSIC last year while being named All-Central Region Second Team as well as WBCA All-American Honorable Mention. She was tabbed as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. Through four games, Bremer is averaging 17.5 points while shooting 51% from the field, 44.4% from three, and 94.1% from the free throw line. She also totaled averages of 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Four other Mavs are above 8.0 points per game in Haylee Stokes, Mackenzie Schweim, Elisabeth Grant, and Rhyan Holmgren. Stokes leads those four with 9.8 points per game.
Head Coach Emilee Thiesse enters her 14th season with the Mavericks in the 2025-26 season. He has guided Minnesota State to six NCAA Tournament appearances including each of the past four seasons. In the 2023-24 season, Thiesse and the Mavericks won the National Championship behind a 32-5 record. She has boasted a 257-124 record in her tenure.
Minnesota State will play Colorado School of Mines on Friday before playing the Huskies on Tuesday.
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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