OPENING TIP
The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team returns to the R/A Facility looking to snap a 12-game losing streak this weekend with rematches versus Winona State and Upper Iowa. SMSU will tip-off with WSU on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. and Upper Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. The Mustangs fell to both teams on the road earlier this season -- 81-59 to Winona State and 68-60 to Upper Iowa.
OPPONENT AT A GLANCE
WINONA STATE -- The Warriors dropped a pair of contests last weekend, falling in close games to U-Mary (65-62, ot) and Minot State (60-59) and will enter the weekend with an overall record of 8-6, 4-6 in the NSIC. The Warriors own the NSIC's second best scoring defense by allowing opponents to score only 58.6 points per game on average -- WSU held Bemidji State to 31 points on Jan. 3, 2014 and has held an opponent under 40 points nine times under head coach Scott Ballard. WSU is third in the NSIC in total field goal percentage defense, with its opponents shooting just 37.2 percent. The Warriors are also fifth in the NSIC in 3-point shooting defense, allowing teams to make just 29.3 percent from deep. Abby Busch is WSU's leading scorer as she is averaging 14.3 points per game in NSIC contests this season. Busch has reached the 20 point mark five times this season. Ballard is in his 10th season at the helm of the Warrior basketball program and is 13-3 versus SMSU.
UPPER IOWA -- The Peacocks enter the weekend with an overall record of 4-10 and a 3-7 record versus NSIC opponents. UIU boasts wins over Winona State, Sioux Falls and SMSU. The Peacocks also enter the weekend on a five-game losing skid dating back to Dec. 21, 2013. The Peacocks are 14th in the NSIC in scoring offense as they average 64.0 points per game and 11th in scoring defense by allowing 71.9 points per game. They are led by Whitney Kieffer, as she averages 18.0 points per game in NSIC contests this season. Rebounding-wise, UIU is led by Lauren Buck's average of 7.0 rebounds per game. Carol Russell is in her fourth season as head coach of the Peacocks.
