Click here to view the PDF Southwest Minnesota State will play host to Wayne State College this weekend, in SMSUs only game of the week. The game between Southwest and WSC will be a part of the annual Hawaiian Night festivities. The Mustangs are scheduled to host Wayne State at 6:00 p.m. on January, 29 in the R/A Facility.
Inside This Release Youll Find...: This weeks press release includes opponent information and plenty of SMSU notes. On page four is where youll find the WBCA top 25 along with the current North Central Region ranking and page five has the opponent information and series notes. Pages 2-3 are filled with Mustang notes and stats, as wells as NSIC information. Player info and stats are found on pages 6-10.
The Records: Southwest will enter this weekends game with a 13-7 record overall and 3-3 conference mark. The Mustangs fell to 3-3 in the conference after spliting their home games with Bemidji State (won 55-44) and Minnesota-Crookston (loss 77-64). The Wildcats will come into the R/A with a similar 3-3 NSIC record but their overall mark is slightly better at 15-6. WSC sweept both BSU and UMC last weekend in Wayne, Neb.
Game Tip-Ins:
The Mustangs have an all-time record of 485-380 overall and in conference play have compiled a record of 165-161.
Southwest Minnesota State is 6-2 at home this season. Last season SMSU finished the season with a 3-7 record at the R/A Facility.
SMSU has posted a 10-2 all-time home record against Wayne State.
Bruns and the History Book: Senior guard Michelle Bruns, who last season joined the 1,000 point club, has a chance this season to climb the Mustangs career record book. She currently ranks sixth on the career scoring chart with 1,477 career points as she has already pasted Dani Coleman (1996-2000), Erin Frye (1997-2001) and Cindy Olsen (1976-1980). If Bruns manages to score 19 points or more against Wayne State on Saturday, she would then move into fourth place on the all-time list. Julie Thein (1987-91) owns the SMSU career scoring title with 1,800 career points. Bruns is also chasing Dani Colemans (1996-2000) school career record for three-point field goals made. Coleman holds the SMSU record with 177 while Bruns, who has knocked down 39 three-pointers this season, currently stands with 170.
Series History: (complete series information and all-time scores can be found on page 5 of this release) Saturday nights contest between SMSU and Wayne State will be the 16th meeting between the two schools, dating back to the 1991-92 season. The Mustangs currently hold a five game lead in the series with a 15-10 record against WSC.
Last season the two schools split the season series with the Mustangs picking up a win in Wayne, Neb. and the Wildcats earning their victory at the R/A Facility. Last seasons win by Wayne State in Marshall snapped a ten-game home winning streak the Mustangs had over the Wildcats. In the 12 games that the two schools have played in Marshall, Southwest has walked away with a victory ten times.
NSIC Player of the Week: Thanks to a 10-4 start, that has included wins over two ranked opponents, the Mustangs have received plenty of recognition from the conference office. SMSU has won four NSIC Player of the Week awards, which is the most of the eight teams in the league. Regan French is the most recent Mustangs to earn the honors. The senior forward picked up the award on January 3 after helping SMSU defeat ninth-ranked UND. Michelle Bruns is the other player to receive recognition from the conference. She has won the award on three separate occasions; November 22, November 29 and December 13.
1,000 Equals 15: Senior Regan French is approaching the 1,000 point milestone in her career. The Marshall native currently has 884 career points and needs to average 11.6 points per game to achieve the milestone in the regular season. If French does reach the 1,000 point mark, she would become the 15th player in SMSU history to accomplish the feat.
Rebounding Duo: Kristin Hairstons performance last weekend moved her into second place in the NSIC in rebounding. The junior center is averaging 6.6 boards per game. In conference play she is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, which is first in the NSIC. Teammate Regan French also ranks among the NSICs top rebounders, as her 5.9 boards per game is seventh in the league.
Mustang Season Highs: Southwest Minnesota State has posted some impressive numbers during their 11-5 start to the 2004-05 season. In their season opener against Waldorf, SMSU established season-highs in points (87), field goals made (35), field goal percentage (.565), rebounds (49) and assists (25). The Mustangs top defensive effort in terms of points allowed came when SMSU held Minnesota-Morris to just 42 points. Four times this season the Mustangs have held an opponent under 50 points.
The Inside Force: Last weekend Kristin Hairston made her presence known after her inside play. Against Bemidji State she had nine rebounds and one blocked shot, then followed that with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots against Minnesota-Crookston. Her four blocked shots against UMC was a career-high as she eclipsed her previous high of three against Chadron State (NE) on November 11, 2003.
Taking Advantage of the Charity: SMSU has six players that are shooting 75 percent or better from the free throw line. Michelle Bruns, Shannon Daly, Regan French, Alaura Sharp, Betsy Tasca and Kelsey Wells are all shooting 75 percent or better. SMSU as a team is shooting 74.6 percent, which is second amongst NSIC teams.
Another Milestone for Bruns: In SMSUs 94-78 loss at St. Cloud State, guard Michelle Bruns set a new career-high when she dropped 40 on the Huskies. Her 40 points were seven shy of tying Julie Theins SMSU single-game record of 47. Bruns previous career-high came on November 25, 2003 when she lit up Dordt (IA) for 38.
Best Start Since the 70s: SMSUs 7-0 start to this season was the schools best start since the 1974-75 season when the Mustangs started 8-0 to set the school record. That season SMSU went 11-2.
All-Tournament Mustangs: Southwest Minnesota State went 7-1 in the non-conference tournaments that they took part in with the player accolades being proof of their success. Twice this season Michelle Bruns has been named tournament MVP. She was also named to the all-tournament team, along with teammate Regan French, at the SMSU/US Bancorp Classic. Bruns also picked up all-tournament honors at the Hoops-n-Surf Classic after SMSU went 1-1. Kelly Crimi was selected as an all-tournament member at the Northwest Missouri State Classic, after scoring a career-high 18 points on six three-pointers that tied a school record.
Double the Fun: The Mustangs have had two players post double-doubles this season. Michelle Bruns registered SMSUs first double-double this season in the win over 18th ranked South Dakota. She scored 13 points while grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds. Regan French owns the other double-double as she netted one after the Mustangs 71-68 win over 9th ranked North Dakota. The senior forward had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mustangs.
Southwest Minnesota State at Home: Since the opening of the R/A Facility in 1996, the Mustangs have proved theres no place like home. SMSU has posted a 70-29 record since 1996, including this season, for a winning percentage of .707.
Post Producing Wins: Southwest Minnesota States post play has been pivotal in their wins this season. In the eight games that Kristin Hairston has either scored in double figures or grabbed 10 or more rebounds, the Mustangs have posted a 7-1 record. The one loss that SMSU suffered was when she scored 12 points in just 19 minutes at St. Cloud State. SMSUs other post threat, Regan French, has also translated strong play into Mustang wins. French has scored in double figures in ten games, with the Mustangs winning all eight of the ten games. She has posted one double-double, and that came in SMSUs win over then-ranked nine North Dakota.
Were Going Streaking: SMSU has been a streaky team so far this season. The Mustangs started the season with a 7-0 record, which was the schools best start since they went 8-0 to start the 1974-75 season. After starting 7-0 the Mustangs lost their next four, before they snapped their losing streak by defeating Arkansas Tech which then spawned a three-game winning streak.
Career-High for Tasca: Sophomore Betsy Tasca set a new career-high for rebounding in the Mustangs loss at Augustana (SD). The 6-2 center from Dakota, Minn. came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds in the loss. Tasca played a career-high 15 minutes in the game and finished with five points to go along with her 10 rebounds.
NSIC Preseason Poll: The Southwest Minnesota State University womens team was picked to finish fifth after compiling a 6-10 conference mark and 13-15 record overall. Concordia, who finished last season with a 15-1 NSIC record and 28-4 overall mark, was picked to finish first by the NSIC coaches. MSU Moorhead received 59 total votes and was the only other school to receive a first place vote. Northern State and Wayne State were picked to tie for third, with each team receiving 54 votes. Behind the Mustangs were Bemidji State and Minnesota -Crookston who tied for sixth after each receiving 39 votes. Winona State rounds out the conference, being picked last after gaining 28 votes.
Opponent Info:
Wayne State - The Wildcats enter Saturdays contest with a 15-6 record overall and 3-3 mark in NSIC play. WSC is currently on a three-game winning streak after wins at home against Minnesota-Crookston, Bemidji State and Upper Iowa. The Wildcats have struggled away from home, as they currently claim a 2-5 road record and a 1-3 conference road record. Their only conference win on the road came on January 14 at Winona State.
Wayne State has had success with the long ball this season, as they have connected on 37 more three-pointers than their opponents and are shooting 37.2 percent from behind the arc. They rank in the among the nations leaders in three different shooting categories. In three-point shooting percentage they are 17th, in free-throw percentage they rank 23rd and in field-goal percentage they rank 38th.
The Wildcats Nicole Gruntorad is ranked 17th in the nation in three-point shooting at 42.2 percent. She is one of three WSC players that are averaging double-digits in scoring, as she leads the team with 13 points per game. Her five rebounds per game are third on the team and she is also second on the team in assists with 52. Erin McCormick is the team leader in rebounding with 5.6 boards per game and also is third in scoring with ten points per game. Kristen Humphries is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding, as she posts 12.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game.
