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MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State (11-12, 3-10 NSIC) women's basketball team closes a four-game road series this weekend when the Mustangs travel to No. 20 Minnesota State Moorhead (16-4, 9-4 NSIC) and Minnesota, Crookston for a pair of conference match-ups.  SMSU meets up with MSUM Friday and UMC Saturday; both games are 6 p.m. tip-offs.

About SMSU
The Mustangs enter this weekend's match-ups with a 11-12 record and 3-10 in the NSIC, putting them in 12th place in the conference.  Sara Leidall sits atop the scoring column for SMSU, averaging 12.8 points per game.  She is the lone Mustang averaging in double figures.

Laura Kramer leads SMSU with 5.9 rebounds per outing and is shooting a team-best 50.6 percent from the field.  Junior point guard Megan Stadler has posted 95 assists this season as the quarterback of the Mustang offense.   From behind the arc, Abby Oakland has a Mustang-best 30 three-pointers on the season.

Back in the win column after a brief hiatus, SMSU snapped a five-game losing skid last Saturday, taking down Bemidji State 71-56.

Last Week's Recap
Minnesota Duluth 57, SMSU 53
Minnesota Duluth's Jheri Booker scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead her Bulldogs to a 57-53 conference victory over the Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team Friday night in Duluth.

Sara Leidall led SMSU with 15 points and six rebounds.  Tori Fink was also in double figures, netting 13 points off three-of-five shooting from behind the arc.

SMSU 71, Bemidji State 56
A balanced Southwest Minnesota State offensive effort keyed a 71-56 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory over Bemidji State Saturday night in Bemidji, Minn.  The win snapped a five-game losing skid for the Mustangs.

Four players were in double figures for SMSU in the scoring column.  Sara Leidall finished with a team-high 14 points, and Tori Fink, Abby Oakland and Abby Kenealy each had 11 points on the evening.

Oakland led SMSU on the boards, snagging a team-high seven rebounds.  She also tied teammate Megan Stadler for a game-high seven assists.

Opponent Information
MSU Moorhead:  The Dragons enter this weekend's match-ups with a 16-4 record (9-4 NSIC) and in fourth place in the conference.  Ranked No. 20 in the latest national poll, MSUM sports a pair of juniors among the best in the conference in the scoring column.  Junior center Meghan Rettke is the NSIC's third-leading scorer, averaging 14.1 points per game, while junior forward Alison Nash-Gerlach isn't far behind with 14.0 points per outing.  Rettke's numbers on the glass are, to say the least, solid, too.  She is the conference's top rebounder, snagging 10.5 boards per game, which means she is averaging a double-double a night.  Senior guard Katie Walden is also in double figures, netting 11.1 points per tilt.  Junior point guard Krista Opheim is dishing out 5.3 assists per game.

Karla Nelson is in her ninth season (156-96) as the leader of the Dragons, and her ball club is allowing the fewest points of any NSIC team (63.1).   MSUM is also efficient from the free throw line, shooting a conference-best 78.4 percent.

Minnesota, Crookston:  Entering this weekend's contests with an 8-12 mark (4-9 NSIC), the Golden Eagles hold the 11th spot in the NSIC standings.  The sophomore duo of guard Jamie Zelinsky and forward Bri Zabel power the UMC offense as the two are averaging 15.8 and 12.7 points per game, respectively.  Zelinksy also boasts a Golden Eagle-best 2.8 assists per night, while Zabel is the team's premier rebounder, checking in with 6.3 rebounds per game.

Mike Roysland is in his third season (14-60) at the helms of the Golden Eagles.


Series Information
After 70 meetings, the series between MSUM and SMSU is stalemated at 35 wins for each program.  Friday is the second meeting this season for the two squads; the Mustangs upset the then-No. 11-ranked and unbeaten Dragons 59-55 on Jan. 2.   Head coach Mike Jewett is 2-3 against MSUM.

UMC leads the series between the Mustangs and Golden Eagles 17-4.  A Jan. 3 meeting between the two schools resulted in a 76-73 victory for UMC.  Jewett is 3-2 versus the Golden Eagles.

A Grand for Leidall
Sara Leidall reached the 1,000-point mark in SMSU's 107-45 win over Mayville State (N.D.) on  Nov. 18, scoring 11 points in 14 minutes.  She became the 16th player in school history to reach that milestone.  She currently has 1,208 points (ranks 10th) and 557 rebounds (12th) in her career.  She became the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000 points/500 rebounds club with her 500th career rebound on Dec. 12 against Northern State.

1,000 Points and 500 Rebounds Club
    Pts.    Reb.
Julie Thein (1987-91)    1,800    913
Lillie Brown (1992-96)    1,759    895
Michelle Bruns (2001-05)    1,635    596
Andrea Schreier (1997-01)    1,570    689
Shelli Schoeneck (1999-03)    1,488    506
Cindy Olson (1976-80)    1,463    655
Sara Leidall (2005-current)    1,208    557
Regan French (2001-05)    1,018    633
Amy Boman (1998-02)    1,009    589

Sharp Shooters
Megan Wittkop, Abby Oakland, Sara Leidall and Kady Telschow rank among SMSU's best all-time shooters.  Wittkop is currently fourth in career free throw percentage and fourth in three-point percentage.  Leidall also ranks in the top-10 in free throw percentage.  Telschow is currently the career three-point percentage record holder at 45.9 percent (50-of-109).  Oakland is first in career free-throw percentage and also ranks in the top-10 in three-point field goals made.

Free throw percentage (minimum 100 made)
.846    Abby Oakland (110-130)    2005-09
.842    Mary Roddel (256-304)    2000-04
.833    Shannon Dunse (120-144)    1989-93
.814    Megan Wittkop (127-156)    2005-09
.785    Nicole Bullock (117-149)    1998-02
.785    Andrea Schreier (409-521)    1997-01
.777    Sara Leidall (178-229)    2004-09
.777    Shelli Schoeneck (380-489)    1999-03
.771    Amy Buschow (168-218)    1990-93
.760    Traci Robinson (193-254)    1988-90

3-point field goals made
190    Michelle Bruns (119 games)    2001-05
177    Dani Coleman (110 games)    1996-00
169    Mary Roddel (121 games)    2000-04
142    Kelly Crimi (105 games)    2002-06
114    Erin Frye (107 games)    1997-01
110    Megan Wittkop (103 games)    2005-09
109    Andrea Schreier (111 games)    1997-01
86    Abby Oakland (107 games)    2005-09
84    Shelli Schoeneck (122 games)    1999-03
72    Darcy Peterka (101 games)    1988-92

3-point FG percentage (minimum 50 made)
.464    Kady Telschow (51-110)    2006-09
.427    Andrea Schreier (109-255)    1997-01
.390    Dani Coleman (177-454)    1996-00
.381    Megan Wittkop (110-289)    2005-09
.379    Michelle Bruns (190-501)    2001-05
.379    Haneefah McNair (55-145)    1993-96
.378    Shelli Schoeneck (84-222)    1999-03
.378    Mary Roddel (169-447)    2000-04
.365    Sara Leidall (68-188)    2005-09
.362    Kelly Crimi (142-392)    2002-06

Big Numbers
The Southwest Minnesota State scored over 100 points in consecutive games for the first time in school history after defeating Chadron State (Neb.) 111-75 on Nov. 15 and Mayville State (N.D.) 107-45 on Nov. 18.  The 100-point games were the sixth and seventh in program's history.  The Mustangs also put up 105 against Minnesota-Morris on Dec. 19

100-point games
2/15/88    Sioux Falls (S.D.)    W 105-80
11/19/88    at Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)    W 104-102 ot
1/14/00    Minnesota, Crookston    W 108-51
12/8/00    at Minnesota-Morris    W 110-47
2/19/08    North Central (Minn.)    W 116-42
11/15/08    Chadron State (Neb.)    W 111-75
11/18/08    Mayville State (N.D.)    W 107-45
12/19/08    Minnesota-Morris    W 105-64

Dishing it Out
Abby Oakland has crept into the top-10 in career assists at SMSU.  She currently has 319 to rank seventh in school history. 

History of the Program
Southwest Minnesota State is in its 40th season of women's basketball and has played 980 games, compiling an all time record of 527-453.  SMSU has racked up 25 winning seasons with 10 coming in the last 15 years.  The 2000-01 squad won a school record 25 games and made an appearance at the NCAA Tournament.

Mustangs Home and Away
The Mustangs are currently 7-3 in home games, 1-5 in away games and 3-2 in games played at a neutral site.  The following is a breakdown of statistics for home, away and neutral site games this season:
SMSU's stats:
Home    W-L    FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO
SMSU    7-5    .420    .659    39.9    77.9    13.3
Opponents        .382    .778    40.0    64.2    20.8

Away    W-L    FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO
SMSU    1-5    .357    .674    40.0    58.7    16.7
Opponents        .397    .654    40.0    63.2    17.0

Neutral    W-L    FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO
SMSU    3-2    .390    .753    36.4    65.4    64.6
Opponents        .393    .757    37.4    64.6    17.0

















Mustangs at Home
The R/A Facility, the home of SMSU basketball has been a tough place to play for opponents since opening its doors for the 1996-97 season.   In 11 seasons of playing in the Mustang home arena, SMSU women's basketball has compiled a record of 101-63.

Year    Overall    NSIC    Non-Conf.
1996-97    6-6    2-4    4-2
1997-98    5-6    3-3    2-3
1998-99    11-2    6-0    5-2     
1999-00    11-3    7-2    4-1     
2000-01    12-0    9-0    3-0
2001-02    11-2    8-1    3-1
2002-03    11-3    7-2    4-1
2003-04    3-7    2-6    1-1     
2004-05    10-4    5-2    5-2
2005-06    5-9    3-4    2-5
2006-07    5-8    3-6    2-2
2007-08    4-8    2-5    2-2
2008-09    7-5    2-4    5-0
Totals    101-63    59-9    43-22

SMSU Late in the Game
The following is SMSU's offensive and defensive statistical averages in the final five minutes of its games during the 2008-09 season:

<5 min.    FG%    3-FG%  FT%    REB    PTS    TO
SMSU    .392    .255    .768    5.4    10.3    2.5
Opponents    .447    .349    .679    5.0    10.0    2.1

In the Reserves
SMSU's bench has outscored its opponent's bench by  an average of 12 points this season.  Taylor Voss has been SMSU's top reserve, averaging 5.5 points off the bench.  The following is a statistical comparison of SMSU's bench versus its opponent's bench this season:

    FG%    3pt%    FT%    PTS    REB    AST    TO    STL
SMSU    .377    .308    .650    27.3    18.3    5.9    5.9    4.1
Opp.    .346    .269    .692    16.6    14.6    2.4    5.8    2.0

Jump Start
SMSU has played well in season openers recently, winning 11 of its last 12 season-opening games after defeating No. 9 Delta State on Oct. 31 at the Disney Classic.  Last season, Southwest won 72-54 at Chadron State (Neb.) to open the 2007-08 season.

Among the Best
Sara Leidall was named honorable mention All-NSIC last season after the leading the Mustangs in scoring and rebounds.  She became the first player in two seasons to earn postseason honors from the NSIC.   Kelly Crimi and Leidall were each named second team All-NSIC in 2005-06.

Going Big Time
It is believed that Heather Smith is SMSU women's basketball's first-ever NCAA Division I transfer.  Records going back through the mid-1980s show no women's basketball players transfering to SMSU from a Division I school.  Smith transfered to SMSU during the spring of 2008 from Liberty University (Va.).

Old Folks
The Mustangs begin the 2008-09 season with three seniors on their roster after graduating just one last season.  Abby Oakland (76), Sara Leidall (71) and Megan Wittkop (29) enter their senior seasons with a combined 176 starts in their careers.  Additionally, fourth-year junior Megan Stadler has started 22 games in her two seasons on the court.  Stadler missed the 2006-07 season due to injury, but returned to start 13 games last winter.

SMSU Picked Ninth in Preseason Poll
The Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs women's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coaches' Poll.  The announcement came from the NSIC offices in St. Paul.

SMSU received 91 points in the poll, while first place Minnesota State, Mankato had 179 points and 11 first-place votes.  Augustana was picked to finish second and received three first-place votes.  Defending NSIC champion Concordia-St. Paul was third.

Minnesota State, Mankato guard Heather Johnson was picked as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.  Johnson led MSU in scoring last season, averaging 16.9 points.  She also set a school record with 81 three-pointers last season.

2008-09 Season Player Notes
#21 Andrea Fennern: Averaging 6.8 minutes ... has played in 16 of 23 games ... averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds... shooting 37.5 percent from the floor ... scored nine points against Chadron State (Neb.) on Nov. 15 and season-high 11 points with five rebounds in 11 minutes against Mayville State (N.D.) on Nov. 18.

#11 Tori Fink: Has started 16 of 23 games ... averaging 7.9 points ...  third on the team with 54 assists (2.3 per game) ... scored season-high 15 points in overtime loss against Mary on Dec. 13 ... scored season-high 15 points, grabbed career-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists in victory of Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) on Dec. 29 ... put up 11 points in victory over No. 11 MSU Moorhead on Jan. 2 ... had 13 points and five rebounds against Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 30 ... has a 1.20 assist-to-turnover ratio.

#5 Abby Kenealy: Has played in 22 of 23 games and is averaging 12.7 minutes off the bench ... averaging 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds ... has blocked nine shots ... scored career-high 16 points, hitting 8-of-9 free throws against Augustana on Nov. 29 ... scored 10 points in 26 minutes against Minnesota, Crookston on Jan. 3 ... had 11 points against Bemidji State on Jan. 31 ... shooting 43.5 percent from the field.

#45 Laura Kramer: Has played in all 23 games, starting 16 ... averaging 22.2 minutes, 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds ... leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots with 26 ... shooting 50.6 percent from the field ... grabbed career-high 12 rebounds in start against Upper Iowa on Nov. 30 ... scored 10 points against No. 17  Minnesota State, Mankato on Dec. 6 and against Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) on Dec. 29 ... tied career-high with 12 points against Northern State on Dec. 12 ... had nine points and 11 rebounds against Mary on Dec. 13 ... had career-high 15 points against Winona State on Jan. 9 ... posted first career double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) against Winona State on Jan. 11. ... Grabbed 10 rebounds against St. Coud State on Jan. 16.

#33 Sara Leidall: 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in career ... scored 1,000th point against Mayville State (N.D.) on Nov. 18 and grabbed 500th rebound against Northern State on Dec. 12 ... for the season, leads the team in minutes per game (26.5) and scoring (12.8) ... shooting 42.3 percent from the field ... has scored over 20 points twice this season ... scored 20 points in win over American International (Mass.) on Nov. 1 ... scored 21 points in win over Upper Iowa on Nov. 30, scoring seven points in the final five minutes to help SMSU close the game on a 15-2 run ... scored 10 points in SMSU's upset of No. 11 MSU Moorhead on Jan. 2 ... dropped 16 points on Uper Iowa on Jan. 10 and 15 points on Wayne State on Jan. 24 ... netted 15 points against Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 30.

#34 Abby Oakland:  Has started 20 of 23 games this season ... second on the team in minutes per game (25.8), second in rebounding (4.6) and fourth in scoring (7.3 points per game)... first on the team in free throw percentage (.892) ... scored career-high 22 points, hitting, 8-of-13 from the field, in win over Mount Mercy (Iowa) on Nov. 22  ... has dished out 48 assists ... sank career-high six three-pointers for game-high 20 points against Wayne State on Jan. 24

#25 Annie Smith: Has played in 20 of 23 games, averaging 9.7 minutes, 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds ... has connected on 11-of-29 three-point shots ... has blocked 15 shots, ranking second on the team ... scored six points against Chadron State (Neb.) and Mayville State (N.D.) ... also pulled down four rebounds and had two blocked shots against Chadron State on Nov. 15 ... scored five points in nine minutes against Northern State on Dec. 12 ... scored career-high 12 points against Minnesota-Morris on Dec. 19 ... had seven points and eight rebounds against Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) on Dec. 29.

#20 Heather Smith: Has played in 22 of 23 games, averaging 11.2 minutes off the bench ... averaging 3.4 points ... scored career-high 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting with four steals in win over Chadron State (Neb.) on Nov. 15 ... transfer from NCAA Division I Liberty University (Va.) ... scored 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc against Minnesota-Morris on Dec. 19.

#3 Megan Stadler: Has started 19 of 23 games, averaging 24.3 minutes  ... also averaging 6.8 points ... leads the team in assists with 95 and third in steals with 30 ... second on the team in three-point percentage (.523) and is shooting 80.0 percent from the line ... dished out seven assists in wins over Chadron State (Neb.) and Mayville State (N.D.) ... scored career-high 20 points, hitting 4-of-4 from the outside, in win over Upper Iowa on Nov. 30  ... scored 11 points and hit game-winning free throws against No. 11 MSU Moorhead on Jan. 2... scored 15 points and had five assists against Minnesota, Crookston on Jan. 3 ... dished out eight assists against Upper Iowa on Jan. 10.

#10 Aneshia Starks: Has started 14 of 19 games this season, averaging 14.6 minutes, 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds ... leads the team with 31 steals ... shooting 35.4 percent from the field ... did not start a game last season ... has been a defensive stopper this season, frequently guarding the opponent's top player ... scored season-high nine points against Chadron State (Neb.) on Nov. 15 ... had 10 steals in three-game stretch from Nov. 15 - Nov. 22 ... missed the second half of Upper Iowa game on Nov. 30 due to injury ... tied a career-high with four steals against Minnesota-Morris on Dec. 19 ...  has sat out last four games with an injury.

#42 Kady Telschow: Has played in 14 of 23 games ... averaging 6.5 minutes and 1.5 points ... scored season-highs four points and grabbed five rebounds against Mayville State (N.D.) on Nov. 18 ... drilled a 3-pointer against Northern State on Dec. 12, her first 3-pointer since Nov. 30, 2007 against Bemidji State after leading the NSIC in 3-point shooting as a true freshman in 2006-07.

#14 Trisha Van Dusseldorp: Redshirting.

#32 Taylor Voss:  Has played in all 23 games, starting one ... averaging 14.4 minutes and 5.7 points per game ...  shooting 33.30 percent from the outside and second the team in three-pointers made with 28 ... has forced 16 steals and blocked seven shots ... scored 11 points, connecting on 4-of-8 shots, to go with three steals, in win over Mount Mercy (Iowa) on Nov. 22 ... pulled down season-high five rebounds against Mary on Dec. 13 ... poured in career-high 14 points  against Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) on Dec. 29. 

#24 Megan Wittkop: Ranks fourth in school history in free throw percentage (.814), sixth in three-pointers made (110) and fourth in three-point percentage (.381) ... has played in 19 games as a reserve ... averaging 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.