GAME NOTES (PDF)

THIS WEEK: The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team (11-5, 5-4 NSIC) is on the road this weekend for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games, traveling to Augustana (13-3, 7-2 NSIC) on Friday for a 6 p.m. contest and Wayne State (12-4, 5-4 NSIC) on Saturday for a 4 p.m. meeting.

THE SERIES:  Friday's meeting with Augustana marks the 25th game between the two schools.  SMSU, which first played the Vikings in 1969-70, is 9-15 against Augie, while head coach Mike Jewett, a former assistant at Augie, is 0-4 against the Vikings.  Saturday's contest with Wayne State will be the 35th meeting in a series that dates back to 1991-92.  The series is stalemated with 17 wins for each program.  Jewett is 2-4 against the Wildcats.

TELEVISION: Friday night's game will be televised live by Midcontinent Communications from Sioux Falls, S.D.  Midcontinent is available on cable systems throughout the states of Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.  Al Bahe and Tom Neiman will handle the broadcast.

TUNE IT IN:  SMSU women's basketball can be heard all season long on 105.1 KARL FM.  Aaron Ziemer, the voice of the Mustangs, will again handle play-by-play.

LAST WEEKEND:  SMSU went 1-1 on the weekend, topping St. Cloud State on Friday but falling to No. 20 Concordia on Saturday.  On Friday against the Huskies, Lucia Puchelova and Laura Kramer each scored 12 points to lead the Mustangs to a 59-47.  Miley Hunziker finished with nine points, while Abby Kenealy added eight.  Kenealy was just a bucket shy of a double-double as she also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the win.  Megan Stadler handed out a game-high six assists to go along with five points.  On Saturday, the Golden Bears got a game-high 23 points from Zoraa Quoie and shot 53.5 percent from the floor to top SMSU 100-78.  Kramer finished with a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds to register her second double-double of the season and fifth of her career. The Mustangs had three others reach double figures as Hunziker recorded 15 points, Kenealy added 12 and Taylor Voss scored 10.

THE COACHES:  Mike Jewett is in his fourth year at the helm of the SMSU women's basketball program.  Jewett owns a 44-58 record at SMSU.  Under his direction, the Mustangs have charted improved records each season, going from seven wins in 2006-07 to twice that in 2008-09.   Jewett is in seventh overall season as a head coach at the collegiate level, where he has an overall record of 106-78.  Prior to taking over at SMSU, Jewett had stints as an assistant coach at Augustana and St. Cloud State and also served as the head coach at Franklin (Ind.).
    Dave Krauth is in his 21st season season as head coach at Augustana where he has compiled a career record of 410-188. Krauth has directed the Vikings to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams have produced 40 All- Conference players and three league MVPs, and his teams have led the nation in scoring twice in his tenure.
    Chris Kielsmeier enters his second season as the leader of Wayne State women's basketball, where he has a record of 21-17.  Prior to taking over at WSC, Kielsmeier served as the head coach at Howard Payne (Texas) for eight years.  During his tenure at HPU, he compiled a record of 179-44 and won a Division III national title in 2007-08.

MUSTANG NOTES:
• Megan Stadler has led SMSU in assists every game this season.
• SMSU's seven-game home winning streak was snapped on Saturday.
• The Mustangs, who gave up 100 points to Concordia on Saturday, did so for the first time since the 2006-07 season when SMSU fell to MSU Moorhead 105-57.
• SMSU has lost seven straight games to Augustana.

OFFERING ASSISTANCE: Megan Stadler has put up some impressive numbers in the assists column in 2009-10.  She has led the Mustangs in the category every game this season and passed the 400 career assists mark this past weekend, putting her in a tie for third in school history.  With her assists count at 94 for the season, the senior point is first in assists in the NSIC in all games and second in conference games only; she is also seventh in the nation in the category.  Stadler is on pace to have the best season of her career and pass her 138-assist campaign from last season.

DOUBLE TROUBLE:  Laura Kramer had a career night against Concordia on Saturday, scoring a career-high 19 points and tying a career-high with 12 rebounds.  It was her second double-double of the season and fifth of her career.  Her two double-doubles this season is a Mustang best.

SMSU IN NSIC STATISTICS:  The Mustangs have a few players in the top 10 in the latest NSIC statistics  Megan Stadler is second in assists (5.89 apg) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89).  Tori Fink is third in steals (2.13 spg), while Abby Kenealy is sixth in blocked shots (1.11 bpg).  Laura Kramer is also 10th in offensive rebounds (2.67 rpg). As a team, the Mustangs' best statistic is holding opponents to a 31.2 three-point field goal percentage--good for second in the conference.

ABOUT SMSU:  The Mustangs enter this weekend's contests sporting a 11-5 record and 5-4 in conference play.  Abby Kenealy leads SMSU in scoring, averaging 12.9 points per game.  SMSU lost their second leading scorer, Heather Smith, to a season-ending injury last weekend.  Laura Kramer, who has a pair of double-doubles on the season, is SMSU's top rebounder with 7.3 per game.  Megan Stadler continues to direct the Mustang offense and has handed out a team-best 94 assists this season.

ABOUT AUGUSTANA:  The Vikings head into the weekend with a 13-3 record and 7-2 mark in NSIC games.  Megan Doyle leads a quartet of players averaging double figures and is the squad's leading scorer with 14.1 points per game.  Kristi Board controls the glass with 6.3 rebounds per game.  The Vikings have connected on more three-pointers than any other team in the NSIC, leading the category with 93 (10.33/game)

ABOUT WAYNE STATE:  The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 12-4 overall record and 5-4 in NSIC play.  Ashley Arlen's 18.3 points per game leads WSC, while Mara Hjelle 7.8 rebounds per game is a team best.  The Wildcats boast a tough defense and are holding opponents to a 37.8 percent field goal percentage and 66.1 points per game--statistics that are both No. 1 in the conference.

GOIN' STREAKING:  SMSU's six-game winning streak, which was snapped by Minnesota, Crookston in early January, was the longest for a Mustang team since the 2004-05 squad opened the season with seven consecutive wins.  The winning streak began with a win over Northern State on Dec. 11 and was spoiled on Jan. 3 at UMC.

WE LIKE MIKE:  Head coach Mike Jewett recorded his 100th career victory on Saturday, Dec. 12, when the Mustangs downed Mary 62-58.  The fourth-year head coach used 38 wins at SMSU and another 62 from his stint at Franklin (Ind.) to reach the milestone.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:  SMSU enters its 41st year of women's basketball this season.  SMSU has played 1,003 games, compiling an all time record of 541-462.  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.

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL:  The NSIC's 14 head coaches tabbed SMSU 11th in their annual preseason poll.  The Mustangs received 66 points in the poll.  Defending NCAA Division II national champion Minnesota State, Mankato received nine first-place votes and 176 points to take the top spot in the poll.  Concordia- St. Paul, Augustana and Winona State also received first-place votes and checked in at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
    1.     Minnesota State (9)    176
    2.     Concordia-St. Paul (2)    154
    3.    Augustana (2)    145
    4.     MSU Moorhead    142
    5.     Winona State (1)    140
    6.     Minnesota Duluth    131
    7.     Wayne State    111
    8.     St. Cloud State    99
    9.     Mary    96
    10.     Northern State    73
    11.     Southwest Minnesota State    66
    12.     Minnesota, Crookston    55
    13.     Bemidji State    37
    14.     Upper Iowa    32
    ( ) First Place Votes

STADLER IN THE RECORD BOOK:  Senior Megan Stadler began the season ranked ninth in career assists at SMSU, but the guard has quickly jumped a few spots throughout the season.  Stadler will like jump into sole possession of the No. 3 spot in her next contest as she is tied with Dani Coleman's mark of 401 career assists.
    1. 493    Michelle Bruns - 2001-05
    2. 425    Mary Roddel - 2000-04
    3. 401    Dani Coleman - 1996-00
       401    Megan Stadler - 2005-10
    5. 366    Erin Frye - 1997-01
    6. 341    Lillie Brown - 1992-96
    7. 330    Abby Oakland - 2005-09

HOME, SWEET 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 14 seasons of playing in the Mustang home arena, SMSU women's basketball has compiled a record of 110-66.
    Year    Overall    NSIC    Non-Conf.
    1996-97    6-5    2-4    4-1
    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    9-6    3-6    5-0
    2009-10    7-2    3-1    4-1   
       Totals:    110-66    63-42    47-22