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OPENING TIP
The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team will ring in the new year this weekend when the Mustangs host Northern State on Friday, Jan. 3, and MSU Moorhead on Saturday, Jan. 4. SMSU will get things at the R/A Facility underway with the Wolves at 6 p.m., while tip-off versus MSUM is pegged for 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Mustangs carry with them an eight game losing skid and a 14 game skid versus Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents.

OPPONENT AT A GLANCE
NORTHERN STATE -- Northern State is 8-2 overall and has started the NSIC with a 4-2 record. The Wolves have won three straight NSIC games - all home games with the latest coming over MSU Moorhead. NSU is averaging 72.8 points per game and is giving up 74.0 points per game in NSIC contests this season. Northern State will enter as one of the best rebounding team in the NSIC as the Wolves average 13.17 offensive rebounds (3rd) and 28.67 defensive rebounds (2nd) per game. Rachel Krogman leads the pack as the junior forward is nearly averaging a double-double with averages of 16.0 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game.  Alison Kusler (15.0 ppg) and Megan Mutchler (13.2 ppg) also average double-digit scoring for 35th year head coach Curt Frederickson. Fredrickson is the second winningest active NCAA II women's basketball coach and is also one of just two DII women's coaches to surpass 700 wins, reaching that milestone on Jan. 2, 2012 with a win over Upper Iowa.  He also became just the 16th head coach across all NCAA divisions to reach the 700-win mark. 

MSU MOORHEAD -- MSUM opened up the NSIC schedule with three straight losses but rebounded with back-to-back wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. The Dragons are coming off a 70-45 loss to their travel partner Northern State on Dec. 21. Karla Nelson is in her 14th season as head coach of the Dragons. Three Dragons average double-digit scoring thus far this season - led by Morgan Zabel's 15.0 point per game average. Meghan Roehrich is averaging 13.8 points per game off the bench. As a team, the Dragons average 72.8 points per game while allowing opponents to score 69.8 points per game in NSIC contests this season. 14th year head coach Karla Nelson has used the same starting lineup in all 10 games this season.

SERIES HISTORY
NORTHERN STATE | NSU 43-15 -- SMSU and Northern State will meet for the 59th time in a series that the Wolves control handily, 43-15. Northern State took the first 24 games of the series and 30 of 31 up until the 1998-99 season, with the Mustangs' first series victory coming during thew 1995-96 season. The Mustangs do hold a 14-13 edge since the 1998-99 season but have lost four straight meetings dating back to Feb. 27, 2010. The last two wins in the series for SMSU have come at the R/A Facility  -- 50-49 on Feb. 28, 2009 and 66-64 on Dec. 11, 2009. SMSU is 10-19 all-time versus Northern State at home and 14-38 in NSIC play.

MSU MOORHEAD | SMSU 40-36 -- Saturday's game between SMSU and MSU Moorhead will be the 77th meeting in a series that began in 1973. The series saw SMSU take 10 of the first 11 games and built the series' longest winning streak during that timespan as the Mustangs won seven straight from 1977 to 1982. The series has seen its close games as two games have been decided in overtime - with both games going in the favor of SMSU. The latest coming during the 2002-03 season and the other coming at the NAIA District 13 Tournament during the 1993-94 season. SMSU defeated MSUM in the last meeting in the R/A Facility exactly three years ago on Saturday (Jan. 4, 2011), by a score of 68-59. SMSU carries a home record of 23-10 and a 31-32 NSIC record versus the Dragons into Saturday's showdown. SMSU is 2-2 versus MSUM under head coach Allison Kruger.