MUSTANGS OPEN NSIC PLAY AT SIOUX FALLS; HEAD TO DENVER THIS WEEKEND - The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team will open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play Tuesday night at the Stewart Center against Sioux Falls with a 6 p.m. start. The Mustangs will then head to Denver and play a pair of non-conference games at the Holiday Inn Denver Cherry Creek Class this weekend on the campus of Metropolitan State University. SMSU will face Colorado State-Pueblo on Friday at 2 p.m., (CT) and Metro State on Saturday at 6 p.m., (CT).
ABOUT SIOUX FALLS - The Cougars are 4-0 on the season, defeating Presentation College last Saturday, 78-50 for its fourth-straight win. USF was picked to finish third overall in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and third in the South Division. Junior guard Taylor Varsho is a top returner for the Cougars after averaging a team-high 13.2 points a game last season, while also shooting 36.2 percent from behind the arc and 38.4 percent from the floor. Varsho leads the team so far this season averaging 17.3 points a game, while also shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and 45.6 from downtown. Sam Knecht, a junior forward, is also averaging double-digit points with 13 points a game so far this season, while leading the team in rebounds per game with 7.8. She also leads the team with six blocks. USF is averaging 83.2 ppg and shooting 46.4 percent from the floor. Head coach Travis Traphagen is in his 7th season at USF with an overall record of 129-76.
MUSTANGS AGAINST THE COUGARS - Southwest Minnesota State will meet with Sioux Falls for the 26th time in program history on Tuesday night with Cougars holdings a 16-9 advantage. USF leads 10-3 all-time in games played in Sioux Falls. The Cougars won both meetings last season, 67-45 on Dec. 20, and 91-50 on Nov. 25, in Marshall. It was the second-consecutive time USF defeated SMSU twice in the same season. SMSU has lost the last four games, with its last win coming back in the 2013 season in Sioux Falls.
ABOUT COLORADO STATE-PUEBLO - The Thunderwolves are 3-1 so far this season, suffering its only loss to Lubbock Christian, 68-43 on Nov. 13. CSU-Pueblo was picked to finish fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Ashley Piper is a top returner for the Thunderwolves as she received Preseason All-RMAC honors after earning All-RMAC first team honors a season a go when she led the RMAC in defensive rebounds. Tuileisu Anderson, a sophomore guard, is leading the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game, while also grabbing 11 steals. Lauren Heyn, a freshman forward, is making an impact as she leads the team pulling down 8.5 rebounds a game. CSU-Pueblo is shooting 37.8 percent from the floor and averaging 61.2 points per game. Head coach Jim Turgeon is in his 1st season at CSU-Pueblo.
MUSTANGS AGAINST THE THUNDERWOLVES - Southwest Minnesota State will meet with Colorado State-Pueblo for the first time in program history on Friday night.
ABOUT METRO STATE - The Roadrunners are 1-3 on the season so far with its lone win coming from Cal. State-East Bay, 85-80 in overtime on Nov. 21. MSU Denver was picked to finish six in the RMAC. Sophomore, Georgia Ohrdorf is a top returner for the Roadrunners as she was named Preseason All-RMAC after she averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg, while also earning RMAC Freshman of the Year honors last season. She is leading the team so far this season averaging 14.5 points a game, while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and pulling down 6.8 rebounds a game. Hannah Stipanovich, a sophomore center, also is averaging double-digit points with 12.8 a game and leading the team with averaging 7.5 boards per game. Head coach Tanya Haave is in her 6th season at MSU Denver with an overall record of 104-44.
MUSTANGS AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS - Southwest Minnesota State will meet with the Metropolitan Sate University of Denver for the third time in program history on Saturday night with the Roadrunners holding a 2-0 advantage. It will be the second time the Mustangs will play in Denver. MSU Denver won last season's meeting in Marshall, 67-60. Prior to last season, the teams first met in the 1996-97 season in Denver at the Metro State Tournament with the Roadrunners winning 64-59.
CATCHING UP WITH THE MUSTANGS - The Mustangs hosted Nebraska-Kearney last week and suffered a 74-50 non-conference loss in the R/A Facility. It was the first time SMSU lost to UNK in Marshall.
Abby Connell and
Lauren Hedlund led SMSU with 12 points apiece.
MEDIA COVERAGE - Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball during the NSIC season can be heard all season long on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik handling the play-by-play and Anthony Rohlik as color analyst. Games can be heard via live stream at marshallradio.net. All NSIC games can be viewed online at smsumustangs.com/watchnow.
HEAD COACH ALLISON KRUGER - Allison Kruger begins her sixth season as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State University and has compiled a record of 24-114, including 18-92 in NSIC play. Prior to SMSU, Kruger spent two seasons as assistant coach at NCAA Division I University of South Dakota and four years at Wayne State (Neb.).
