MARSHALL, Minn.- Southwest Minnesota State will officially begin the 49th season of women's basketball as the Mustangs travel to compete in the NSIC/ MIAA Challenge hosted by the University of Upper Iowa.

SMSU will play Missouri Western State in its season opener on Friday night at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday afternoon game against Fort Hays State beginning at 2:30 p.m., both in the Dorman Gymnasium. Live video and live stats will be available from smsumustangs.com.

SMSU Quick Hits

- Head Coach, Tom Webb, enters his second season at the helm to the SMSU women's basketball program after spending eight seasons at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla.

- Senior forward, Lauren Hedlund, enters the 2017-18 season just 17 points shy of becoming the 19th member of the SMSU women's basketball 1,000 career points club 

- For a third straight year, the Mustangs open the season against the same two MIAA opponents, Missouri Western State and Fort Hays State (Kan.) 

- Sophomore forward, Caleigh Rodning, was named to the 2016-17 NSIC All-Freshman team after averaging 13.7 ppg and 7.8 rpg as a true freshman 

- Southwest Minnesota State is 29-19 all-time in season openers

- SMSU was ranked 12th overall in this year's Preseason NSIC Coaches' Poll


Missouri Western State: Game Preview

        Series History

- This Friday's matchup between the Mustangs and Griffons marks just the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs

- SMSU won the first ever matchup between the two schools in a 65-62 victory in the North Dakota State Tournament back in the 1995-96 season

- Missouri Western has won the previous four matchups and holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with wins during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons respectively

- This year's matchup will mark the third consecutive year that the MIAA and NSIC schools have met up for early-season, non-conference matchups

- MWSU held SMSU to just 24 second-half points in a 93-61 win back in 2015 in Marshall

- The Griffons hosted the 2016 MIAA/ NSIC Challenge and allowed just 22 first-half points in a 78-56 win over SMSU in the season opener for both squads

        Missouri Western State Team Notes

- 2016-17 Record: 21-8, 13-6 MIAA

- Coming off of back-to-back 20-win seasons, Missouri Western State was selected to finish sixth in this year's MIAA Preseason Poll

- The Griffons finished in a tie for fourth place in the MIAA last season

- Senior guard, Erin Anderson, is the top returning scorer from last season after averaging 6.5 points per game as a junior

- Senior guard, Savannah Lentz, averaged 6.1 points per game during her junior season

- Junior guard, Melia Richardson, the third and final returner for MWSU this season, averaged 5.8 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field in 2016-17

- The Griffons' three returners combined for just 30 starts and combined averaged just over 57 minutes on the court per game

- Missouri Western State will also play Upper Iowa on the opening weekend of the 2017-18 season


Fort Hays State: Game Preview

        Series History

- SMSU will take on Fort Hays State this Saturday in just the third all-time matchup

- Fort Hays State has won the first two meetings in early season non-conference matchups over the past two seasons

- The Tigers defeated SMSU, 71-34 in November of 2015 in the first ever game between the two

- FHSU downed SMSU 83-49 in last season's matchup after holding the Mustangs to a 31.3 field goal percentage

- The Tigers had four different players reach double figures in last season's matchup

        Fort Hays State Team Notes

- 2016-17 Record: 22-8, 12-7 MIAA

- Fort Hays State was picked to finish fifth in the MIAA Preseason Poll after the progam's sixth consecutive 20-win season

- The Tigers return two all-conference performers in juniors, Carly Heim and Tatyana Legette

- Legette was second on the team last season with 7.8 points per game in 2016-17

- Heim finished last season with 7.8 ppg and was second on her team with 47 assists on the season

- The Tigers have 10 total returners from last year's team but have just one senior, Emma Stroyan, on their 2017-18 squad

- FHSU opened the year with a pair of preseason contests against Division I opponents

- The Tigers traveled to Hartford, Conn., where they lost to Connecticut, 82-37 in their first preseason game on Nov. 1

- FHSU then travled across the state to take on Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., where they fell 61-46 on Nov. 6


Season Opener

- SMSU is 29-19 all-time in season openers

- The Mustangs' last season opening win came in a 101-43 victory over Crown College in Marshall to begin the 2013-14 season

- SMSU has lost the previous two season openers to Missouri Western State including a 78-56 loss to begin last season

- SMSU will open the season against MWSU and Fort Hays State, two MIAA schools, for a third consecutive season this year


Record Watch
- Lauren Hedlund (9), Taylor Holicky (4), and Caleigh Rodning (7) each finished in the top-10 in school history for total defensive rebounds in a single season in 2016-17

- Hedlund enters the 2017-18 season ranked in the top-10 in SMSU history in rebounding average, defensive rebounding, and offensive rebounding average

- Holicky also enters the season ranked in the top-10 in SMSU defensive rebounding average for her career
- In addition to her stellar rebounding numbers through her career, Lauren Hedlund, has averaged 11.8 points per game for her career and enters the 2017-18 season just 17 points away from becoming the 19th member of the SMSU women's basketball 1,000 point club


SMSU Individual Player Notes

#35 Akoi Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016. 

#24 Baxter Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016.

#11 Bohler Notes: Has played in 57 career games ... signed with SMSU during the late signing period on April 16, 2014.

#10 Bonestroo Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016.

#14 E. Buysse Notes: Appeared in 19 games as a true freshman ... scored career high 11 points at MSU last season (2/17).

#21 S. Buysse Notes: Has appeared in 52 career games with 45 starts ... averaged 7.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg in 2016-17.

#33 Hedlund Notes: Starts the year just 17 points shy of 1,000 career points ... ranks seventh in school history in rebounding average (7.1 rpg) ... ranked fourth in the NSIC in rebounding last season with 8.6 rpg (conf. only).

#45 Holicky Notes: Started all 27 games in 2016-17 ... scored career high 22 points at UMC last year (1/13) ... Had career high 15 rebounds at BSU (1/14).

#23 Hutton Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016.

#30 Lother Notes: Joined the SMSU program during the summer of 2017 ... transfer from St. Olaf College.

#1 Reinhart Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016.

#5 Rodning Notes: Named to NSIC All-Freshman team in 2016-17 ... Averaged 13.7 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game as a true freshman ... posted eight straight double-doubles last season.

#3 Stelter Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016.

#20 Teske Notes: Signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 10, 2016.

#12 Wenning Notes: Has appeared in 12 games ... signed with SMSU during early signing period on Nov. 13, 2013.


Rodning Named All-Conference Freshman

- Caleigh Rodning was named to the NSIC All-Freshman team in 2016-17 after averaging 13.7 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game as a true freshman

- Rodning finished the year with 10 double-double performances including a stretch of eight consecutive double-doubles and came in ranked ninth in the NSIC in scoring with 14.0 ppg against conference opponents

- During her double-double streak, Rodning averaged 18.0 ppg, 11.4 rpg while shooting 46 percent from the field and 82 percent at the free throw line


2016-17 NSIC Statistical Rankings

- Highlights of the final 2016-17 conference rankings (conference games only):

- Lauren Hedlund ranked third in the conference in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds per game

- Taylor Holicky ranked ninth in rebounding with 8.0 rebounds per game

- Hedlund also ranked 15th in the NSIC in field goal percentage after shooting 47.4 % from the field during conference games

- Caleigh Rodning ranked ninth in scoring with 15.0 ppg against conference opponents


NSIC Expands Viewing Options

- SMSU women's basketball games will now be available to stream through Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV beginning this Winter

- The streaming option comes available in conjunction with Stretch Internet, the conference's streaming partner

- Users will now be able to access NSIC contests by downloading the NSIC app to their compatible devices

- Content will be limited to those contests that are available to stream through Stretch Internet which includes all NSIC games