THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team opens the delayed 2020-21 regular season this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 2-3, 2021, with a pair of non-conference games inside the R/A Facility.
•SMSU and MISU open the season on Saturday with tip-off slated for 4 p.m., while Sunday's game will begin at 2 p.m.
•Due to COVID-19 and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines, no spectators will be allowed inside the arena.  
•SMSU and MISU are both members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, but due to a revised league schedule in 2021 due to COVID-19, the two games will be considered non-conference.

    BROADCAST INFO
•Both games will be broadcast on 101.7 FM/1400 AM KMHL with Ryan Rohlik providing play-by-play.
•Live stats, radio broadcast and video broadcast can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

    SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MINOT STATE
•SMSU and Minot State meet for the 10th and 11th time this weekend with MISU leading 5-4.
•MISU leads 3-1 in games played in Marshall, including the last two games in 2018 and 2019.
•SMSU snapped a two-game losing streak in the series with an 85-61 road victory last season.
•The teams first met on Nov. 17, 2011, in Minot, N.D.  
•SMSU head coach Tom Webb is 2-2 all-time versus MISU.
•Game-by-game results of the series is located on page 20.

    SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 30-21 all-time in season openers, including a win last season versus East Central (Okla.) in Wichita, Kan.
•Last season's victory snapped a five-game losing streak in season-opening games.
•This will be the first time SMSU has opened a season at home since Nov. 13, 2015.

    SMSU HEAD COACH TOM WEBB
•Tom Webb is in his fifth season with a 36-73 record, including 27-61 in NSIC play.
•SMSU has improved its victory total each season since taking over 2016-17.
•SMSU's 16 victories last season was the program's most since recording 19 during the 2004-05 season.  
•Webb is 127-196 overall in his 13th season as head coach at the Division II level after compiling a record of 91-123 in eight seasons (2008-16) as head coach at Cameron University (Okla.).
•Webb recorded his 100th career Division II win against Wisconsin-Parkside (91-83) on Nov. 16, 2018.
•Webb's complete bio is found on page 19.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU returns 12 letter winners and all five starters from last season's team that finished 16-12 overall, including 11-11 in NSIC play. SMSU has 14 players listed on the 2020-21 roster with seven seniors, one junior, four sophomores, two true freshmen.  
•Last season, SMSU recorded its first winning campaign since 2009-10, while the 16 victories was the program's highest total since the 2004-05 season. SMSU won its first three games of the season and would win 10 of its final 13 games to close the regular season.
•Senior guard Meleah Reinhart led the Mustangs in scoring with 15 ppg and led the team in scoring in 11 games. Reinhart also recorded a team-high 25 double-digit scoring games a season ago.
•Senior center Abuk Akoi led the team in rebounding with 8.2 rpg and paced the team in rebounding in 17 games.
•Akoi tied her own school single-game record with seven blocked shots versus Minnesota State on Jan. 11, 2020.
•Junior guard Jenna Borchers connected on a team-high 72 3-pointers and dished out a team-high 77 assists.
•Borchers' 72 3-pointers last season was one shy of the team single-season record of 73 set by Michelle Bruns (2002-03).
•Senior forward Caleigh Rodning, a two-time All-NSIC second team honoree, returns this season after missing the final 21 games a season ago with an injury. She has scored 1,113 career points and ranks second in team history in free throws made (386), fourth in free throw percentage (83.2) and sixth in rebound average (7.4).
•During the 2019-20 season, SMSU shot 39 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, 79 percent from the free throw line and was even in rebound margin. SMSU averaged 70 points per game, while opponents averaged 67 ppg.

    SMSU PICKED 5TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish tied for fifth in the South Division in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU senior guard Meleah Reinhart was named a "Player to Watch".
•Minnesota State was chosen as the South Division favorite, followed by Augustana, Winona State and Sioux Falls State rounding out the top four. 

    NEW LOOK NSIC SCHEDULE AND POSTSEASON  
•Each NSIC team has 16 regular season games scheduled with 14 conference games versus teams within their division.
•The NSIC Sanford Tournament has been reduced to an eight-team tournament with the top four teams in each division advancing to the tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.

    MUSTANGS IN THE SMSU RECORD BOOK
•Six Mustangs enter the 2020-21 season ranked among the top 15 in several SMSU career records, which are located on page 4.   
•Senior Caleigh Rodning ranks second in free throws made with 386 and is 23 from tying Andrea Schreier (1997-2001) for the all-time record of 409. She also ranks fourth in free throw pct. (83.2) and sixth in free throws attempts (464). Rodning is also five rebounds shy of becoming the 11th in player in team history to record 600 rebounds.
•Senior Abuk Akoi ranks third in team history with 141 blocked shots and is one blocked shot behind Shelly Honermann (1997-01) who ranks second at 142.
•Senior Meleah Reinhart ranks sixth in free throw pct. (79.6), 15th in free-throws made (219) and 13th in 3-point field goals made (101).
•Senior Erin Baxter ranks sixth in free-throw percentage (79.6).
•Junior Jenna Borchers ranks third in three-point percentage (41.8) and 10th in three-point field goals (115).
•Senior Sadie Stelter ranks seventh in 3-point field goals made (139) and is just one-shy of moving into sixth and just three away from tying fourth all-time. Stelter also ranks 12th in free-throw percentage at 77.1.

    SCOUTING MINOT STATE
•Minot State was picked to finish seventh in the NSIC North Division preseason poll. The Beavers finished 7-20 overall, including 4-18 in NSIC play last season. MISU ended its 2019-20 season with a 83-52 loss at Sioux Falls in the first round of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament.       
•Senior guard Bethany Theodore is the team's top returning scorer at 9.3 ppg. She also recorded 89 assists and led the team with 38 steals.  
•Senior guard Calli Deisman averaged 8.7 points last season, and led the squad with 6.9 rpg.
•Junior forward transfer Amber Stevahn was named the team's NSIC "Player to Watch" in 2020-21 after leading the nation in scoring last season at Bismarck State College.
•MISU shot 40 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range, 77 percent from the free throw line and was plus-3.7 in rebound margin.
•MISU averaged 63 points per game last season, while opponents averaged 71 ppg.
•Head coach Mark Graupe is in his fourth season with a record of 34-49. He was head coach at Dickinson State (N.D.) for four seasons prior to taking over at Minot State.  

    REINHART & AKOI EARN 2019-20 ALL-NSIC HONORS  
•Senior Meleah Reinhart was named second team All-NSIC for the second straight season in 2019-20.
•In NSIC play, Reinhart ranked eighth in the league in free throw pct. and 11th in scoring.
•Senior Abuk Akoi was named to the NSIC All-Defensive team as she led the league in blocked shots and finished second in rebounding.  

    SMSU IN THE FINAL 2019-20 NCAA RANKINGS
•The final 2019-20 Division II statistics are located on page 18.
•SMSU ranked 15th in free-throw percentage, 27th in 3-point field goals made per game, 38th in 3-point field goals made and 42nd in 3-point field goal pct. defense.
•Abuk Akoi ranked 29th in blocked shots per game and 32nd in blocked shots.
•Jenna Borchers ranked 17th in three-point field goal pct. and 53rd in 3-pointers made.

    SMSU IN THE FINAL 2109-20 NSIC RANKINGS
•The final 2019-20 NSIC team and individual statistics (NSIC games only) are located on pages 16-17.
•SMSU ranked first in 3-point field goals made, second in 3-point field goal defense and third in free throw percentage.
•Jenna Borchers led the league in both 3-point field goal pct. and 3-pointers made.  
•Meleah Reinhart ranked eighth in free throw pct. and 11th in scoring.
•Abuk Akoi ranked first in rebounding and finished second in blocked shots.

    TWO MUSTANGS EARN NSIC WEEKLY HONORS
•Two SMSU players earned NSIC South Division Player of the Week honors during the 2019-20 season.
•Meleah Reinhart received the honor on Nov. 12, while Jenna Borchers earned the honor on Feb. 24.
•It was the first time either player earned the award in their careers.

    ABUK AKOI NOTES
•One of three Mustangs to start all 28 games last season.
•Named to 2019-20 NSIC All-Defensive team.
•Averaged 7.7 ppg and a team-high 8.2 rpg.
•Led the conference in rebounding and finished second in blocked shots last season.
•Ranks third in team history with 141 blocked shots.
•Scored a career-high 22 points vs. Sioux Falls (12/21/19).
•Tied program single-game record with seven blocked shots  versus UMary (2/3/18) and Minnesota State (1/11/20).



    ERIN BAXTER NOTES
•Started 13 games last season and appeared in all 28 games. •Averaged 5.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 2019-20.
•Scored a season-high 15 points vs. UMD on Dec. 14, 2019.
•Led the team in scoring in three games.
•Ranks seventh in team history in free throw percentage (79.6).

    JENNA BORCHERS NOTES
•One of three Mustangs to start all 28 games last season.
•Ranked second on the team averaging 13.4 ppg.
•Connected on a team-high 72 3-pointers also led the team with 77 assists.
•Led the conference in 3-point pct. at 44.2 percent.
•Scored a career-high 30 points at UMary (1/28/20).
•Ranks third in team history in 3-point field goal percentage (41.8).
•Her 72 3-pointers in 2019-20 was one shy of team single-season record.
•Named NSIC South Division Player of the Week (2/24/20).

    SARAH CONLON NOTES
•One of two true freshmen on the roster.

    OLIVIA DRUMMER NOTES
•Appeared in 18 games and averaged 0.7 ppg and 0.6 rpg.
•Scored career-high five points at Minot State (1/17/20).

    MADISON GEHLOFF NOTES
•One of two true freshmen to play last season.
•Appeared in all 28 games and averaged 5.0 ppg and 2.6 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 20 points with eight field goals at Augustana (1/3/20).

    MATEYA HUTTON NOTES
•Appeared in 15 games last season and scored four points.
•Tied career-high with six rebounds vs. North Central (11/20/18).
•Recorded a field goal vs. Minnesota State (1/11).  

    HANNAH PARSLEY NOTES
•One of two true freshmen on the roster.

    MELEAH REINHART NOTES
•Started all 27 games last season and averaged a team-best 15 ppg, while averaging 4.1 rpg.
•Named second team All-NSIC for the second straight season.
•Has scored 928 career points in 80 games.
•Scored in double-figures in all but three games last season.
•Scored a career-high 27 points with 12 field goals at UMary (2/26/20).
•Ranks sixth in team history in free throw percentage (79.6).
•Named NSIC South Division player of the week on Nov. 12.

    CALEIGH RODNING NOTES
•Missed all but six games last season due to an injury and averaged 9.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg.
•Ranks 13th in team history with 1,113 points.
•Named All-NSIC second team in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.
•Shot 86.8 percent from the free throw line in 2018-19 to rank second in team single-season history.
•Ranks second in the all-time career books in three throws made with 386.

    LILY SCHOKNECHT NOTES
•Played in 24 games last season and averaged 0.5 ppg and 1.2 rpg.
•Scored four points at Sioux Falls (11/20/19).

    SADIE STELTER NOTES
•Played in all 28 games last season with 21 starts, while averaging 10.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg.
•Second on the team with 56 3-pointers.
•Scored career-high 24 points at UMary (1/18/20).
•Led the team with 45 3-pointers in 2018-19.
•Ranks seventh in team history in 3-pointers made (139).
    
    SARA TESKE NOTES
•Appeared in all 28 games last season with one start and finished averaging 3.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
•Tied a career-high 11 points last season at Concordia Portland (11/29/19).

    SAM WALL NOTES
•One of two true freshmen to play last season.
•Appeared in all 28 games with 13 starts and averaged 4.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
•Scored a career-high 14 points with four 3-pointers vs. Presentation (11/16/19).

    WORKING OVERTIME
•SMSU is 11-27 all-time in overtime games, including finishing 1-1 last season. SMSU lost at Concordia-St. Paul, but won at UMary.  
•SMSU is 3-4 in double overtime games and has never played into triple overtime.

    HOME AND AWAY    
•SMSU finished with a 7-5 record at home last season.
•SMSU was 9-7 in road/neutral site games last season.
•The following is a statistical comparison of the Mustang team averages for home and away/neutral games in 2019-20:
    W-L    FG%    3-FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO    
Home    7-5    39.0    37.7    76.5    39.5    68.5    13.2    
Away    9-7    39.0    30.8    80.0    37.2    70.9    15.4     

    HOME SWEET HOME
•The 2020-21 season marks the 25th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU women's basketball.
•SMSU has a record of 155-157 (.496), including 98-126 in NSIC play inside the R/A Facility.
SMSU in the R/A Facility
    Year    Overall    NSIC    Non
    1996-97    6-5     2-3     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     4-8     2-7     2-1
    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     5-9     2-7     3-2    
    2008-09     9-6     4-6     5-0    
    2009-10     10-5    6-4     4-1
    2010-11     6-7     5-6     1-1    
     2011-12    3-9     3-8     0-1    
     2012-13     2-10    1-10     1-0
    2013-14    3-9    2-9    1-0        
    2014-15     3-11    3-8    0-3
     2015-16    3-12    2-9     1-3
     2016-17    0-11     0-11     0-0
     2017-18    4-8     3-8     1-0
    2018-19    9-5    6-5    3-0
    2019-20    7-5    6-5    1-0    
    2020-21    0-0    0-0    0-0    
    Totals:     155-157     98-126    57-31

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
•The 2020-21 campaign marks the 42nd season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
•SMSU has an all-time record of 249-395 in conference games and have won four regular season championships (1979-80, 1980-81, 2000-01, 2001-02) and one NSIC Tournament championship (2002).

    MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is competing in its 52nd season of women's basketball in 2020-21.
•SMSU has played 1,285 games compiling an all-time record of 609-676.
•SMSU has recorded 26 winning seasons, including last season's squad that finished 16-12. It was the program's first winning season since 2009-10.