THE LOOK AHEAD

• The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team (11-6, 8-4 NSIC) closes a four-game home stand this weekend with a pair of games versus the top teams from the NSIC North Division.

• SMSU will take St. Cloud State University (12-4, 9-3 NSIC) on Friday night with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. before facing the No. 13-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth (15-2, 12-0 NSIC) on Saturday with game time slated for 5:30 p.m. Both games will take place at the R/A Facility on the SMSU campus.

• SMSU has won 11 of its last 15 games since starting 0-2, and is currently in third place in the NSIC South Division standings, three games ahead of fourth place Wayne State.

• SCSU is in second in the NSIC North Division standings, while UMD is in first place. UMD was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the NSIC North title, and picked to finish second in the overall NSIC standings.

• Starting this weekend, the final 10 NSIC doubleheaders will feature the men's game first, followed by the women's game. 

• After last weekend's split with MSU Moorhead and Northern State, SMSU is 8-4 in NSIC play, its best conference start since going 9-4 in 2004-05. 

• The Mustangs are also 7-2 at home after finishing 10-3 at home last season, their best home win percentage since the 2002-03 season.

    BROADCAST INFO 

• The games will be streamed on the NSIC Network.

• Both games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik. 

• Live stats, radio broadcast and video broadcast can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

     LAST TIME OUT

• On the night she was honored for joining the 1,000-point club, Jenna Borchers scored a game-high 22 points to push the Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team past the MSU Moorhead Dragons 82-75 in overtime on Friday night inside the R/A Facility.

• After being outscored 18-9 in the fourth quarter, The Mustangs made their mark in the overtime period, going on a 14-3 run in the opening three minutes and a 16-9 run over the course of overtime to win the game.

•  Ball security was the key to the game, with SMSU turning it over a season-low six times and forcing MSUM into 12 turnovers. The Mustangs turned that into a 15-5 scoring advantage off turnovers, including a 6-0 advantage in overtime.

• The Mustangs fell 82-62 at the hands of the Northern State Wolves on Saturday afternoon inside the R/A Facility

• SMSU shot season lows from the field (18 of 59, 30.5 percent), and behind the arc (6 of 28, 21.4 percent), but shot a season-best 90.9 percent (20-22) from the free throw line.

    FAST BREAK 

• The 11-6 start to open the season is the Mustangs' best start since starting 11-6 in the 2009-10 season.

• The Mustangs have shot at least 50 percent in five  games this season and are 32nd in the nation with a 44.1 field goal percentage, also slotting 22nd with a 36.3 percentage from three-point range on the season.

• Their three-point percentage does not come with a lack of trying, as SMSU has made the 10th most three pointers per game in the nation, making 9.2 three-pointers per game and shoot the 28th most three-pointers with 25.3 attempts per game.

• SMSU has touted a high-octane offense, ranking 22nd in the nation scoring 76.2 points per game, and have turned it over 13.4 times per game, the 21st fewest total in DII.

• Bri Stoltzman leads the Mustangs with 13.4 ppg, a 53.7 field goal percentage and 6.4 rpg, and is second with 41 assists and 32 steals,

• Hannah Parsley is scoring 12.6 ppg, adding 5.4 rpg, 34 steals, 29 assists, and nine blocks while shooting 50.6 percent from the field as an all-around threat for the Mustangs.

• Jenna Borchers is fourth on the team with 12.5 ppg and leads the team with 44 assists. 

• Sam Wall (12.8 ppg), and Madison Gehloff (8.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) round out the starting lineup, with both shooting at least 40 percent from the field.  

• Peyton Blandin has provided a spark off the bench this season, scoring 8.0 points per game, grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game, and shooting 34.4 percent from behind the arc. 

•Wall has made 40 three-pointers on a 39.6 three-point percentage, while Borchers has sunk 39 three's on 36.4 percent shooting from deep. 

• Both Wall and Borchers rank inside the top 10 in the NSIC in three point percentage and makes.  

• Borchers holds the program record for career three-pointers made with 224 makes after breaking the previous record of 199 on Dec. 1. 

• Also moving up the career rankings is Wall, who is now 10th in program history in both three pointers made (126), and three point percentage (37.3 percent) in 85 career games. 

• Borchers became the 23rd member of the 1,000 point club on Saturday, Nov. 19 against Northern Michigan.

• She currently ranks eighth in program history with a .792 career free throw percentage and 15th in program history with 1,146 career points

•SMSU is averaging 76.2 ppg while opponents are averaging 66.4 ppg. SMSU has a plus-1.3 rebounding margin.

•SMSU is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from the 3-point line, and 73.8 percent the free-throw line.

•Full team statistics can be found on page 5, individual career statistics can be found starting on page 9, and an NCAA Ranking summary can be found on page 16. 
 

    SMSU HEAD COACH TOM WEBB

• Tom Webb is in his seventh season as head coach with a 69-97 record, including 51-81 in NSIC play. 

• Webb is 160-220 overall in his 15th season as head coach at the Division II level after compiling a record of 92-123 in eight seasons (2008-16) as head coach at Cameron University (Okla.). 

• Webb guided the Mustangs to a 10-3 home record, their best home record since the 2002-03 season and led SMSU to its first home NSIC tournament game since 2005, and first NSIC tournament victory since 2003, ending the season with their first ever tournament game inside the Pentagon.

• 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 17.

    ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES HISTORY

• SMSU and SCSU will meet for the 58th time with the Huskies leading 41-16 since its inception in 1969.

• The teams last met a season ago in St. Cloud, with the Huskies winning 63-44. 

• SMSU has dropped the previous 14 meetings, with its last win coming in 2010 on the road. 

•The Mustangs are 9-17 all-time at home in the series.

•SMSU head coach Tom Webb is 0-5 all-time versus SCSU.

•Full series history can be found on page 18.

    MINNESOTA DULUTH SERIES HISTORY

• SMSU and Minnesota Duluth will meet for the 79th time with the Bulldogs leading 60-18 in a series that began in 1976.

• The Mustangs fell 65-49 to UMD last season.

• The Bulldogs have won 20 of the last 24 meetings.

• The Mustangs are 8-26 all-time at home the series.

•SMSU head coach Tom Webb is 0-6 all-time versus Minnesota Duluth.

•Full series history can be found on page 19.

    ST. CLOUD STATE NOTES  

2022-23 Record: 12-4 overall, 9-3 NSIC

Head Coach: Lori Fish, 15th season, 239-157 at SCSU

Mascot: Huskies

• SCSU is 9-3 in the NSIC on the season after defeating Winona State and Upper Iowa last weekend. 

• The Huskies were picked to finish seventh in the NSIC and fourth in the NSIC North in the NSIC Preseason Poll.

• Katrina Theis leads SCSU with 16.6 ppg, adding 8.0 rpg and 31 steals while shooting 56.6 percent from the field.

• Jada Eggebrecht averages 13.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, and Tori Peschel leads the team with 8.3 rpg and 52 assists.

• SCSU is shooting 42.0 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from 3-point range, and 64.0 percent from the free throw line.

• The Huskies average 65.0 points per game, while opponents average 57.0 points per game.

    MINNESOTA DULUTH NOTES  

2022-23 Record: 15-2 overall, 12-0 NSIC

Head Coach: Mandy Pearson, 8th season, 139-66 at UMD

Mascot: Bulldogs

National Rankings: No. 13 WBCA/No. 11 D2SIDA

• UMD is unbeaten in the NSIC this season after sweeping Upper Iowa and Winona State last weekend.

• The Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the NSIC and first in the NSIC North in the NSIC Preseason Poll.

• Minnesota Duluth is led by Brooke Olson, whose 18.9 ppg is the best in the NSIC, and ranks eighth in the conference with 7.1 rpg. 

• Also averaging double figures is Ella Gilbertson, who averages 10.9 ppg while primarily coming off the bench. 

• UMD is shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from 3-point range, and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.

• The Wolves average 66.8 points per game, while opponents average 54.3 points per game.