THE LOOK AHEAD
• The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team (18-10) rolls into the NSIC quarterfinals, taking on St. Cloud State (17-9) at 1:30 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 26, for the first round of the NSIC Tournament
• This is the second consecutive season that the Mustangs have been to the NSIC quarterfinals, and just the second time since 2003.
• The winner will move on to face (1S) Minnesota State, or the winner of the (5S) Wayne State/(4N) UMary game on Monday, Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m.
•SMSU fell 70-59 in overtime to SCSU at home earlier this season. Box score from the game this season can be found on page 19.
• The game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik and streamed on the NSIC Network.
•The complete 2023 NSIC Tournament bracket can be found on page 20.

    SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT  
•Since the NSIC Tournament started in 2000, SMSU is 10-17 all-time with one championship title in 2002.
• After losing 14 consecutive NSIC Tournament games since 2003, the Mustangs have one two in as many seasons, snapping the streak with a victory over MSUM in the first round last year before defeating Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday.
•SMSU has advanced to the semifinals four times and played in the first three championship games (2000, 2001, 2002).
•The Mustangs are 6-1 at home, 0-11 on the road and 4-5 in neutral site tournament games.
•Game-by-game history can be found on page 3.

    Stoltzman, Wall tabbed All-NSIC second team
• The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced on Thursday that Bri Stotlzman and Sam Wall have been named to the All-NSIC second team as selected by the league's 16 head coaches.
• Stoltzman, a 5-foot-8, sophomore guard from Mankato, Minn., leads the Mustangs with 13.5 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, and a 54.1 field goal percentage, while ranking second on the team with 72 assists and 53 steals
• In NSIC play, Stoltzman ranked first among NSIC guards with a 54.3 field goal percentage, tied for first with five double-doubles, and second with 7.0 rebounds per game.
• Wall, a 5-foot-8, junior guard from Delhi, Iowa., leads SMSU in 3-pointers (70) and 3-point field goal pct. (41.4) while ranking second with 13.4 points per game.
• In NSIC play, Wall ranked first with a 39.6 3-point field goal percentage, second with 55 3-pointers, and 19th with 13.6 points per game.

    MUSTANGS CONTINUE BEST SEASON IN NEARLY 20 YEARS
• SMSU has earned 18 wins this season, the most single-season victories since the 2004-05 season.
• The Mustangs closed conference action third in the NSIC South, its best finish in the NSIC division era, and tied for fourth in the NSIC overall, the highest finish since the 2004-05 season.
• SMSU's 14 NSIC victories are the most since the 2001-02 season, and its .636 conference win percentage is the highest mark since the 2004-05 season.
• SMSU won 11 home games this season, tied for the second most in program history.
• The Mustangs also developed into road warriors during the season, winning seven of its final nine road games, the best stretch since winning 11 consecutive games across two seasons from Dec. 16, 2000 to Dec. 8, 2001.
• With a season-high 15 three-pointers against Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday, the Mustangs broke the program record most threes in a single season with 250. They have made at least 10 three-pointers 13 different games this season, and at least five three-pointers

    FAST BREAK
• SMSU has shot at least 50 percent in seven games this season and are 32nd in the nation with a 43.9 field goal percentage, also slotting 24th with a 35.5 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 11th most three pointers per game in the nation, making 8.9 three-pointers per game and shoot the 30th most three-pointers with 25.1 attempts per game.
• The Mustangs made 192 three-pointers in conference play, 36 more than the next closest team, and made them at a 34.6 percent clip, second in the NSIC.
• Sam Wall has made 70 three-pointers this season, the 21st most in the country, and is one of 11 players in the country to made at least 70 three pointers while shooting at least 41.4 percent from beyond the arc.
• Wall and Jenna Borchers (62) are one of only three sets of teammates in DII to have at least 60 made three-pointers this season.
• Wall's 67 three pointers are the third most in a single season in program history, and Borchers' 62 is fifth.

3-point field goals made
1.     73     Michelle Bruns (31 games) - 2002-03
2.     72    Jenna Borchers (28 games) - 2019-20
3.     70      Sam Wall (28 games) - 2022-23
4.     63     Kelly Crimi (28 games) - 2005-06
5.     62    Jenna Borchers (28 games) - 2022-23

• SMSU has touted a high-octane offense, ranking 27th in the nation scoring 73.9 points per game and have shot 74.8 percent from the free throw line, ranking 51st in the NCAA.
• Bri Stoltzman leads the Mustangs with 13.5 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, and a 54.1 field goal percentage, while ranking second on the team with 72 assists and 53 steals
• Stoltzman has elevated her game at the right time, collecting three double-doubles in her last five games, and is averaging 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 56.5 percent shooting from the field.
• Wall is second on the Mustangs with 13.4 ppg, shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three.
• Hannah Parsley is scoring 11.8 ppg, adding 5.4 rpg, 56 steals, 41 assists, and 11 blocks while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three as an all-around threat for the Mustangs.
• Borchers is third on the team with 11.9 ppg and leads the team with 75 assists while shooting 38.0 percent from deep.
• Madison Gehloff  is scoring 8.5 ppg and grabbing 4.6 rpg to round out the starting lineup, shooting 42.3 percent from the field.
• Peyton Blandin has provided a spark off the bench this season, scoring 8.0 points per game, grabbing 3.9 rebounds per game, and is third on the team with 37 three-pointers.
• Moving up the career rankings is Wall, who is now fifth in program history in three point percentage (38.4 percent), sixth in 3-pointers made (156), and seventh in free throw percentage (81.3) in 96 career games
•SMSU is averaging 73.9 ppg while opponents are averaging 67.4 ppg. SMSU has a plus-0.5 rebounding margin.
•SMSU is shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from the 3-point line, and 74.8 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.

    BORCHERS REWRITES THE RECORD BOOKS
• Jenna Borchers holds the program record for career three-pointers made with 240 makes after breaking the previous record of 199 on Dec. 1. She also ranks 11th among all DII players in career three-pointers made.
• Borchers also became the 23rd member of the 1,000 point club on Saturday, Nov. 19 against Northern Michigan.
• In her final game at the R/A Facility, Borchers dominated, scoring 27 points and tying a program-record with seven three-pointers to help SMSU win its second NSIC Tournament game in since 2003, and second in as many seasons.
• She currently ranks first in program history with 123 games played, ninth with a .799 career free throw percentage and 13th in program history with 1,240 career points

    ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES HISTORY
• SMSU and SCSU will meet for the 58th time with the Huskies leading 42-16 since its inception in 1969.
• The teams last met earlier this season in Marshall, when the Huskies won in overtime.
• SMSU has dropped the previous 15 meetings, with its last win coming in 2010 on the road.
The Mustangs fell 72-47 in 2013, the only meeting between the two teams in the NSIC Tournament.
•The Mustangs are 0-5 all-time at neutral sites in the series.
•SMSU head coach Tom Webb is 0-6 all-time versus SCSU.
•Full series history can be found on page 18.

    ST. CLOUD STATE NOTES  
2022-23 Record: 17-9 overall
Head Coach: Lori Fish, 15th season, 244-162 at SCSU
• SCSU received a bye in the first found after finishing second in the NSIC North.
• The Huskies were picked to finish seventh in the NSIC and fourth in the NSIC North in the NSIC Preseason Poll.
• SCSU is 3-5 in their last eight games, with three of those losses coming by one or two possessions.
• Katrina Theis earned first team All-NSIC honors after averaging 16.2 points per game on a 54.7 field goal percentage and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game. She ranks 28th in the country in field goal percentage.
• Jada Eggebrecht was named to the All-NSIC second team after averaging 14.2 points per game.
• Tori Peschel paces the Huskies offense, leading the team with 87 assists and is 17th in the nation with a 2.56 assist/turnover ratio. She also leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game.
• The Huskies are sound fundamentally, ranking 31st in the country with a 1.07 assist/turnover ratio and 36th in assists.
•The backbone of SCSU is their defense and outside shooting. The Huskies are 27th in rebounding margin (5.8), 34th in scoring defense (57.6), and 37th in three point percentage (34.4)
•St. Cloud State is shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point range, and 65.3 percent from the free throw line.
•The Huskies average 63.2 points per game, while opponents average 57.8 points per game.

    SMSU HEAD COACH TOM WEBB
• Tom Webb is in his seventh season as head coach with a 76-101 record, including 57-85 in NSIC play.
• Webb is 167-225 overall in his 15th season as head coach at the Division II level after compiling a record of 91-125 in eight seasons (2008-16) as head coach at Cameron University (Okla.).
• Webb guided the Mustangs to a 10-3 home record last season, 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's complete bio is found on page 17.

     LAST TIME OUT
• The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team made a season-high 15 three-pointers, including seven from Jenna Borchers, who tied a program record for three-pointers in a game, to take down Minnesota Crookston 83-66 on Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the NSIC Tournament inside the R/A Facility.
• SMSU's defense made the stops it needed, forcing 16 turnovers, and collecting 11 steals while seeing a 25-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
•  Borchers finished the night with 27 points, shooting 8 of 16 from the field, 7 of 13 from beyond the arc, and 4 of 4 from the free throw line in her final game inside the R/A Facility. Peyton Blandin provided instant offense off the bench, scoring 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting, and grabbed five rebounds.