This Week's Women's Basketball Storylines:

NORTH BY NORTHWEST: WSU will try to build an NSIC road winning streak after getting a win over Upper Iowa before the holiday break. The Warriors, who currently hold a share of first place in the NSIC South, will take on Northern State, the leaders of the NSIC North at Wachs Arena at 6 p.m. in Aberdeen on Friday. Winona State will then take on MSU Moorhead at Alex Nemzek Hall at 4 p.m. in Moorhead on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE DOMINATION: In their last game, the Warriors held Upper Iowa to a season-low 46 points, to just 32 percent shooting, 22 percent shooting from behind the arc, and forced the Peacocks to commit 17 turnovers, 11 of which came in the first half. WSU is currently third in the NSIC in scoring defense (56.2 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (34.6 percent).

LIMITING THE DAMAGE: Part of the Warriors' success against the Peacocks was due to limiting the damage to just one player. Lauren Buck managed to score 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting while gathering 12 rebounds and blocking four shots. However, outside of Buck, WSU limited the Peacocks to just 24 points on 7-of-34 shooting.

'BENCH' PRESSING THE PEACOCKS: The Winona State bench came up big for the Warriors. The WSU bench outscored Upper Iowa 29-6. Kayla Timmerman scored 10 points, gathered seven rebounds, and blocked three shots, all the while recording season highs in assists (2) and steals (2). Freshman Hannah McGlone had a big game off the bench as well, scoring seven points and tying a season-high in rebounds with nine.

SCOUTING THE WOLVES: Northern State (11-1 overall, 5-1 NSIC) has the strongest defense in the NSIC. The Wolves are limiting their opponents to an NSIC best 47.7 ppg and field goal percentage 29.8 percent. Conversely, the Wolves are efficient on the offensive end with the second-best field goal percentage in the NSIC at 45.2 percent. Winona State holds the best shooting percentage in the NSIC at 46.7 percent. There could be contrasting styles between the two teams in this game, as the Warriors play a faster-paced three-guard lineup while the Wolves start three forwards.

CONTAINING KROGMAN: There will be an interesting matchup in the low-block when the Warriors and Wolves meet. Senior forward Rachel Krogman is eighth in the NSIC in scoring (14.3 ppg) and leads the NSIC in rebounding (10.8 rpg). Timmerman is a stout player in the low block herself, cracking into the top 30 in the NSIC in scoring at 11.7 ppg and is eighth in the NSIC in rebounding (6.8 rpg).

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS: MSU Moorhead (4-6 overall, 3-3 NSIC) is a team that has struggled on the offensive side. The Dragons are second-to-last in the NSIC in scoring offense (61.5 ppg) and are dead last in field goal percentage (35 percent).

DIFFICULT TO DEFEND DRAGON: While the Dragons have struggled as an offense, one player that the Warriors will be looking to contain is Meghan Roehrich. She is currently fifth in the NSIC in scoring (16.1 ppg) and leads her team in field goals (47), three-point field goals (17), and free throws (50). However, Roehrich also leads the team in turnovers with 28, an area in her game the Warriors could look to exploit.