This Week's Women's Basketball Storylines:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: After spending the last two weekends at home where the Warriors went 4-0, WSU will hit the road for two big conference games. The Warriors will matchup against Augustana Friday night at 6 p.m. in Sioux Falls Arena and then will take on the co-leader of the NSIC South Wayne State Saturday at 4 p.m. in Rice Auditorium.
TOP OF THE HEAP: After getting two wins this past weekend against Mary and Minot State, the Warriors currently sit in a three-way tie atop of the NSIC South standings at 9-3, 13-3 overall. WSU is tied with Wayne State and Sioux Falls atop of the conference and a half-game ahead of Minnesota State.
TIMMERMAN'S BIG WEEKEND: Sophomore center Kayla Timmerman earned NSIC South Player of the Week after recording two double-doubles this past weekend. Timmerman recorded 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, ripped down a career-high 12 rebounds, as well as recorded a career-high two assists, a career-high three steals and blocked three shots. Timmerman followed that up with an 11 point, 10 rebound, two steal and two block performance against Minot State on Saturday.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: After holding Mary to 65 points and Minot to 47, the Warriors currently sit as the third-best defense in the NSIC, only giving up 56.5 ppg and 35.6 percent shooting. The Warriors combine a strong defensive effort with efficient play on the offensive end. WSU is the best team in the NSIC at taking care of the basketball, only averaging 11.8 turnovers a game.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS: Despite Augustana sitting at 5-7 in conference play, the Vikings possess the NSIC's highest-scoring offense at 79.3 ppg. The Vikings are led by senior guard Shaunteva Ashley, who leads the NSIC in scoring at 20.9 ppg and assists at 5.3 apg. Despite the Vikings' potent offense, they've had their struggles at the defensive end giving up 71.7 ppg on 41.1 percent shooting, both in the bottom half of the conference.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS VIKINGS: The Warriors are 6-19 all-time against the Vikings and 4-10 under Head Coach Scott Ballard. Despite the Warriors' struggles against the Vikings, WSU has split the season series with Augustana the past two seasons. The last time WSU played Augustana in Sioux Falls, the Vikings came away with an 80-71 win, but the Warriors won the last meeting with an 84-76 victory in McCown Gymnasium.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Winona State's top-tier defense will be challenged two nights in a row as the Warriors will take on the league's second-best scoring offense in Wayne State Saturday night. The Wildcats are not only strong offensively averaging 77.8 ppg, but they have the league's second-best scoring defense at 55.4 ppg and hold opponents to 33 percent shooting. Wayne State also leads the NSIC in scoring margin at 22.4 ppg.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE WILDCATS: The Warriors are 16-29 all-time against the Wildcats and 7-14 against them under Head Coach ScottBallard. The Wildcats have had the Warriors' number in the last three meetings. The Warriors will look to be more competitive against Wayne State this season as the last two times WSU played the Wildcats, they suffered 34 point defeats. The last time both teams met in Rice Auditorium, the Wildcats topped the Warriors 91-57.
