WINONA, Minn. -- The No. 12 Winona State women's basketball team opens a four-game road trip this weekend when it travels to Sioux Falls Friday at 6 p.m. before heading to Marshall, Minn. to battle SMSU Saturday at 5 p.m.

Winona State at Sioux Falls First Look:
Overall Series: Warriors lead 5-4 ... 10th Matchup
First meeting: Dec. 16, 1995 ... USF won 65-61 (ot)
Last meeting: Dec. 5, 2015 ... WSU won 91-52
Last USF win over WSU: Dec. 6, 2014 ... USF won 82-65
WSU Last Game: W, 52-49 vs MSU Moorhead
USF Last Game: L, 83-73 at Wayne State

Winona State at SMSU First Look:
Overall Series: Mustangs lead 44-32 ... 77th Matchup
First meeting: Feb. 23, 1974 ... WSU won 43-37
Last meeting: Dec. 4, 2015 ... WSU won 81-46
Last SMSU win over WSU: Jan. 17, 2014 ... SMSU won 65-61
WSU Last Game: W, 52-49 vs MSU Moorhead
SMSU Last Game: L, 74-62 at Augustana

LAST TIME OUT: The Warriors' program-record 13-game winning streak came to an end last Saturday with a 60-55 loss to Northern State in McCown Gym. The Warriors rebounded Sunday, rallying from a 49-43 deficit with under 2:30 to play to post a 52-49 win over MSU Moorhead.

SOUTH SUPREMACY: Friday's game in Sioux Falls will pit the South Division's top two teams against each other for the second time this season. The Warriors lead the South by one game - WSU boasts a 7-1 record while USF sits at 6-2 -. A WSU victory will give WSU a two game lead in the division race, while a loss will bring USF even with the Warriors. Sioux Falls will undoubtedly be looking for redemption, as the Warriors posted a 39-point drubbing on the Cougars when the squads met in McCown Gym on Dec. 5. In that matchup, Tara Roelofs led WSU with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

ABOUT THE COUGARS: USF is coached by Travis Traphagen, who has a 148-78 record in his eighth season at the helm. The Cougars are led by Taylor Varsho, whose 18.4 points per game is second-best in the NSIC. Sam Knecht averages 9.6, while Alison Klostergaard puts up 9.4 points per game and a team-best 6.4 rebounds. USF is successful at spreading the ball around, leading the NSIC with 18.2 assists per game and their 1.4 assist to turnover ratio is tied with WSU atop the NSIC. USF boasts the third-best scoring offense (74.6 ppg) and the fourth-best scoring defense (60.1 ppg), while WSU tops the league in both categories.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS: SMSU is coached by Allison Kruger, who enters the weekend with a 27-122 overall record and a 19-99 mark in NSIC play in her sixth season at the helm. Hope Bonlander leads SMSU with 14.1 points per game and is shooting nearly 52 percent from the field, while Lauren Hedlund adds 12.7 points per game. Annessa Rosch also puts up 9.8 points per contest. The Mustangs are ranked 14th in the NSIC in scoring offense (60.4 ppg) and are last in the league in scoring defense, alllowing opponents to score 75.9 ppg).

ATOP THE NATION: The Warriors currently rank in the top 5 in Division II in three statistical categories. WSU is No. 1 in free throw percentage (82.3), No. 3 in assist to turnover ratio (1.4) and No. 4 in scoring margin (24.5).

TIMMERMAN'S BLOCK PARTY: Kayla Timmerman continues to be a defensive force in the post. The junior's 37 blocks this season ranks fifth-most in Division II - and is one behind third place. Her six swats last Saturday against Northern State tied a career-high for the fifth time as a Warrior.

RECORD WINNING STREAK: WSU put together a historical start to the season, as its 13-game winning streak was not only the best start to a season in history, it was the longest winning streak in program history. The previous longest winning streak was 11, set from January 23 to March 4, 2009, by the team that would later that season earn WSU's first berth in the NCAA Tournament. 

LIMITING STAR PLAYERS: The Warriors have allowed just one opposing player to reach 20 points this season. Concordia-St. Paul's Anna Schmitt put together a 21-point game against the Warriors on Dec. 11 after WSU went the first 10 games without allowing one. The Warriors, meanwhile, have had a 20-point scorer in eight different games this year.

WBCA RANKINGS: The Warriors are ranked No. 12 in the latest USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. WSU was ranked No. 16 in the preseason poll - its first ever top 25 ranking - and has been as high as No. 9 this year.

D2SIDA POLL: WSU dropped from No. 6 to No. 13 in this week's Division II National Media Poll sponsored by CoSIDA.