Winona, Minn. -- The Winona State women's basketball team hits the road later this week for a two-game series against the University of Sioux Falls set for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16. Game times are 6pm and 4pm, respectively.
Both the Warriors (0-1 / 0-0 NSIC South) and the Cougars (2-0 / 2-0 NSIC South) have had abbreviated starts to the season. Winona State was forced to cancel one contest with the University of Minnesota Duluth in their opening weekend, and saw subsequent contests scheduled against Southwest Minnesota State scrubbed the following weekend as well. The Cougars' opening series against the University of Mary was canceled for Jan. 2-3 but Sioux Falls able to get in both games at Upper Iowa University in the following weekend. In sweeping the Peacocks, USF is receiving votes among NCAA Division II Central Region teams in
the most recent D2SIDA Poll.
Winona State will look to rebound from a tough first outing in 2020-21 against the University of Minnesota Duluth, a game in which WSU shot just 25.4% from the field was 4-for-20 from three-point range.
Fans watching the action this weekend will see two teams which boast student-athletes known for their three-point production and efforts on the boards.
Winona State's
Allie Pickrain is poised to move into fourth all-time in 3-point field goals made in the near future, currently sitting at 207, just three behind Connor Nagle with 210. The senior from Apple Valley, Minn. slid past Nagle in 3-pointers attempted in a career, as her six shot attempts from behind the arc vs. UMD took her to 537 all-time, five more than Nagle and within reach of
Katie Wolff who is third all-time with 572.
Taylor Hustad had a record-book season last year in rebounding for WSU, recording 222 boards on the year, good for 11th all-time. Against the Bulldogs on Jan. 2, the New Prague product grabbed five rebounds and picked up a pair of steals in the 68-47 Warrior loss.
In contrast, Lauren Sanders has made the most of her two USF games this season, going 5-for-11 from behind the arc while teammate Anna Brecht has scored 39 points, averaging 19.5 so far this year. Dallie Hoskinson holds court inside for USF, having hauled in 16 rebounds this season.
Looking back at the 2019-20 matchups, Sioux Falls formulated a stellar campaign, going 26-6 overall, 17-5 in NSIC action and were set to start the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament in mid-March when the pandemic halted all NCAA competition. However, Winona State had regular season success against the Cougars last season, beating USF 78-76 in Sioux Falls and 73-59 in Winona. The Warriors were one of only two teams to beat Sioux Falls twice last year, although USF dispatched Winona State in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament, 71-59 in their third meeting.
Warrior standouts Hustad and Pickrain traded top performances against USF last year; Hustad scored 23 points against the Cougars on 1/25/20 at the Stewart Center in Sioux Falls, while Pickrain produced a 20-point effort at home on 2/14/20.
Emma Fee also found fortune in the 2019-20 regular season vs. USF, scoring 19 and 15 points, respectively in their regular season meetings.
Sydney Lodermeier also enjoyed a strong shooting performance on the road at the Stewart Center last season, scoring 15 points, including a 9-for-10 free throw shooting clinic and 2-for-2 day from three-point land.
NSIC fan attendance polices, including those in place at USF, are
available here.
Both contests will be carried on the NSIC Network, available
at this link.
For more information on the NSIC Network, including important app download instructions and television broadcast settings, please
click here.
The most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, is at:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu
