QUINCY, Ill. - The Winona State University women's basketball team is set to officially kick off the 2021-22 season with a pair of contests in Quincy, Ill. on Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20.
The Warriors are set to take on McKendree University at 5pm CST on Friday, Nov. 19 in a neutral matchup as the opening game of the
2021 Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic held by the QU Lady Hawks. On Saturday, WSU will return to the court to take on Quincy University at 4pm. Both games will take place in Pepsi Arena and the classic tournament format also features Ferris State University.
Click here for the tournament webpage.
After two impressive exhibition contests at Viterbo University last week with wins over the V-Hawks and Dakota State University, head coach
Scott Ballard and the Warriors are ready to rumble for real in the Land of Lincoln.
Read on for more regarding the Winona State women's basketball season opening tournament tilts.
Who: The Winona State women's basketball team will compete on the road in their first two regular season contests at Quincy University in Quincy, Ill.
What: The Warriors (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) will take on McKendree University (0-2, 0-0 GLVC) and Quincy University (0-2, 0-0 GLVC) as a part of the 2021 Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic.
When: On Friday, Nov. 19, with a 5pm start vs. McKendree University and on Saturday, Nov. 20, a 4pm CST tip off vs. host Quincy University.
Where: Pepsi Arena - formerly known as Quincy Memorial Gymnasium - on the campus of Quincy University.
Warrior Notables:
Familiar Foes: Winona State has faced Quincy University four times since Nov. 19, 2016 and own a 4-0 record against the Lady Hawks. The Warriors most recently defeated QU 73-63 in overtime on Nov. 23, 2019.
Neutral Colors: WSU took on McKendree on Nov. 18, 2017, beating the Bearcats 72-54 in a neutral site game at Quincy University. In that contest, Liz Evenocheck scored a game-high 19 points, including a 6-for-6 effort at the foul line.
Neutral Colors, too: In the aforementioned WSU - McKendree neutral site matchup in 2017, Winona State shot an amazing 22-24 from the foul line in the game.
Bearcat Skid: McKendree is 0-2 to start the year, with a 64-40 loss to Tiffin University and a 84-61 setback to Purdue University - Northwest.
Lady Hawks out of the gate: Quincy University is also 0-2 to begin the 2021-22 season, dropping a 59-57 decision to Wisconsin-Parkside and a 95-57 contest to Ursuline College.
Testing the Division I waters: Both Quincy and McKendree played exhibition contests against NCAA Division I competition. QU lost to Cleveland State University 93-53, while McKendree fell to Bradley University 101-75.
Keep up if you can: Winona State women's basketball has never trailed in a game so far this season.
That's a stat!:Winona State head coach Scott Ballard has amassed 555 wins in his collegiate coaching career and is among the top 15 in NCAA Division II women's basketball in wins by active head coaches.
That's a stat, too!: WSU standout Taylor Hustad was named the Winona State Player-to-Watch prior to the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Hustad was a NSIC All-Conference performer the past two seasons.
She is (Hall of) Famous!: WSU associate head coach Ana Wurtz was inducted into the Winona State Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this fall, having been one of the most impactful players on the first NCAA Tournament qualification team at Winona State over her career between 2007 and 2010.
The Show-Me State: Prior to his tenure at Winona State, Ballard was the head coach at Missouri Southern University from 1990-1995 and Central Missouri from 1995 - 2004.
OT? We've been there before: In the Covid-impacted 2020-21 season, Winona State played two overtime games in their 12-contest slate. The Warriors fell to Augustana University 81-79 in OT on Jan. 22 and beat Minnesota State - Mankato 95-91 on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Riley Rockin' It: Caitlin Riley scored 19 points in the Winona State 84-46 win over Dakota State on Nov. 12. In 16 minutes of action, Riley was 7-of-9 from the floor, including a 5-of-7 mark from 3-point land.
Riley Rockin' It, Too: On Saturday vs. host Viterbo, Riley had an even better performance scoring 23 points and hauling in five rebounds in the 78-56 WSU victory.
Fee-nominal: Emma Fee also scored 19 points against DSU in exhibition action; the veteran WSU post player couldn't miss against the Trojans, going 9-for-10 from the field. She also hit a 3-pointer.
Who is the new kid?: Standout transfer Lauren Fech started both games for Winona State in their exhibition contests at Viterbo last week. Fech played at Minnesota State - Moorhead before transferring to Winona State this season and her defensive tenacity has impressed the Warrior coaching staff.
Deep Bench: Between the two exhibition contests for Winona State, 14 different players took the floor for the Warriors.
Hustad helpers: Known for both her rebounding and scoring ability, Hustad dished out four assists in the WSU win over Dakota State last Friday.
McKendree Bearcat Notables:
The Bearcats are 0-2 so far this season and are coming off of two losses last week.
McKendree is averaging 50.5 points/game and shooting 36% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc. MU concedes an average of 74.0 points per game to their opponents.
Erin Golden is leading the team with 12.0 points per game and 34.1 minutes played per contest. Golden also leads the team in rebounds (7.5/game), assists (2.5/game), and steals (2.0/game).
Clare Breden (10.5/game) is McKendree's other double-figure scorer. Kaelyn is the Bearcats second-best rebounder, averaging 5.0 boards per game.
As a team, McKendree is 20-for-27 from the foul line this season.
The Bearcats have blocked two shots this year and have dished out 32 assists while committing 27 turnovers across their two regular season games this year.
Quincy University Lady Hawk Notables:
Kaci Bailey is in her first season as the head coach for the Lady-Hawks after serving as an assistant coach at George Mason from 2017 through 2020.
Beth Matas Martin leads QU in scoring with 21 points total across two game this year. She averages 2.5 assists and 4.5 turnovers per game.
Grace Flanagan is second on the squad in points scored with 19 so far this year.
Marta Rivera is averaging six rebounds a game for Quincy.
Regan Loconte is the top Lady Hawk 3-point threat, currently 4-for-8 on the season.
QU has scored 57 points in both their games to start the season.
As a team, QU has been outscored 154-114 in 2021-22.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: 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.
