WINONA, Minn. -  The Winona State University women's basketball team will host St. Cloud State University on Saturday, January 15 as the Warriors look to salvage a split in their NSIC weekend against North Division opponents. 

Winona State (7-8,4-7 NSIC) will take on SCSU (11-3, 9-2 NSIC) as both teams work to rebound from losses on Friday night.  Winona State lost to Minnesota Duluth 61-47 at home, while St. Cloud State was upset by Upper Iowa in Fayette, 67-54.  The Peacock victory over the Huskies was the first UIU NSIC win this season. 

Read on for more regarding the Winona State women's basketball team as they host St. Cloud State on Saturday, January 15. 

Who: Winona State University vs St. Cloud State

What: The Warriors (7-8,4-7 NSIC) will face the Huskies (11-3, 9-2 NSIC) 

When: Saturday, January 15 with a.5:30pm CST start.

Where: McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court, on the campus of Winona State University.

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Winona State Warriors:

Winona State will take on the top two teams in the NSIC North standings this weekend. SCSU is atop both the NSIC overall and NSIC North with a 9-1 conference record, and UMD is second in both categories at 8-2 in the NSIC.

St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth, and Winona State have three of the top six defenses in the NSIC. SCSU leads the way, allowing just 54.4 points/game to their opponents. UMD is second and allows 56.7 ppg, while WSU is sixth in the NSIC allowing 64.5 ppg.

Taylor Hustad led WSU in scoring vs. UMD on Friday night, scoring 16 points.  She also had a pair of steals. 

Emma Fee had the second-highest Warrior point total yesterday with eight points; Fee and Hustad each had seven rebounds. 

As a team, WSU hauled in 29 rebounds vs. UMD but were forced into 14 turnovers in the game.

Against Minnesota Duluth, WSU was awarded only two free throws, making one. 

Winona State has had six different leading-scorers in their 14 games this season. Hustad (4), Fee (3), Riley (3), Kieck (2), Schimenz (1), and Hahn (1) have each led the Warriors in scoring.

Heading into the weekend, Cailtin Riley has gone 16-40 (.400) from deep in the last four games and is averaging 14.75 points/game to lead the Warriors during that stretch.

Winona State has the second-best defense in the NSIC South, allowing a scoring average of just 64.5 points/game.

WSU is knocking down shots from the field at a .428 rate and are fourth in the conference with a 76.3% free throw percentage.

Taylor Hustad currently leads the Warriors with 11 points/game and with 7.3 rebounds/game, a mark that is seventh in the NSIC.

Emma Fee is coming off her second double-figure rebounding game of the season, where she dominated the glass for 10 boards at Minnesota Crookston. Fee is 13th in the league with 6.6 rebounds/game.

Caitlin Riley has shown her deep range for Winona State this season, averaging 2.2 three-pointers per game, a rate that is fifth in the NSIC. Riley has hit 31 of 87 three-point shots (.356)

Emily Kieck is currently 13th in the NSIC in the assist/turnover ratio category; she has 46 assists compared to 40 turnovers, and is 11th in the league in assists (3.3/game).

After hosting the Huskies, WSU will next face MSU-Moorhead and Northern State next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22.

The scoop on St. Cloud State:

The SCSU loss to Upper Iowa on Friday was just the second time UIU has beaten the Huskies in the last 16 meetings between the two teams. 

Breehna Evans had 17 points and six assists vs. UIU yesterday, while Katrina Theis had 12 points and nine boards.

SCSU was held to just six points in the second quarter in Fayette. 

With the loss to UIU, SCSU slides back into a tie atop the North standings with Minnesota Duluth. 

Prior to yesterday, SCSU's lone conference loss came on the road at MSUM and their other loss on the season was against #4 Fort Hays State, also on the road.

St. Cloud State has the best defense in the NSIC allowing just 54.4 points/game, and hold the third-best scoring margin at 9.5 points/game while averaging 63.9 points/game on offense.

SCSU forces an average of 16 turnovers/game while turning the ball over a league second-best 12.6 times each game.

Tori Wortz leads St. Cloud State's balanced scoring attack with 13.9 points/game. Wortz is coming off NSIC North Player of the Week honors after averaging 21.5 points on 55.2% shooting from the floor and 42.9% shooting from three in two wins last weekend.

Brehna Evans (12.4) and Nikki Kilboten (12.3) also average in double figures.

Kilboten grabs an average of 7.2 rebounds/game and also averages 2.5 blocks each game. Evans leads the Huskies in assists (3.2/game) and steals (2.8/game).

St. Cloud State (RV) has earned national attention throughout the season, where they have been ranked in the WBCA Top-25 poll twice and have received votes in each of the other weeks.

St. Cloud State will take on Wayne State and Augustana University on the road next weekend as NSIC Divisional crossover play continues.

For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.

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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