WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team is set for their final regular-season home game as they host Concordia-St. Paul tonight, Feb. 17, to begin their last weekend of action before playoffs. The Warriors will finish the regular season on the road at Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 19.
Within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Warriors are currently ranked fifth in the NSIC South and have clinched a berth in the NSIC Tournament. Heading into the last two games, WSU is fighting with NSIC South Division foes for seeding and a home playoff game.
Read on for more regarding tonight's Winona State versus CSP matchup, which will tip-off at 5:30pm in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Who: Winona State vs Concordia-St. Paul
What: The Warriors (12-12, 9-11 NSIC) will host the Golden Bears (16-7, 12-7 NSIC)
When: Thursday, February 17 with a 5:30pm tip-off.
Where: McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court
Winona State - CSP Notables
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Heading into the Warrior weekend:
It's the final countdown - The Warriors close out the regular season with a home game versus CSP on Thursday, Feb. 17, and an away game at Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 19. WSU is 5-5 at home and 6-6 in away games throughout the season.
Last time around - Winona State traveled to Concordia-St. Paul on Dec. 2 earlier this season, where they suffered a 42-83 defeat. Taylor Hustad led the Warriors with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Playoff contingencies - Winona State is currently fifth in the NSIC South and they have clinched a berth in the NSIC Tournament. The first round games will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 23 on campus sites (top two seeds in each division receive first round byes).
Milestone markers ahead - Heading into the last weekend of regular-season play, Emily Kieck sits at 989 career points and Taylor Hustad has scored 979 points in her career. Head coach Scott Ballard needs two more wins to earn his 300th win as the Warriors head coach.
Winona State notables:
The Warriors are currently 12-12 overall and 9-11 in the NSIC. Last weekend, WSU split contests at home against Sioux Falls (52-53) and Southwest Minnesota State (55-52).
Winona State is averaging 63.8 points/game on the offensive end, and has the fifth-best defense in the NSIC allowing just 64.2 points/game to their opponents.
Taylor Hustad leads WSU with 13.2 points/game. Emily Kieck (11.3 ppg) and Emma Fee (10.3 ppg) are averaging double-digit scoring as well.
Hustad grabs a team-leading 7.3 boards a game, while Fee brings in 6.4 of her own each game. Both marks are top-15 in the NSIC.
Caitlin Riley is averaging 2.2 makes from downtown per contest on the season, which is the fourth most in the conference.
Hustad is leading the NSIC in field goal percentage as she has connected on 54.4% of her shots this season.
Alex Dornfeld turned in a career-high scoring output in the Warriors win over SMSU. She went 6-9 from the field, including 2-3 from deep, and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to help WSU earn the victory.
Kieck and Hustad are on the brink of reaching the 1000-point milestone. Hustad needs 21 points to reach 1000 career points, while Kieck needs just 11 to reach the impressive accomplishment.
Golden Bears notables:
The Golden Bears are 16-7 overall and 12-7 in the NSIC. They currently sit in second within the NSIC South heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
CSP has the second-best offense in the conference as they average 72.3 points/game. They allow 68.4 points/game on defense for a scoring margin of 3.9.
Concordia-St. Paul leads the league in blocked shots (4.91/game). Lindsey Becher has been the best rim protector in the NISC, averaging 3.3 blocks each game.
The Golden Bears average 16.17 assists/game, which is first in the conference. Meghan Dubois paces the NSIC individually for assists, where she dishes out 5.5 each game.
Becher also leads CSP in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. Four other Golden Bears average double-digit scoring: Dubois (12.3 ppg), Riley Wheatcraft (11.9 ppg), Sydney Zgutowicz (11.9 ppg), and Jadyn Hanson (10.2 ppg).
Zgutowicz is second in rebounding within the NSIC, as she averages 8.3 rebounds per game.
Concordia-St. Paul has clinched a first-round bye in NSIC Tournament and will open their postseason run at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals.
For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:Â
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. Â
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.
