WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team will travel for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) first round playoff game against Bemidji State University on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. in the BSU Gymnasium.
Bemidji State and Winona State have faced off once already this season. The Beavers beat the Warriors 75-60 in a contest held at Bemidji State on Jan. 7 in a NSIC crossover game. Over the past four meetings between the two teams, BSU and WSU have split, with two wins apiece per team.
Within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) postseason picture, the winner of Wednesday's contest will move on to the quarterfinal round at the Sanford Pentagon. There, the Concordia - St. Paul Golden Bears await, having earned the first-round bye. CSP will face the winner of WSU and BSU at 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 26.
Read on for more regarding the Warrior - Beavers match-up set to start at 6 p.m. in the BSU Gymnasium, on the campus of Bemidji State University.
Who: Winona State vs. Bemidji State
What: The Warriors (12-14, 9-13 NSIC) will travel to the Beavers (13-12, 11-10 NSIC)
When: Wednesday, February 23 with a 6 p.m. start.
Where: BSU Gymnasium, on the campus of Bemidji State University.
Winona State - Bemidji State Notables
Postseason prognostications:
Survive and advance... It is officially postseason play and the NSIC Tournament is a single-elimination bracket, so each game could potentially be the last. The winner between the Warriors and Beavers will advance to take on Concordia-St. Paul at 4:30pm on Sunday, Feb. 27 in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Last time around ... Winona State traveled to Bemidji State earlier this season on Jan. 7 and suffered a 60-75 defeat. The Beavers outscored the Warriors 45-17 in the second and third quarters to take control of the game. Emma Fee (14 pts) and Taylor Hustad (11 pts) led WSU in the scoring column.
NSIC Tournament history ... Winona State was last in the NSIC Tournament in 2020, when they reached the quarterfinals before falling to Sioux Falls. WSU has one NSIC Tournament championship in program history, which came in 2011. The last time the Warriors won on the road in the NSIC Tournament was in 2018, when they defeated Minot State 66-60 in Minot, N.D.
Warriors - Beavers NSIC history ... Winona State and Bemidji State have faced off twice in the history of the NSIC Tournament. BSU defeated WSU in 2004, and the Warriors took down the Beavers in 2016. Both matchups were in the first round of the tournament.
Milestone markers ahead ... Taylor Hustad has scored 993 points in her career. She will need to score seven points against BSU to become the 21st Warrior to reach the 1,000-point milestone in program history.
Winona State notables:
The Warriors finished the regular season 12-14 overall and 9-13 in the NSIC. WSU earned the 6th seed in the NSIC South to advance to the NSIC Tournament.
Winona State is averaging 62.8 points/game on the offensive end and has the fourth-best defense in the NSIC allowing just 64.2 points/game to their opponents.
Taylor Hustad leads WSU with 12.7 points/game. Emily Kieck (11.1 ppg) and Emma Fee (10.2 ppg) are averaging double-digit scoring as well.
Hustad grabs a team-leading 7.2 boards a contest, while Fee brings in 6.6 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 second in the NSIC in field goal percentage as she has connected on 52.3% of her shots this season.
WSU held the third-highest scoring offense in the NSIC, Concordia-St. Paul, to just 50 points in last week's 47-50 loss. CSP averaged 72.3 points per contest heading into the game.
Emily Kieck surpassed 1,000 career points in the game against CSP last Thursday. Taylor Hustad is currently at 993 career points and will need just seven points against BSU to be the 21st Warrior in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
Bemidji State notables:
The Beavers finished the regular season 13-12 overall and 11-10 within the NSIC, good for third in the NSIC North Division.
Bemidji State has dropped their past four contests, most recently to St. Cloud State, 57-67, to close out the regular season.
BSU is in the top half of the league in both offense and defense, as they average 68.1 points on the offensive end and allow 65.0 points per contest on defense.
The Beavers have enjoyed making an impact from beyond the arc this season, averaging 7.5 3-pointers each game and making 34.8% of shots from downtown.
Rachael Heittola leads BSU with 15.7 points/game, a mark that is fifth-best in the NSIC. Trinity Yoder is the only other Beaver to average double-figures at 12.5 ppg.
Heittola also leads Bemidji State in rebounds (7.6/game) and field goal attempts (11.5/game).
Yoder leads BSU in assists (5.0/game) and steals (2.0/game). Both are top-10 in the NSIC for their respective categories.
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.
