SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Winona State University women's basketball team returns to road action on Friday, Feb. 4, as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on the Augustana University Vikings. The game against AU is the first of two NSIC contests set for the weekend, as WSU will wander west to Wayne State College on Saturday, Feb. 5 for a date with the Wildcats.
The Warriors (11-9, 8-8 NSIC) have won their last four games and Augustana (10-7, 6-7 NSIC) has won three of their last five contests, while the most recently scheduled Viking game which was originally set for Jan. 29 on the road at against Minnesota - Crookston was canceled.
Read on for more regarding Friday's showdown which will tip-off at 5:30pm in the Sanford Pentagon.
Who: Winona State University vs Augustana University
What: The Warriors (11-9, 8-8 NSIC) will face the Vikings (10-7, 6-7 NSIC)
When: Friday, February 4 with a 5:30 pm CST start.
Where: The Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Winona State - Augustana WBB Notables:
Heading into the Warrior weekend:
Four in a row ... The Warriors have been victorious in their last four games, sweeping MSUM and Northern State on the road and then coming home to defeat UMary and Minot State. WSU has outscored their opponents by 13.5 points/game during that span.
Last time around... Winona State hosted Augustana earlier this season on Dec. 18, when they fell 62-68. Caitlin Riley poured in six 3s and scored 20 points to pace WSU, but AU outscored the Warriors by nine points in the fourth quarter to take home the victory.
Warriors - Wildcats rematch... WSU hosted Wayne State on Dec. 17, and a second-quarter push helped the Warriors earn a 74-69 victory. Taylor Hustad recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Winona State.
Final stretch... Winona State has just six games remaining in the regular season, and this is their last full weekend on the road. WSU has moved up to fourth in the NSIC South and the Warriors will look to create separation from the teams below them this weekend.
Riley's hot hand... Caitlin Riley has had the green light all season, and last weekend it helped carry the Warriors to two wins. She went 10-18 (0.556) from deep and combined for 36 points over the two games.
Milestone Marker Ahead ... Heading into the weekend, Emily Kieck needs just six steals to reach 100 in her career while Taylor Hustad needs just two rebounds to reach 600 boards in her time as a Warrior.
What's up with Winona State:
The Warriors are currently 11-9 overall and 8-8 in the NSIC. They have climbed up to fourth in the NSIC South standings.
WSU has swept their opponents the last two weekends to extend their winning streak to four games.
The Warriors are averaging 64.2 points/game on the offensive end, and have the fifth-best defense in the NSIC allowing just 63.7 points/game to their opponents.
Winona State holds the league's best free-throw percentage, knocking down 78.4% of their shots from the charity stripe.
Taylor Hustad leads WSU with 12.4 points/game. Emily Kieck (10.7 ppg), Emma Fee (10.4 ppg), and Caitlin Riley (10.1 ppg) are all averaging double-digit scoring as well.
Hustad grabs a team-leading 7.2 boards a game, while Fee corrals 6.3 of her own each game. Both marks are top-20 in the NSIC.
Caitlin Riley went 10-18 on 3-point attempts last weekend and now averages 2.5 makes from downtown per game on the season, which is the second most in the conference.
Kieck is leading the Warriors with 66 free-throw attempts and has made 57 of them, good for the second best free-throw percentage in the NSIC at 86.4%.
Hustad is leading the NSIC in field goal percentage as she has connected on 54.7% of her shots this season.
More Vikings vitals:
The Vikings are 10-7 overall and 6-7 in the NSIC. Last weekend, AU knocked off Bemidji State, 69-64, on the road in their lone game over the weekend.
Augustana scores the ball at a high rate, averaging 72.8 points/game, a mark which is second in the NSIC.
AU crashes the glass hard as they lead the league in defensive rebounds (30.2/game) and are third in the NSIC with a 4.6 rebounding margin.
The Vikings like to apply pressure on the defensive end and average 9.24 steals each game, while blocking four shots a game.
Lauren Sees (15.5 ppg), Aislinn Duffy (14.5 ppg), and Vishe' Rabb (13.5 ppg) lead the high-powered Vikings and are all top-15 in scoring within the conference.
Duffy leads the NSIC with 11.1 rebounds/game, and is the only player who averages a double-double. She also leads AU with 3.8 assists/game.
Kenzie Rensch is leading the league with 2.9 steals/game coming off the bench for the Vikings.
Augustana hosts Winona State at 5:30pm on Friday, Feb. 4, and then will host Upper Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 5.
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
