Women's Basketball | 12/29/2015 3:39:00 PM

Live Stats (Upper Iowa)
Live Stats (Winona State)
Live Video/Audio
The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team open the New Year on the road for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games. The Dragons will play at Upper Iowa for a 4 p.m. game on Saturday in Fayette, Iowa, and conclude the weekend on Sunday at No. 9-ranked Winona State (2 p.m. tipoff).

The games will be broadcast online live online at msumdragons.com with Steve d'Eustachio on the call.

MSUM will face Upper Iowa for an 18th time and holds a 17-0 lead in the series. The Dragons will face Winona State for a 74th time and hold a 45-28 series lead.

About MSUM
MSUM is 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference after losing to Northern State, 60-59 on Dec. 19. Sophomore Cassidy Thorson led the way with 14 points in the loss for MSUM.

Junior guard Morgan Banasik leads MSUM at 16.6 points per game, and also leads with 19 steals. Senior forward Heather Strese averages 14.0 points per game, while senior Savanna Handevidt averages 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Freshman Jacky Volkert leads with 24 assists in nine games.  MSUM is averaging 70.9 points per game as a team. The Dragons are shooting 40.2 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three-point range and 70.2 percent from the free-throw line.

MSUM is allowing 65.9 points per game and is outrebounding its opponents, 40.0-38.3.

Karla Nelson is in her 16th season as MSUM head coach with a record of 264-173 at the school.

About Upper Iowa
Upper Iowa is 3-9 overall and 2-4 in the NSIC. The Peacocks lost to No. 9-ranked Winona State, 69-31 on Dec. 19 in their last game.

Aleesha Cleaver leads Upper Iowa at 13.5 points per game while Whitney Kieffer averages 12.1. Kieffer averages 5.8 points per game while Cleaver leads with 25 assists.  As a team Upper Iowa scores 59.9 points a game and shoots 35.9 percent from the field.

On defense Upper Iowa allows 73.8 points per game and is being outrebounded 37.0-33.8.

Carol Russell is in her sixth season as Upper Iowa's head coach with a record of 26-122 at the school.

About Winona State
The No. 9-ranked Warriors are 13-0 overall and 6-0 in the NSIC. They will face Northern State on Saturday prior to facing the Dragons. Winona rolled past Upper Iowa, 69-31 in its last action on Dec. 19, led by 12 points from Tara Roelofs.

Roelofs leads Winona State at 16.3 points per game while Alexi Foley averages 13.1 points per game. Kayla Timmerman averages 11.5 points and a 6.5 rebounds per game while Connor Nagle averages 10.3 per contest. Winona State shoots 48.8 percent from the field and averages 80.2 points per game.

Winona State allows 51.8 points per game and teams are shooting 32.8 percent from the field against the Warriors this season. Winona State outrebounds its foes 39.9-32.5.

Scott Ballard is in his 12th season as the Winona State head coach with a record of 195-138 at the school.

MSUM Notes
—MSUM is in a four-way tie for fourth place in the NSIC with a 4-2 mark.
—Junior guard Morgan Banasik ranks 15th in Division II in minutes played per game at 36.7.
— Banasik is third in the NSIC at 16.6 points per game.
— MSUM is 27th in the nation in fewest turnovers at 127.
— Sophomore forward Drew Sannes has moved into the top 10 in career blocks at MSUM; she is 10th with 66 blocks and just one away from eighth place