Women's Basketball | 1/13/2016 5:24:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team completes a four-game homestand this weekend by hosting Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. The Dragons will entertain Sioux Falls at 6 p.m. on Friday and wrap up the week against SMSU at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Both games will be at Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.

The games will be televised live on WDAY'Z Xtra with Steve d'Eustachio and Jared Bledsoe on the call. The games will also be broadcast online live online at msumdragons.com

MSUM will face Sioux Falls for a fifth time and holds a 3-1 all-time lead in the series. The Dragons and SMSU will meet for a 79th time with the Mustangs leading the series, 42-36.

About MSUM
MSUM is 10-3 overall and 7-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Dragons opened a four-game homestand last weekend with wins over Mary (75-58) on Friday and Minot State (73-55) on Saturday. Sophomore Cassidy Thorson averaged 16.5 points per game on the week to lead the Dragons.

Junior guard Morgan Banasik leads MSUM at 15.1 points per game, and also leads with 26 steals. Senior forward Heather Strese averages 13.8 points per game, while senior Savanna Handevidt averages 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Junior Natalie Van Wyhe leads with 32 assists. MSUM is averaging 69.7 points per game as a team. The Dragons are shooting 39.8 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from three-point range and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line.

MSUM is allowing 62.1 points per game and is outrebounding its opponents, 39.8-36.4.

Karla Nelson is in her 16th season as MSUM head coach with a record of 267-174 at the school.

About Sioux Falls
The Cougars , who are receiving votes in the latest WBCA poll, enter the week having lost two of three games. They snapped a two-game losing streak with an 84-63 rout of Upper Iowa on Saturday.

Taylor Varsho is the only Cougar averaging in double figures; she is at 17.8 points per game. Alison Klostergaard averages 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Madi Robson averages 5.1 assists per game for USF.

USF averages 74.2 points per game and shoots 42.2 percent from the field.  The Cougars allow 60.3 points per game and outrebound their foes 40.2-35.3.

Travis Traphagen is in his eighth season as the USF head coach with a record of 142-79.

About SMSU
The Mustangs, who face Northern State prior to facing MSUM, enter the week on a five-game losing streak after losing to Upper Iowa and Winona State at home last weekend.

Senior Hope Bonlander leads SMSU at 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore Lauren Hedlund averages 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while senior Annessa Rosch averages 3.2 assists per game.

SMSU scores 59.2 points per game and shoots 38.4 percent from the field.  The Mustangs are being outrebounded 39.1-34.7 while allowing 74.3 points per game.

Allison Kruger is in her sixth season as SMSU's head coach with a record of 27-122 at the school.

MSUM Notes
—sophomore guard Cassidy Thorson scored a career-high 19 points win 73-55 win over Minot State on Saturday.
—after hitting 26 three-pointers combined in the wins over Mary and Minot, MSUM is now third in in the NSIC in three-point percentage (34.4) and fourth in the league at 7.6 threes per game
—senior forward Heather Strese is second in the NSIC in field goal percentage at .545.
—senior forward Savanna Handevidt is fourth in the NSIC at 5.6 rebounds per game.