Women's Basketball | 2/10/2016 4:32:00 PM

Live Stats (UMD)
Live Stats (SCSU)
Live Video/Audio
The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team hits the road for a pair of key Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games. MSUM faces Minnesota Duluth at 6 p.m. on Friday and will play at St. Cloud State at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The Dragons (16-5, 13-5 NSIC) are tied for first in the NSIC North Division with Northern State. Both teams are one game ahead of St. Cloud State and Minnesota Crookston in the divisional race. MSUM has already clinched a home game in the first round of the NSIC tournament.

Steve d'Eustachio will broadcast the games live online for both Dragon games.

MSUM will face Minnesota Duluth for a 81st time with the Bulldogs leading the series, 49-31. The Dragons won the earlier meeting this season, 61-53 in Moorhead. The Dragons and Huskies will meet for a 54th time with SCSU holding a 33-20 series lead. SCSU beat the Dragons, 65-59 in December.

About MSUM
MSUM split at home last weekend, beating Wayne State, 67-58 on Friday before falling to Augustana, 74-69 on Saturday. Senior Heather Strese averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for the weekend to lead MSUM.

Junior Morgan Banasik averages 14.8 points per game to lead MSUM while senior Heather Strese averages 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.  Senior Savanna Handevidt averages 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while junior guard Natalie Van Wyhe averages 2.9 assists per game. Van Wyhe and Banasik each have 36 steals to lead the team.

The Dragons score 68.9 points per game and shoot 39.9 percent from the field.  They outrebound their foes 41.5-36.9 and allow 61.1 points per game on defense.

Karla Nelson is in her 16th season as MSUM head coach with a record of 273-176 at the school.

About Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are 6-16 overall and 6-12 in the NSIC. They split on the road last weekend, beating Upper Iowa, 84-60 on Friday before losing to nationally-ranked Winona State, 57-46.

Allyson Harris averages 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game to lead UMD, while Kenzie Kane averages 10.2 points per contest. Samantha Kozlowski averages 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

The Bulldogs average 59.8 points per game and shoot 37.3 percent from the field. They allow 65.7 points per game and are being outrebounded 40.0-37.9.

Mandy Pearson is in his first season as UMD's head coach.

About St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State is 13-9 overall and 12-6 in the NSIC. The Huskies split on the road last weekend, falling to Winona State, 62-51 before beating Upper Iowa, 72-60 on Friday.

Chelsea Nooker leads SCSU at 14.1 points per game. She also leads with 89 assists and 49 steals and averages 6.9 rebounds per game. Lexy Petermann (13.9), Karissa LeCaptain (13.0) and Betsy MacDonald (11.6) also average in double figures for the Huskies, who average 66.5 points per game as a team.

St. Cloud State is allowing 64.0 points per game and outrebounds its foes 40.0-36.5.

Lori Fish is in her eighth season as the SCSU head coach with a record of 121-94 at the school.

MSUM Notes
—MSUM is ranked 13th in the nation at 30.0 defensive rebounds per game, which also leads the NSIC.
—The Dragons also rank in the top 40 nationally in three-point field goals per game (32nd, 7.8) and turnovers per game (38th, 13.9)
—Senior Heather Strese is shooting 53.2 percent from the field on the season, second-best in the NSIC and 34th-best in the nation.
—Senior guard Morgan Banasik leads the NSIC in minutes played per game (36.33), which is 27th nationally.
— Sophomore Drew Sannes has climbed into the top five in school history in career blocks
— Senior forward Heather Strese and junior guard Morgan Banasik lead the team with 15 double-figure scoring games apiece.