Women's Basketball | 1/17/2018 4:51:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team is on the road this week for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contests. The Dragons face Minnesota Duluth at 6 p.m. on Friday and St. Cloud State at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The Dragons will meet UMD for a 84th time with the Bulldogs leading the all-time series 50-33. The two teams split last season. MSUM meets St. Cloud State for a 57th time with the Huskies leading the series 33-23. The Dragons won both meetings in 2016-17.

The Dragons (13-3, 8-2 NSIC) concluded their four-game homestand with wins over No. 11 Augustana (75-64) and Wayne State (86-84) to run their winning streak to a season-high seven games.  Senior forward Drew Sannes averaged a double-double on the week for MSUM.

Junior guard Jacky Volkert leads MSUM at 14.3 points and 5.8 assists per game. She also has a team-best 20 steals. Sannes averages 12.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while senior guard Cassidy Thorson is averaging 11.5 points per game and leads with 45 three-pointers.  Sophomore forward Megan Hintz is averaging 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

As a team MSUM scores 71.9 points per game and shoots 41.4 percent from the field.

On defense MSUM allows 60.9 points per game. MSUM outrebounds its foes 42.4-35.5.

Karla Nelson is in her 18th season as the MSUM head coach with a record of 315-185.

About Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with an 11-4 overall record, with an 8-3 mark in conference action. They are on a four game winning streak, with their most recent wins coming over Winona State and Upper Iowa on the road. The top scorer for the Bulldogs is Sammy Kozlowski, who is averaging 12.3 points per game. Sarah Grow is averaging 9.9 points per game while Katie Stark is averaging 9.8. The top rebounder is Grow, who enters the game averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, while Kozlowski leads at 5.2 assists per game.

As a team the Bulldogs score 67.7 points per game and allow 57.6. They outrebound their foes 39.5-37.5.

Mandy Pearson is in her third season as the UMD head coach with a record of 32-37.

About St. Cloud State
The Huskies enter the weekend with a 11-4 overall record and an 8-3 conference record. They are on a five-game win streak, including road wins over Upper Iowa and Winona State last weekend. The Huskies are led by Andrea Thomas, who is averaging 13.0 points per game and 2.3 assists per game. Tori Wortz is averaging 11.6 points per game while Mallie Doucette is at 9.1 The top rebounder is Brianna Johnson, who is averaging 6.1 rebounds per game.

SCSU averages 66.4 points per game and shoots 42.7 percent from the field. They outrebound their foes 37.5-30.3.

Lori Fish is in her 10th season as the SCSU head coach with a record of 142-118.

Thorson Sets Three-Point Record, Closes in on 1,000
Senior guard Cassidy Thorson is the new three-point career record holder for Dragon women's basketball. She hit seven 3-pointers in the 86-84 overtime win over Wayne State on Saturday to give her 198 for her career, surpassing the mark of 197 recorded by Marisa Yernatich. She also isn't far from the 1,000-point milestone as she currently sits at 927 points.

National Rankings
MSUM is ranked in the top 50 nationally in individual and team categories:
Individuals
--junior guard Jacky Volkert is 12th in assists per game (5.8) and 24th in assist/turnover ratio (2.72)
--senior guard Cassidy Thorson is 26th in three-pointers per game (2.8), 24th in threes made (45), 21st in threes attempts (127)
--senior forward Drew Sannes is 18th nationally at 8.0 defensive rebounds per game while also being 46th in blocks per game (1.9).
Team Rankings
As a team, MSUM is ranked...
--13th in turnovers per game (12.4)
--20thth in fewest turnovers (199)
--18th in assist to turnover ratio (1.27)
--19th in in defensive rebounds per game (31.0)
--20th in free-throw percentage (76.9)
--31st in rebound margin (6.9)
--48th in assists per fgame (15.8)

Sannes Hits 1,000, Chases Blocks Record
Senior forward Drew Sannes surpassed 1,000 career points in the Dragons' 69-65 loss at Northern State on Dec. 15. Sannes is the 22nd Dragon women's player to reach the milestone and currently ranks 19th in school history with 1,095 points. She is second all-time at MSUM in blocks with 204, trailing only Jessica Fesenmaier, who has 210. She was the NSIC Player of the Year in 2016-17 and 2017-18 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.

No Place Like Home
MSUM finished 12-1 at home in 2016-17, with the only loss coming to Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 20. Since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, MSUM is 40-8 (.826) at Nemzek Hall.