MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead women's basketball will make the long trip to the Great Northwest as the Dragons will spend the Thanksgiving holiday playing against three GNAC opponents. MSUM will play Simon Fraser on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. start time before competing in the Lynda Goodrich Classic, hosted by Western Washington on Friday and Saturday.
As part of the Lynda Goodrich Classic, MSUM will meet up with host Western Washington at 9 p.m. on Friday before playing Central Washington at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Live stats and video will be available on msumdragons.com.
Opening Tip
Series History....Tuesday's contest against Simon Fraser will not only be the first meeting between the two programs, it will also be the first regular season contest to not occur on United States soil for MSU Moorhead. The Black Friday meeting between the Dragons and Western Washington will also be the first match-up between the two schools all-time. MSUM and Central Washington have only matched up once all-time, an 82-61 Wildcat victory on November 18, 2005. MSUM Hall of Famer Jessica Trautwein led the Dragons with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the game.
Nelson Closing In...Dragon head coach Karla Nelson enters the week sitting at 399 career victories (399-243 all-time). Nelson earned her 300th career win on February 17, 2017 in an 81-77 overtime win over St. Cloud State. Nelson is currently the winningest basketball coach in school history (men's or women's) by a 101 win margin (Dave Schellhase). She has accounted for 53.7 percent of the program's all-time wins (743). Nelson will be facing off with some veteran coaching staffs as well with Bruce Langford (SFU), Carmen Dolfo (WWU) and Nelson combining for 79 years of coaching experience.
Super Jens...Junior guard Natalie Jens did not waste any time in showcasing why she was deemed MSUM's preseason Player to Watch in MSUM's opening two contests. The Beaver Dam, Wis., native netted 21 points to lead MSUM against Rogers State on November 10 and followed that up with 19 more points against 10th-ranked Central Missouri the following day. Jens was efficient on her shot attempts in the scoring frenzy, clipping 41.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from long distance. The junior also doled out 13 assists in the two games to go along with three steals. For her efforts, Jens was named to the NSIC's weekly 'Shining Five'.
Hot Start For True Frosh...True freshmen Ashley Fritz and Maya Metcalf have both established themselves as every day players for Karla Nelson's club. Fritz had a stellar outing against Central Missouri on November 11, tallying 16 points and 12 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. The Hasting, Minn., native made three long range shots in the game and had a respectable 55.5 percent clip from the field over two games. Metcalf nearly scored in double figures in both contests, registering eight points against Rogers State and 13 against Central Missouri. Metcalf was efficient as well, connecting on 40.9 percent of her attempt over the weekend.
Skibs Is Comin' Home...Graduate student guard Olivia Skibiel will make a return trip to her home state of Washington this week for the first time in her college career. Throughout her time at North Dakota State (prior to MSUM), Skibiel only went as far west as Laramie, Wyoming (still 1,195 miles from her hometown) on Dec. 12, 2021. MSUM has only gone as far west as Bismarck in her lone season with the program. The Dragons will be playing in Bellingham, Wash., which is less than 70 miles to the north of Skibiel's hometown of Snohomish.
Karla Nelson is in her 24th season at the helm of MSUM women's basketball.
Scouting Simon Fraser
The Red Leafs have opened up the season with a 4-3 record as they enter Tuesday's contest winning their last four games. Those wins have come against San Francisco State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State East Bay and Stanislaus State. Simon Fraser has four players averaging in double figures so far this season led by senior Jessica Wisotzki, who is pouring in 17.9 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds a contest. Junior Gemma Cutler is also a key component for the Red Leafs as she averages 13.9 points and 7.9 rebounds a game at an impressive 61.8 field goal percentage. Junior Sophia Wisotzki adds in 13.7 points per game for Simon Fraser.
Bruce Langford is in his 22nd season as head coach of Simon Fraser.
Scouting Western Washington
Western Washington has had a great start to their year, going 3-1 through their first four contests. The Vikings faced a pair of tough opponents last weekend, dropping their first game of the weekend to 22nd-ranked Cal State San Marcos on November 17. However, Western Washington would turn around and convincingly defeat 12th-ranked Azusa Pacific the next day, 62-46. Senior forward Brooke Wallings leads the Vikings, averaging 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game with a 63.5 field goal percentage. Sophomore guard Mason Oberg adds in 13.8 points a contest for the Vikings and has made a team-best seven threes so far this year.
Carmen Dolfo is in her 33rd season as head coach of Western Washington.
Scouting Central Washington
The Wildcats have also begun their season strong with some stellar performances against ranked foes. Central Washington is 4-3 on the season with wins over Westmont, Cal State East Bay and Stanislaus State. The highlight of the year has to be the Wildcats win over seventh-ranked UT-Tyler on November 5, 64-61. Sophomore guard Asher Cai has scored in bunches for the Wildcats, averaging 22.7 points to go along with 9.7 rebounds per game. Junior guard Sunny Huerta adds in 17.3 points a game for Central Washington, who has already attempted 176 three-pointers through seven games. That mark is the most in Division II so far by 24 attempts.
Randi Richardson-Thornley is in her seventh season as Central Washington's head coach.
