MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead women's basketball team will start conference play this week with a road trip to Northern State University on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., then they will be home against the University of Mary Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
 
The Rundown

The Dragons (0-5), have had a bumpy first five games of the season, not being able to get over the hump quite yet. Their last matchup saw them battle back in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as they dropped the game 73-59 to Central Washington. 

Junior guard Natalie Jens has been the team leader in many categories so far this season. She leads the team in points (66), assists (23), steals (7) and field goals made (25). Sophomore forward Terryn Johnson has been solid as well, tallying 51 points over the first five games. She has shot 41.3 percent from the floor so far this season, and she leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.4 per game. She has also been very solid from the free throw line, making 13 of her 15 attempts. Freshman guard Ashley Fritz has been impressive, making 43.6 percent of her shots for a total of 41 points. Fritz is second on the team in a lot of categories, totaling seven steals, eight assists and 29 rebounds. 

As a team, they have shot 37.1 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three. The Dragons are very good from the free throw line, putting 75.9 percent of their attempts through the hoop. They have exactly the same amount of rebounds as their opponents do with 183 through five games. The Dragons are solid defensively, averaging 12.4 turnovers forced, six steals and two blocks per game.

The Dragons are led by 24^th year head coach Karla Nelson. She enters Thursday with 399 career wins. 
 
Scouting Northern State University

The Wolves (5-2, 1-0 NSIC), have had a successful beginning to their 2023-24 campaign. They had a five-game winning streak snapped in their last game against Wisconsin-Parkside in a game that they lost 70-61. 

Sophomore center Madelyn Bragg is an absolute machine under the basket for the Wolves. She averages 19.7 points per game for a total of 138 points this season. She also leads the team in rebounds pulling down 7.3 boards per game, as well as blocks with 11 stuffs on the season. Senior guard Rianna Fillipi facilitates the Wolves offense at the point. She leads her team in assists with 33, and she also leads them in steals with 10 this season. 

The Wolves score 64.1 points per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. Their rebounding is also solid as they grab 38 rebounds per game. They do turn the ball over at a higher rate than their opponents, so if the Dragons want to win then they could look to exploit this area.

The Wolves are coached by sixth-year head coach Paula Krueger.
 
Scouting the University of Mary

The Marauders (2-5, 0-1 NSIC), have dropped their last three games, and the most recent of which came in a 77-64 game against Northern State. They will be looking to get back on track this weekend.

Grad student forward Lexie Schneider leads her squad with 21.3 points scored per game, for a total of 149 points this season. She has been very efficient, making 52.8 percent of her shots this season. She also leads the team in rebounds (61), and is second in assists (16) and steals (9). Former MSUM guard Mariah McKeever is the Marauders best three-point threat, as she has knocked down 54.5 percent of her shots from deep this season. McKeever also leads the team in steals (10) and assists (19). The Marauders have averaged 66 points per game, while shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three. They are solid from the free throw line making 78 percent of their attempts. They rebound well as a team with 37.7 per game, and they also average 3.6 blocks each contest.

The Marauders are coached by head coach Rick Neumann.