MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead women's basketball team will continue their quest through conference play this weekend with a road trip to challenge two conference foes in southern Minnesota. Their first test will come on Friday against the Winona State Warriors in a contest that tips at 5:30 p.m. The Dragons will then head to Mankato on Saturday to take on the #25 Minnesota State University Mavericks. This game will begin at 3:30 in the afternoon. 

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com

The Rundown

The Dragons (6-11, 6-6 NSIC), will look to bounce back this week after dropping two tough matchups in their last couple games. The Dragons played a gritty first half against the University of Minnesota Duluth and only trailed by one going into the locker room, but the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half. The Dragons played great the next day out and took the Concordia, St Paul Golden Bears to overtime in the second matchup of the weekend, but the game slipped away in the extra period. 

Notable Dragons

Junior point guard Natalie Jens and sophomore forward Terryn Johnson led the way for the Dragons this weekend, each putting up 25 points over the weekend. Jens went 11-of-13 from the charity stripe, and she also tallied five assists. Johnson was a beast on the boards for the Dragons, pulling down 11 rebounds. She also had two steals. 

Bench Blockbuster

Freshman guard Karlee Fisher had an impact performance for the Dragons off the bench against the Golden Bears. Coming up big for the Dragons when they needed her most, she drilled a shot from beyond the arc with 37 seconds left on the clock to help propel the Dragons to overtime. She finished with 13 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and two of four from three.

Free Throw Consistency

In the last two games the Dragons shot 80 percent from the free throw line, and they also got there often a they combined for 32 made free throws. The Dragons are shooting 71 percent from the charity strip this season. Natalie Jens leads the squad in free throws made this season with 61 makes.

Second Chance Success

Another area the Dragons have seen success recently has been in the second chance points category. They outscored their two opponents 25-22 in this phase of the game. This is something that the Dragons will look to capitalize on this week as they face off against two tough conference opponents where every point can make the difference.

Glass Crashers

Despite dropping both games last week, the Dragons continued to dominate on the glass, winning the rebounding battle once again. Pulling down 91 rebounds to their opponents' 88. This is an area where the Dragons have seen a lot of success this year, averaging 40.6 rebounds per game. This mark puts them third overall in the NSIC in rebounds per game. Terryn Johnson leads the team in rebounds per game with 7.9.

The Dragons are coached by 24^th-year head coach Karla Nelson.
 
Scouting Winona State

The Warriors (5-12, 4-8 NSIC), are trying to find an identity as a team. They are 1-4 in their last five games, the one win coming two weeks ago against Bemidji State. They lost both of their games last week, a 76-50 loss at U-Mary, and a 59-45 loss against Minot State where the offense just never got going. The Warriors are led by junior point guard Olivia Gamoke. She averages the most minutes played on her squad and also leads them in scoring with 9.2 points per game. She can also dish the ball out to her teammates well with 24 total assists on the season. One thing the Warriors do well is in the rebounding category. They are ninth in the NSIC, averaging 35.2 rebounds per game. 

The Warriors are coached by Ana Wurtz.
 
Scouting Minnesota State University Mankato

The #25 Mavericks (14-4, 11-1 NSIC), have been on an absolute tear in conference play, ripping off 11 straight conference wins headed into this week. Their only loss came in their first game against the University of Minnesota Duluth. Last week the Mavericks won by double digits in both of their matchups on the road. They beat Minot State by a margin of 15 in an 87-72 victory, and then they one-upped the Marauders of Mary by 10 points in a game that finished with a score of 76-66. Senior guard Joey Batt has been terrific this season for the Mavericks. She averages 16.5 points per game, 3.2 rebounds a game, and she also has 50 total steals on the season. Speaking of steals, the Mavericks are known for their success in this part of the game. They are number one in the NSIC by far with 308 steals this season, which averages out to 17.1 per game. If the Dragons want to upset the Mavericks, they will need to take great care of the basketball.

The Mavericks are coached by Emilee Thiesse.