MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead women's basketball will play its first home contest on Thursday as the Dragons play host to Central Missouri. Tipoff from Nemzek Fieldhouse is scheduled for 6 p.m. 

Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. 

Matchup History...The Jennies have won the prior three matchups in the series. The most recent was a 63-57 overtime win over the Dragons to open the 2023-24 campaign. MSUM last defeated UCM on November 8, 2019, in a 58-56 nailbiter in Aberdeen, S.D. The Jennies lead the all-time series against the Dragons, 5-3. The programs first met on December 18, 1992, as MSUM defeated Central Missouri, 74-64 in Mankato, Minn.

League Of Legends...MSUM head basketball coach Karla Nelson and Central Missouri head man Dave Slifer have combined for 60 seasons of head coaching experience. Slifer, in his 35th season as a head coach (21st with UCM), has accumulated 807 career wins with a .743 winning percentage. Nelson enters Thursday with 412 career wins as the two coaches have combined for 1,219 victories in their careers. Nelson and Slifer have a combined winning percentage of .693 in their tenures.

Locking In...Despite two losses last weekend, the Dragons turned in solid defensive marks. After two games, MSUM is second in the NSIC in points allowed per game (59.5) and third in total points allowed (119). MSUM held opponents to just a 35.8 percent success rate from the floor last weekend, a league best.

Glass Doctors...MSUM held a plus-six rebound advantage compared to their opponents last weekend. Terryn Johnson led the Dragons, averaging 8.5 boards a game, including nine against Fort Hays State. Johnson and Abby Berge currently sit in the top-15 in the NSIC in rebounds per game. As a team, MSUM is fourth in the NSIC, grabbing 42 rebounds per contest. 

Welcome Back Adie...Redshirt sophomore Adie Wagner played in her first career game for MSUM against Fort Hays State. Wagner had missed the previous two seasons while rehabbing multiple knee injuries. In her 15 minutes on the floor against the Tigers, Wagner showed her adept shooting ability. The Fargo, N.D., product hit a pair of triples (on three attempts) to finish with six points

Freshmen Collect First Baskets...The Dragon freshmen contingent all collected their first collegiate baskets over the weekend. Ayelishka Teko-Folly and Caylin Kelly scored against Northwest Missouri State while Ashton Safranski and Tresa Baumgard scored the next day against Fort Hays State. As a whole, the quartet scored 13 points last weekend. 

Ms. Do-It-All...Sophomore guard Karlee Fisher picked up where she left off in MSUM's first two contests. The versatile guard scored 11 points against Northwest Missouri State, adding in five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Fisher shot 44.4 percent from the floor against the Bearcats. 

Swing It To Ratz...Junior guard Tori Ratz got her jumper going over the weekend. Ratz scored five points against Northwest Missouri State on Friday, with both baskets being massive momentum shifters for MSUM. Ratz also connected on a three-pointer against Fort Hays State. The junior made two of three long range attempts in two games. 

Let's Talk Jennies...Central Missouri has opened the season 2-2 with wins over Henderson State and 15th-ranked Ferris State. The Jennies also dropped games to Concordia, St. Paul and 22nd-ranked Southern Nazarene. Central Missouri is paced by familiar guard Lauren Frost, who averages 13.3 points per game. The lefty Frost is aided by junior post Reese Schaaf, who also averages 13.3 points a game to go along with 10 rebounds a contest.

Karla Nelson is in her 25th season as MSUM's head women's basketball coach.