MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead women's basketball will look to get back in the NSIC win column this week in a pair of road tilts. The Dragons battle Minot State on Thursday beginning at 7:30 p.m. before finishing the weekend against UMary on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Saturday's game can be listened to on AM 1100/FM 92.3 with 'Big Game' James McCarty and Jace Denman on the call. 

Matchup History...MSUM has owned much of the recent series against the Beavers, holding a 19-2 record against Minot State since the 2014-15 season. The Dragons vanquished the Beavers a season ago in Minot by a 71-64 scoreline. However, the teams have split their last two meetings as the Beavers claimed a 65-62 overtime win on December 20, 2024. Against the Marauders, Moorhead has one each of the last two meetings, most recently a 67-65 win on February 8, 2025. The Dragons also won in Bismarck a season ago, dominating the Marauders, 65-43. Since the 2019-20 season, the teams have split 12 overall matchups. 

Terry Climbing...Senior post Terryn Johnson moved her career total to 835 points in two games last week. Johnson also tallied a total of 15 rebounds, moving her career total to 642.

Massaquoi Showcase...Junior guard Grace Massaquoi was a major key to Moorhead's comeback against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. Massaquoi scored a game-high 21 points against the Bulldogs, a new Dragon career high. The Minneapolis, Minn., native shot 50 percent from the floor in the game while also pulling down seven rebounds. It is Massaquoi's best scoring output since February 12, 2023, when she scored 25 points against Lake Region State College while playing for North Dakota State College of Science. 

Still Securing The Glass...Despite a pair of losses last week, Moorhead was exceptional on the glass once again. The Dragons finished the weekend with a plus-24 advantage across two games. Against Bemidji State on Thursday, MSUM pulled down nine more rebounds before outglassing Minnesota Duluth by 15 on Saturday. So far this season, Moorhead holds the NSIC's best rebounding margin at plus-8.1. 

Locking In...With seven games played so far this season, Moorhead holds the second-best scoring defense in the Northern Sun. The Dragons have allowed an average of 61.6 points per game so far this season, a mark that is second only to Wayne State (59.3) in the NSIC. MSUM has held opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the floor through seven games, which is the fourth-lowest clip in the conference. 

Fully Stocked Cookie Jar...Sophomore Ashton Safranski has continued to remind the NSIC that she is one of its best on-ball defenders. Safranski collected six steals in two games for Moorhead last week, including four against Bemidji State on Thursday. The Fargo, N.D., product is fifth in the Northern Sun with 17 steals so far this season. 

A Perfect Pairing...Along with Safranski, true freshman Aubrey Morrison has proven to be an equally effective defender and scorer for Moorhead. Morrison averaged 8.5 points, three rebounds and a steal in MSUM's two games last week. The Walker, Minn., native also made her first career start against the Bulldogs on Saturday. 

Cay Can Play...Sophomore Caylin Kelly has shown her offensive prowess in a starting role for MSUM. Kelly averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds for Moorhead last week, including 12 points against UMD. 

Karla Nelson is in her 26th season as MSUM's head women's basketball coach. 

Scouting The Opposition

Minot State
2025 Record: 4-6 (1-2 NSIC)
2024 Record: 10-20 (9-13 NSIC)
Head Coach: Ryan Clark (2nd Season)
Nickname: Beavers
Top Beaver: Taryn Hamling (15.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 42.7 FG)

UMary 
2025 Record: 8-3 (2-1 NSIC)
2024 Record: 16-12 (12-10 NSIC)
Head Coach: Rick Neumann (14th Season)
Nickname: Marauders
Top Marauder: Bergan Kinnebrew (23.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 48.3 FG)