SIOUX FALLS – Returning to the Sanford Pentagon for the second consecutive year, University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball (20-7 )takes on top-seeded MSU Moorhead 24-3) (in the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Cougars defeated St. Cloud State, 65-51, in the conference tournament first round on Wednesday, recording their 20th win of the season. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the tournament semifinals, where they will face the winner of Wayne State and Minnesota Duluth.
How to watch/listen
All of USF's home games and NSIC contests will be streamed live via Stretch Internet and are available at USFCougars.com/watch. Veteran broadcaster Tom Frederick will broadcast Saturday's game on KWSN AM 1230 or FM 98.1 with pregame starting 15 minutes prior to tip-off. Links for all USF home games are available at USFCougars.com/livestats and links to road contest live stats are available on the USF Women's Basketball schedule. For more information on the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament, visit NorthernSun.org/NSICTourney and check out twitter with the hashtag #NSICTourney
Knecht garners All-NSIC first team & NSIC All-Defensive team honors
After a truly special season, senior center
Sam Knecht was named to the All-NSIC first team and NSIC All-Defensive team in a release by the conference on Thursday. For the season, Knecht averaged a double-double with 13.4 points and 10.0 rebounds in her senior campaign. The Platte, S.D. native posted 10 double-doubles during the regular season and added another in USF's first-round win over St. Cloud State. Knecht has scored in double figures 20 times this year, and surpassed 20 points on four occasions. On the defensive end, Knecht blocked 56 shots this season and picked up 33 steals while leading the league in defensive rebounding. This is the third time Knecht has collected postseason hardware from the NISC after earning NSIC Freshman of the Year honors in 2014 and an All-NSIC second-team appointment in 2015.
Series history – MSU Moorhead – MSUM leads 4-2
USF picked up a hard-fought 66-61 win over MSU Moorhead to hand them one of their two conference losses this season, but the Cougars still trail MSUM 4-2 in the series. This is the second time the two teams will have met in postseason play with the first coming in USF's inaugural campaign as a member of the NSIC. The Cougars traveled to Moorhead, Minn. for the first round of the conference tournament and MSU Moorhead defeated the Cougars 62-50. Saturday's game will also be the first ever neutral-site meeting between the programs as the Sanford Pentagon plays host to the final three rounds of the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament. In the game earlier this season, USF seniors
Madi Robson (19),
Sam Knecht (16), and
Alyson Johnsen (12) led the Cougars to victory while Knecht and the Cougar defense stymied NSIC Player of the Year Drew Sannes, holding her to 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting.
