SIOUX FALLS – Making their third straight trip to the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament quarterfinals, University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball (15-12) faces MSU Moorhead (23-4) on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. The Cougars earned the No. 3 seed in the NSIC south division and MSU Moorhead received the NSIC north division No. 2 seed, and the teams will face each other in the tournament quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Cougars defeated top-seeded MSUM, 54-45, to advance to the tournament semifinals
 
Don't miss any of the action
Radio for this weekend's USF Women's Basketball games is available at KWSN AM 1230, KWSN.com, or on the KWSN app, with longtime play-by-play announcer Tom Frederick on the call. Pregame show starts 20 minutes before tip and includes a preview with USF head coach Travis Traphagen. All of USF's home games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Stretch Internet and can be viewed at usfcougars.com/watch. Keep up with USF Women's Basketball on all of their social media platforms by visiting the USF Social Media Directory. Live stats for all home games are available at usfcougars.com/livestats and links to away games are available on the 2017-18 USF Women's Basketball Schedule.
 
Tournament history: USF advances to quarterfinals for third straight season
Winning their third straight home playoff game, USF Women's Basketball advances to the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. The Cougars defeated NSIC north division No. 6 seed University of Mary, 60-50, in the NSIC Tournament first round on Wednesday, Feb. 21, improving their NSIC Tournament record to 10-4. Sunday's matchup against MSU Moorhead will be the fourth time USF has played in the quarterfinals after they earned their first trip to the Sanford Pentagon for the tournament second round in 2014. The Cougars are undefeated in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals after previously defeating top-seeded Wayne State, 75-69, in overtime in 2014, won over Minnesota Crookston, 64-55, then topped MSU Moorhead, 54-45, last season. At the Sanford Pentagon, which has hosted the NSIC Tournament since 2014, USF is 8-2, including a 3-0 record in 2016 when they won the first NSIC tournament title in program history.
 
Series History: MSU Moorhead leads 5-3
Entering Sunday's tournament quarterfinal matchup, MSU Moorhead owns a 5-3 record over Sioux Falls, including a 69-58 win in the regular season this year. This is the third time USF and MSUM have faced each other in the NSIC Tournament. USF defeated the Dragons, 54-45, in the quarterfinals last season, but MSUM earned the first postseason meeting, 62-50, in the NSIC Tournament first round in Moorhead, Minn. on Feb. 27, 2013. MSU Moorhead opened the series against USF with three straight wins, including the postseason victory over USF in the first year as full-time members of NCAA Division II and the NSIC. The Cougars got the first win over MSUM on Jan. 16, 2015, defeating the Dragons, 76-71, in overtime behind double-digit scoring efforts from four Cougars, led by Teagan Molden's 19. Dropping a one-point decision on the road the next season, USF won the 2017 regular season matchup, 66-61, as seniors Madi Robson, Sam Knecht and Alyson Johnsen combined for 47 points. In the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals last season, Knecht scored 25 points to lead the Cougars to their third NSIC quarterfinal win.
 
USF has three named to All-NSIC teams for first time in program history
USF sophomore guard Kaely Hummel and Mariah Szymanski earned All-NSIC second team honors and junior forward Jacey Huinker was named to the NSIC All-Defensive team. USF's leading scorer, Hummel averaged 15.9 points in the regular season and was fourth in the NSIC with 16.4 points per game during the 22-game conference schedule. A native of Cherokee, Iowa, Hummel scored in double figures all 26 regular season games, and scored 20 or more seven times. An explosive scorer, Szymanski averaged 13.5 points in the conference season and scored 10 or more points 12 times in the conference season. Hailing from Pulaski, Wis., Szymanski scored a career-high 43 points against Concordia-St. Paul on Jan. 20, which was the season-high for any NSIC player, and she finished the regular season with five 20-point games. A junior from Altoona, Iowa, Huinker collects her first postseason honors as a member of the five-player NSIC All-Defensive team. Huinker led the Cougars with 9.9 rebounds per game in the regular season, which ranked second in the NSIC. She also led the Cougars with 3.4 assists per game during the conference season and her 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio led the league and ranks in the top 10 nationally.
 
Cougar quick hits

• USF enters Sunday's NSIC Tournament matchup with MSU Moorhead with a 10-4 record in the conference postseason tournament
• This is USF's third matchup against MSU Moorhead in the NSIC Tournament, and USF is 1-1 against the Dragons in the postseason
• MSU Moorhead defeated the Cougars, 69-58, in the regular season this year
• USF defeated University of Mary, 60-50, in the NSIC Tournament first round, their third straight win in the NSIC Tournament first round
• USF ranks 10th in the NSIC with 64.7 points per game and MSU Moorhead is fourth with 71.5 points per game
• Defensively, MSU Moorhead leads the league, holding their opponents to 59.9 points per game
• USF is seventh in the league with a scoring defense average of 61.6 points per game
• Sophomore guard Kaely Hummel leads the Cougars with 16.0 points per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC this season
• Hummel has scored 10 or more points in all 27 games this season, including seven 20-points games
• Sophomore guard Mariah Szymanski scored 20 points against University of Mary in the NSIC Tournament first round, her sixth 20-point game of the season and fourth in the last six games
• Szymanski averages 12.7 points per game and has scored 10 or more 15 times this season
• Junior forward Jacey Huinker leads the Cougars with 9.8 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the NSIC and top-30 nationally
• Huinker leads the Cougars with 82 assists, a 3.2 per game average, and her assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6 is second in the league
• Senior forward Moira Duffy blocked four shots against University of Mary, extending her USF record to 78 this season
• Duffy's 2.9 blocks per game leads the NSIC and ranks 13th in NCAA Division II this season