SIOUX FALLS— After extending the program's win streak to six straight, 12th-year head Coach Travis Traphagen and the No. 14 University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball team will look to make that eight on their North Dakota trip to UMary and Minot State for Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) interdivision action.
Conference Standings and Postseason Hypotheticals-
The Cougars, who are 15-2 overall, and 8-2 in conference play, hold onto the top spot in the NSIC South. Trailing USF are four teams at 6-4 in Winona State, Wayne State, Minnesota State, and Concordia-St. Paul. The Cougars currently hold the tie-breaker over the last three listed, and have yet to play Winona State this season.
If the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament were to start today, the Cougars would be the South 1 team, and face the North 8, Minot State, at the Stewart Center. USF would be the two-seed overall, behind only Minnesota Duluth (12-4, 9-1), and currently holding the tie-breaker (divisional record) over MSU Moorhead (13-4, 8-2).
Keep Up With The Cougars-
For all coverage of USF Women's Basketball, follow the USF Athletics Twitter (@USF_Athletics). To watch both games live, go to usfcougars.com/watch. Unable to watch, but want to listen to the game? No worries, as Tom Frederick of KWSN Sports Radio will have the audio broadcast of all conference games online at kwsn.com or tune in to 98.1 FM or 1230 AM on local radio.
The Rundown (2019-20 Record (Divisional Record))-
Fri., Jan. 17, 5:30 p.m. at UMary Marauders (12-7, 6-4 NSIC (6-2 NSIC North))
Sat., Jan. 18, 3:30 p.m. Minot State Beavers (3-11, 0-10 NSIC (0-8 NSIC North))
UMary Marauders (12-7, 6-4 NSIC)-
Eighth-year head coach Rick Neumann has directed UMary to a respectable 12-7 record, and 6-4 in conference action. On the 2019-20 campaign, the Marauders have been nearly perfect at the McDowell Activity Center, going 8-1 on their home court. Their sole home loss came in their last contest, an 80-65 defeat to the surging St. Cloud State Huskies.
Despite the loss this past weekend, the Marauders' leading scorer, senior Cassie Askvig, had a stellar performance, averaging 34 points and 5.5 rebounds. The 34-point per game average also included a career-high 36 points for Askvig, all of which earning Askvig NSIC North Player of the Week honors. On the season, Askvig has averaged an NSIC-leading 21.1 points per game, along with 6.5 rebounds per game, which is third on the team.
Along with Askvig, a trio of Marauders have also averaged over 10 points per game in Lauren Rotunda (10.8), Lexie Schneider (10.6), and Coral Gillette (10.2).
Schneider has led the defense for UMary, recording a team-leading 147 rebounds (7.7 rebounds per game) and 10 blocks. What could also play a large factor in the game, in favor of the Cougars, is Schneider's foul troubles. Schneider has recorded 68 personal fouls (3.5 personal fouls per game) and has had four fouls or fouled out in 12 contests.
Minot State Beavers (3-11, 0-10 NSIC)-
Under fourth-year had coach Mark Graupe, the Beavers of Minot State have a record of 3-11, and still searching for their first win in NSIC action (0-10). Their three wins on the season came to Yellowstone Christian College of the NCCAA, as well as wins over Dickinson State and Valley City State, both members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' North Star Athletics Association.
The Beaver offense has leaned heavily on the abilities of Mariah Payne, who averages 17.3 points per game, and is the only Beaver in double-digits in averages. Calli Delsman leads the team in rebounds, collecting 102 boards (7.3 rebounds per game).
No. 14 Sioux Falls Cougars (15-2, 8-2 NSIC)-
The Cougars have went on their best start in program NCAA Division II history, going 15-2 overall, and 8-2 in NSIC play. USF has quality wins over No. 15 Emporia State at home and No. 11 Hawai'i Pacific in The Shark Tank in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Cougars started the season a perfect 9-0 before falling to Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.
Since their weekend sweep to the hands of UMD and SCSU, the Cougars have rattled off six straight, the 19th time under Traphagen that the program has done so. In the six-game winning streak, the Cougars have gotten crucial conference wins over Wayne State on the road, then Minnesota State, and Concordia-St. Paul at the Stewart Center to complete season sweeps of the Mavericks and Golden Bears.
NSIC South Player of the Week, Kaely Hummel-
Hummel, the NSIC South Preseason Player of the Year out of Cherokee, Iowa, earned NSIC South Player of the Week on Monday after a career weekend. For Hummel, this is her second Player of the Week honor, earning it in her sophomore campaign (Jan. 15, 2018). As a team, this is the third NSIC South Player of the Week for USF, with redshirt junior Anna Goodhope and graduate student Jacey Huinker also earning the honors.
Against Minnesota State, Hummel scored 27 points, with 21 of those points coming off Hummel's career-high seven three-pointers (7-for-9), as well as her perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. In the game, Hummel was the sole player on either team to eclipse 20 points.
Hummel had another career night the following night against Concordia-St. Paul, collecting a career-high nine rebounds along with a game-high 19 points. Hummel again would be perfect from the free-throw line, which she took 10 shots from.
On the weekend, in addition to her 57.1 percent from three, 40 percent from the field, and 14-for-14 perfection from the free-throw line, Hummel also collected 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Hummel has been on a hot streak during the winning streak the Cougars are currently on, averaging 21.2 points per game.
From a career standpoint, Hummel fell just one point short of being the fourth Cougar to score 1,500 points in the purple and white. Hummel did pass Shelley Fauth (1982-86, 1,495 points) for fourth in all-time scoring in USF program history. Hummel has also made 241 three-pointers in her career, putting her only four behind Taylor Varsho (2014-16, 245 three-pointers) for second in career three-pointers made.
Friday's game marks the first time since Feb. 1, 2019, when Sammy Kozlowski (Minnesota Duluth - NSIC North) and Gabie Doud (Winona State - NSIC South) faced off at the Romano Gymnasium in Duluth, Minn., that the Players of the Week from each division will face off against each other.
Shooting for 1,000 for Szymanski-
The senior from Pulaski, Wis., has put on a spectacular performance from start to finish with the Cougars, and one milestone that Szymanski is nearing is scoring 1,000 points in her career. In Purple and White, Szymanski has scored 982 points, and is only 18 points away from becoming the 20th player to reach the milestone.
On the season, Szymanski has averaged 10.9 points per game, as well as leading the team in assists (52). In the six-game winning streak, Szymanski has averaged 8.7 points per game.
Other Numbers of Interest-
Goodhope, Huinker, and senior Augusta Thramer have all been crucial keys in the Cougars' gameplay. Goodhope has been a key double-digit scorer for USF, averaging 11.6 points per game. Goodhope has also been a menace in the paint, recording a team-high 12 blocks, as well as recording 85 rebounds in 17 games.
Huinker has been anchoring down the defensive end of things with her 152 rebounds (8.9 rebounds per game).
Thramer, who made her first fifteen appearances off the bench, has grown to be an integral part of the Cougar offense. During the Cougars' streak, Thramer has scored 59 points (9.8 points per game), as well as led the team in steals (11). In addition to those stats, Thramer has amassed 22 rebounds and 15 assists.
The History-
The Cougars have gone 3-5 against UMary, with the Marauders taking two of the last three. The last time the Cougars and Marauders played in Bismarck, back on Feb. 3, 2017, the Cougars took the contest 65-60 behind a career-high 19 points for senior Andie Mataloni.
Against the Beavers, USF has been dominant, leading the series 8-3, which includes four wins by the Cougars as a transitional member of the NCAA Division II. Since the 2011-12 season, the Cougars have gone 4-1 in Minot, including the previous two matchups.
