SIOUX FALLS - The No. 16 University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball team has completed a feat not done by any previous USF team in its NCAA Division II program history, and that is winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) South Division.
Tabbed the Preseason favorite in the South, the Cougars (23-4, 16-4 NSIC) took control quickly in conference, going on the program's hottest start in history at 9-0. As of Feb. 19, the Cougars have taken down WBCA No. 5 Hawai'i Pacific on their home court back in late-November, the sole loss of the season for the Sharks, and early-season Central powerhouse Emporia State at the Stewart Center. Sioux Falls has been dominant in the South beating all but one of the teams from the Division, sitting at 10-2 in the Division with the final two games coming this weekend.
Of their nine NSIC weekend series, eight have included at least one win, and six resulting in a perfect 2-0 record for the Cougars.
In non-conference play, the Cougars went a perfect 7-0, including the aforementioned wins against No. 5 Hawai'i Pacific, Emporia State, as well as a win over a Truman State team that sits at 16-6 on the year, and No. 10 in the NCAA Midwest Region.
The Cougars got started in the preseason releases with honors, being tabbed as the South favorite, along with senior guard
Kaely Hummel being named the preseason NSIC Player of the Year.
During the season, three separate Cougars have been named NSIC South Player of the Week, with
Anna Goodhope getting it Week Two,
Jacey Huinker in Week Five, and Hummel in Week Nine.
Hummel has led the team offensively with a 17.2 points per game average, which has allowed the Cherokee, Iowa-native to become only the fourth player in program history to reach 1,500 career points. Of her 1,652 points in Purple and White, 789 have come from 263 three-pointers, a program record for USF.
The Cougars will conclude the regular season with a pair of tough matchups against city rival Augustana and Wayne State, who are both vying for a host bid in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament. The Cougars are still vying for a chance for a Co-NSIC Regular Season Champions, but will need a weekend sweep of Minnesota Duluth by Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.
As the NSIC South No. 1 Seed, the Cougars will face the North No. 8 Seed, which will be either Minnesota Crookston (4-20, 3-17 NSIC) or Minot State (7-17, 4-16 NSIC)
(Bemidji State is excluded because of tie-breakers in any situation favoring the Beavers). That game will be at 5:30 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 26 at the Stewart Center.
