SIOUX FALLS – No. 1 South Seed University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball team (24-5) will open the NSIC Sanford Health Basketball Tournament by hosting North No. 8 Minot State (7-19) at 5:30 pm in the opening round on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

The USF-Minot State game will precede the USF-Minot State men's matchup with the tournament doubleheader beginning at 5:30 pm at the Stewart Center. This is the third straight year that USF men's and women's team have hosted a first-round tournament game.  The winner of the USF-Minot State game will advance to a game at 5:30 pm Sunday, March 1 at the Sanford Pentagon. Of note, this will be the first time that both the Men's Team and the Women's Team enter the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament as the top seed from the South Division in the same year.

NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament
Wed., Feb. 26 - First Round Matchups    
(S8) Upper Iowa at (N1) Minnesota Duluth, 5:30 PM
(N5) Northern State at (S4) Concordia St. Paul, 6:00 PM
(N7) Minnesota Crookston at (S2) Minnesota State Mankato, 5:30 PM
(S6) Southwest Minnesota State at (N3) U-Mary, 6:00 PM
(N8) Minot State at (S1) Sioux Falls, 5:30 PM
(S4) Minnesota State Moorhead at (S5) Winona State, 5:30 PM
(S7) Wayne State at (N2) St. Cloud State, 6:00 PM
(N6) Bemidji State at (S3) Augustana, 5:30 PM
 
Quick Breakdown of USF
The Cougars, who have already won the NSIC South last weekend and ranking third in the first NCAA DII Regional Rankings, will look to make a run in the league tournament. USF, which received votes in the most recent WBCA Top 25 Poll (36 points, 27^th overall) and was ranked a DII program-best nine straight weeks, won the NSIC South Division with a 17-5 mark and put together a 24-5 record, which is the second best mark of the program DII era. The Cougars closed the season with a 75-64 win over Wayne State as Kaely Hummel connected on 18 points to lead five players in double digits.

Entering playing tomorrow, USF is the third-best offense in the NSIC at 75.7 points per game and rank fifth in scoring defense at 64.4 points per game. The Cougars sit sixth in field goal shooting at 42.8 percent and allowed 39.6 percent for fifth in the NSIC.  In three-point shooting, USF is second at 36.9 percent.

NSIC Tournament Sanford Health history: USF has advanced to four straight semis
After two wins in the 2018-19 tournament, USF will enter the 2019-20 NSIC Tourney with an impressive 13-6 overall record. Under the direction of Travis Traphagen, they have advanced to the semifinal round four straight seasons. With the dominating 103-76 verdict over Wayne State a year ago, USF moved to 5-0 in tourney quarterfinal games.  In semifinal round games, USF has a 2-3 record after falling to No. 1 North seed Minnesota State Moorhead, 77-64. USF was led by 16 points from junior guard Kaely Hummel while redshirt sophomore Anna Goodhope had a double with 14 points and 12 rebounds and junior guard Mariah Szymanski added 15 points.  USF advanced to the semifinals a year ago with a 103-76 win over Wayne State. It was USF's first time of 100 points in the DII era and the first time since a 103-47 victory in 2008 over Johnson and Wales (Colo.) College. USF led WSC, 54-33 at half and 90-51 through three quarters as five players scored in double-digits. USF also took a 89-74 win over Minnesota Crookston a year ago as Jessie Geer had a career-high 29 points.

In 2017-18, USF defeated U-Mary, 60-50, at the Stewart Center in the first round as Szymanski and Kaely Hummel both scored 20 points. After trailing 28-20 at the halftime break, the Cougars had a 40-22 margin in the final two quarters to earn the first-round win. In the tournament quarterfinals, the Cougars defeated North No. 2 MSU Moorhead, 59-56, as Szymanski scored 26 points and Augusta Thramer scored a career-high 17. Szymanski led USF from a 12-point deficit and scored the go-ahead basket with 8.6 seconds to play and then made a pair of free throws for the final margin. In the win, USF upset MSUM for a second straight year. USF, which was seeded No. 3, fell to South No. 1 seed Augustana, 63-43 in the semifinals. Since the NSIC moved the championship site to the Sanford Pentagon in 2014, USF has played in 11 games at the Sioux Falls facility and are 7-4 in those games. In the last three years at the Pentagon, USF is 6-3 losing only in the NSIC Tournament title game to MSUM in 2018-19, Northern State, 55-52 in 2016-17, Augustana two years ago in the semifinals. The Cougars dropped a 78-66 decision to eventual Central Region champion Concordia-St. Paul in 2014, then returned to the NSIC semis two years later. En route to their NSIC Tournament title, USF defeated Northern State, 71-63, in the 2016 semifinals. In 2015-16, USF's defense stymied Wayne State in a 58-49 victory for their second consecutive title game appearance. In the 2016 NSIC Championship, USF defeated rival Augustana, 75-57, to earn NCAA DII national tourney berth, the first in school history.  In that history-making victory, Taylor Varsho, who was the tourney MVP, had 23 points with seven assists and eight rebounds. Alison Klostergaard added 18 points and Teagan Molden provided 12 points. USF trailed, 29-26 after two quarters but outscored their city rivals, 29-8, in the third quarter to build a big league and cruised to the title.
 
Breaking Down Minot State
Minot State has lost three straight games, including a 73-71 decision at Northern State last weekend. However, the beat Winona State on Feb. 7, Upper Iowa on Feb. 8 and Minnsota Crookston on Feb. 14 before beginning their current three-game slide with a lost at Bemidji State (83-54). Through 26 games, MiSU, which finished 4-18 in league play, is averaging 63.3 points for 14^th in the league and allowing 70.3 points per game. They make 40.8 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point range. Mariah Payne leads the Beavers with 17.76 points per game while Bethany Theodore provided 9.58 per game.
 
Cougars lead Minot State, 9-3, in all-time series
The Cougars lead the series with the Beavers, 9-3, including 5-3 regular season with a 4-0 record in the transition year. This is the first meeting in the postseason tourney for the two squads.  The Cougars have won two straight games with an 87-53 decision on Jan. 18, 2020. In that contest, USF opened up a 23-10 lead in the first quarter before moved up 43-22 at halftime. In the third quarter, MiSU had a 24-21 edge before USF closed on a 23-7 fourth-quarter run for the 87-53 win. USF was led by Augustana Thramer, Kaely Hummel and Jessie Geer, who also had 15 points while Mariah Szymanski totaled 14. In the first matchup between the school, USF took a 66-62 decision. USF's largest margin of victory was a 79-36 decision on Feb. 17, 2012. USF has won 5-of-6 in the series including an 59-54 win on Jan. 19, 2019. The Beavers defeated USF, 72-64, on Feb. 3, 2018 at the Stewart Center. They also took a 68-68 win in Minot on Feb. 14, 2014 and a 75-70 decision on Feb. 8, 2013.

On Coach Travis Traphagen –
In his 12^th season, Traphagen is the program's career leader with 241 career wins. This is the second straight season, and fourth in the last five, for Traphagen teams to eclipse 20 wins. He has directed six USF teams to 20 wins.
 
Player Notes – Hummel ranks first  at USF all-time in made threes
The Cougars have been led by NSIC South Preseason Player of the Year Kaely Hummel, who has averaged 17.1 points per game in 29 starts. With Mariah Szymanski, she ranks third all-time in games played with 119. Hummel is third all-time in scoring with 1,683 points. She also has 265 three-pointers which ranks her first all-time at USF. A two-time Academic All-NSIC honor, who was named a Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award recipient, Hummel has been named twice to the All-NSIC squad. A business administration major, Hummel, was recently named to the CoSIDA Academic All District 7 Team, has 91 double-digit scoring games including 25 of 20 points or more. 
 
Senior forward Jacey Huinker was named recipient of the Elite 18 Award by the NSIC in women's basketball in 2017-18. Selected among 32 recipients league-wide of the NSIC's Butch Raymond Scholarship, she has been named Academic All-NSIC twice and to the All-NSIC Defensive Team. Averaging 5.0 ppg and 8.4 rebounds, Huinker is on the verge of setting the season mark for offensive rebounds (has 76, needs 1 to tie Sam Knecht, 2016-17 for season record) and ranks second in DII era (eighth overall) with 756 rebounds with 17 games of 12 or more rebounds. Huinker, who has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 Team this winter, has her nursing degree and is in the USF Master of Business Administration program.  She has six double doubles, 26 games with double-digit records and 11 games with double-digit points. 

Named to the All-NSIC team each of the past two years, Mariah Szymanski has 1,137 career points (17th all-time) and 166 made threes (8th all-time at USF) in 119 games with 88 starts at USF. With 243 assists, she is eighth all-time at USF. She has 55 double-digit scoring games, 11 of 20-points or more and four over 30. She recorded a school record 43 points with a school mark of 9 3s against CSP in 2018. A nursing major,  also has 111 steals and 289 rebounds.

A two-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, senior Augusta Thramer has accumulated 428 career points, 285 rebounds, 164 assists, 104 steals, 24 threes and 17 games in double-digit points in 106 games and 13 starts at USF. Twice in 2019-20 she has hit a career-high with 20 points. A sports management major, she is hitting 47.4 percent from three in 2019-20 by hitting 18-of-38 shots.

Another senior, guard Jessie Geer, has 537 career points and is averaging 8.9 points per game. An exercise major, she has been named a Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award recipient. She has 26 double-digit scoring games with 14  this year.