SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team, which won its first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate South Division title and earned a bid in the NCAA DII Central Regional in 2019-20, will open the 2020-21 season against Upper Iowa (1-1, 0-0) in Jan. 9-10 at Dorman Memorial Gym in Fayette, Iowa.

USF's opening games of the season against U-Mary were canceled due to CoVID-19 testing protocols. Therefore, this weekend will be USF's opening weekend of play. It will also represent the start of play in the NSIC South. The Cougars and Peacocks will play at 6 pm on Jan. 9 and 2 pm on Jan. 10. Upper Iowa split with St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minn., on Jan. 2-3. UIU took a 75-71 overtime win in the opener as Lydia Haack scored 30 points and  2019-20 NSIC Freshman of the Year Jessica Musgrave had 23. In game 2, SCSU took a 66-50 win as Brehna Evans scored 17 and Caitlyn Peterson added 15. UIU was limited to 33.3 percent from the field.

Follow USF WBB - Broadcast and Social Media info
Follow USF Women's Basketball on twitter at @USFCougars_WBB and @USF_Athletics. All USF's home and road games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Blue Frame by clicking here NSIC Network. Veteran announcer Tom Frederick will provide play-by-play for home games with veteran broadcaster John Gaskins doing road contests. All women's games will be carried on KELQ 107.9 FM. Live stats for the USF-UIU game is available by clicking here.  

Schedule information

In a year already impacted by the Co-VID-19 Pandemic, the Cougars will open the season with four straight road games as they head to Upper Iowa on Jan. 8-9. USF will then return home to face Winona State on Jan. 15-16 at the Stewart Center.

USF picked to finish fourth in NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll

The Cougars have been picked to finish fourth in the 2020-21 league coaches preseason poll released on Wednesday, Dec. 15. USF, which lost seven seniors but returns experience and several talented newcomers, will look to win a second straight NSIC South Division title. 

USF, which has earned votes in the D2SIDA Preseason National Poll and ranked fifth in its Central Region Poll, received 27 ballot points but one of the seven first place ballots. Minnesota State received 43 points and three first place votes while Augustana and Winona State each had 35 ballot points and two first place votes. Minnesota Duluth was picked to win the North Division title after earning 49 ballot points and seven of eight first place votes. St. Cloud State was second with 41 points and MSU Moorhead third with 37 ballot points.

The NSIC schedule will be 16-games played over 8 weeks with teams playing the same opponent at one site on back-to-back days. The season will start with two non-conference games against one NSIC out-of-division opponent. The conference schedule will then consist of 14 games with teams playing each member of its division twice. For this season, the NSIC will only crown a North Division and South Division Champion.  The NSIC / Sanford Health Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place Thursday-Sunday, February 25-28 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The top for teams from each division will make up the eight-team field for the 2021 tournament.  

A look back at the Cougars

USF finished 26-6 a year ago with a 17-5 NSIC mark, directed by all-time wins leader Head Coach Travis Traphagen (243-117). The Cougars return senior Anna Goodhope (10.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 705 career points and 97 threes), and juniors Hannah Jones (191 points and167 rebounds in her career) Kiara James (166 points and 74 rebounds in her career) and Krystal Carlson (235 points and 124 rebounds in her career), who all have started games.

USF also added DI transfer & junior Anne Brecht (3.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 161 career points, 60 rebounds, 51 three pointers), from DI Green Bay-Wisconsin. Another DI transfer is Emily Petersen (142 career points, 38 3s) from Nebraska Omaha and point guard Dallie Hoskinson (9.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.1 apg, 425 career points, 367 rebounds and 222 assists) from Johnson County Community College which was 28-5 & ranked nationally a year ago.  Hoskinson had 20 double digit scoring games, 12 double-digit rebound contests and recorded three triple doubles at JCCC.

The Cougars also return seniors Lauren Sanders (359 career points, 91 career threes), & Amanda Dagostino with additions including freshman Madison Wuebben (15.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg) of Yankton, S.D., Megan Fannin (16.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) from Watertown, S.D., among others.

Brecht, a 6-0 junior media studies major from Sioux Falls, S.D., was named USF's Player to Watch.  During two years at DI Wisconsin-Green Bay, she led the Phoenix to 41-28 record. She totaled five double digit games with career-high 15 vs Oakland on Jan. 9, 2020. Brecht is a former prep player of the year in South Dakota and all-time leading scorer at Lincoln HS in Sioux Falls with 1,662 points.

Upper Iowa opens season 1-1 

Directed by second-year head coach Nate Oakland, Upper Iowa opened with a 1-1 record against the defending NSIC Tourney champions and NCAA DII regional qualifier St. Cloud State. Upper Iowa was picked to finish eighth in an NSIC preseason coaches poll. 

It was a fast start for the Peacocks, who had 30 points from Lydia Haack and 23 from Jessica Musgrave to win the opener over SCSU, 75-71 in overtime. While they fell in game two, 66-50, UIU had a solid start on the road. A year ago, they had just two conference wins and three overall. Now they return home to battle USF. A year ago, UIU was 3-10 in home games. 

Through two games, UIU is averaging 62.5 points (11th, NSIC) and allowing 68.5 (8th, NSIC).  They are shooting 36.9 percent from the field (12th, NSIC) while allowing 38.1 percent (6th, NSIC).  UIU is 2-of-6 from three-point range (12th, NSIC) and is holding opponents to 11-of-49 for 22.4 percent (6th, NSIC). UIU is averaging 32.5 rebounds while allowing 42.0 per game.  Part of UIU's opening weekend of success was a plus two margin in turnovers. They are averaging 14.0 turnovers per game and forcing 16. Haack is seventh in the league in scoring at 17.5 percent while Musgrave is 11th at 15.5 ppg in scoring and 2nd in rebounds in NSIC play at 9.5. 

Series Notes - USF leads, 16-1

A year ago, USF won a pair of games a year ago to extend their winning streak to 13 games.  USF is 8-0 in home games against the Peacocks and sit 8-1 in road games at Fayette. USF has totaled 1,241 points or 73.0 per game during the series. In the first-ever matchup, USF took a 67-57 victory on Nov. 22, 2011. Vanessa Johnson had 15 points and Laura Johnson, 13, to lead USF. Jeri Jacobson and Ashlee Bailey had 12 for UIU. 

 The smallest margin of victory was USF's 70-68 decision on Jan. 4, 2013.  Laura Johnson had 24 points and 15 rebounds with five threes to lead USF. Whitney Kieffer provided 16 points for UIU. On Dec. 14, 2013, UIU won their only game in the series, 78-75 at Fayette, Iowa.  Jaicee Ulmer had 17 points and Taylor Varsho added 16 for USF, which was 6-of-31 from three-point range. Whitney Kieffer scored 35 points with seven rebounds for UIU. 

On Feb. 15, 2020, USF led, 35-34 at halftime and outscored UIU, 37-17 in the second half as they won, 72-51. All-NSIC guards Mariah Szymanski and Kaely Hummel both scored 19 and Augusta Thramer added 14 for USF.  In the earlier game on Jan. 24, 2020, the Cougars took an 86-43 decision by grabbing a 37-27 lead at halftime and outscored UIU, 23-4 in the third quarter for a 60-31 lead. In the fourth quarter, USF had a 26-12 margin for the 86-43 win.  Hummel led USF with 24 points, including 9-of-9 from the foul line. She also had a trio of threes. Jessie Geer added 13 as 11 USF players scored. 

Game-by-Game - Series Record

 Feb. 15, 2020 @ Fayette, USF 72 UIU 51

Jan. 24, 2020 @ SF, USF 86 UIU 43

Feb. 16, 2019 @ SF, USF 69 UIU 47

Jan. 25, 2019 @ Fayette, USF 65 UIU 39

Jan. 5, 2018 @ Fayette, USF 60 UIU 46

Dec. 2, 2017 @ SF, USF 83 UIU 41

Jan. 6, 2017  @ SF, USF 74 UIU 41

Dec. 3, 2016 @ Fayette, USF 67 UIU 58

Jan. 9, 2016 @ SF, USF 84 UIU 63

Dec. 4, 2015 @ Fayette, USF 72 UIU 62

Jan. 10, 2015 @ Fayette, USF 75 UIU 61

Dec. 5, 2014 @  SF, USF 86 UIU 56

Jan. 17, 2014 @ SF, USF 70 UIU 56

Dec. 14, 2013 @ Fayette, UIU 78 USF 75

Jan. 26, 2013 @ SF, USF 66 UIU 63

Jan. 4, 2013 @ Fayette, USF 70 UIU 68

Nov. 22, 2011 @ Fayette, USF 67 USF 57