FAYETTE, IOWA  – The University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team, the defending NSIC South champions, may have some new faces but the tradition of excellence continued as the Cougars's 2020-21 season opened successfully on Saturday in Fayette, Iowa.

With freshman Megan Fannin and junior Anna Brecht scoring 20 points while junior guard Dallie Hoskinson added eight points, 15 rebounds and six assists, USF (1-0, 1-0 NSIC) opened with an 86-66 road win at Upper Iowa (1-2, 0-1 NSIC).

A week ago, CoVID-19 testing protocols canceled USF's opening weekend against U-Mary. So the results against the Peacocks brought a smile to the face of 13th-year USF Head Coach Travis Traphagen, who picked up career win 244, all at USF.

"I am very happy with the way things went tonight. While the ball movement may not be where we want it to be and we missed some really good shots close, we did a lot of things really well," said Traphagen, whose USF squad will face Upper Iowa at 2 pm on Sunday. "The game was closer than the final score but I am proud of the way this team kept battling and pushing all night. It was a nice road win," he said.

With Fannin scoring 10 points in the first quarter, USF led, 16-8 and built a 34-28 lead at the halftime break. USF outscored UIU, 26-23, in the third quarter to lead 60-51. In the fourth quarter, USF added another 26 point period and prevailed, 86-66.

With the victory, USF has defeated UIU for the 17^th time in 18 games. In addition, USF has won 14 straight and sit 9-1 in games at Fayette, Iowa.

In her first career game with the Cougars, Fannin, a Watertown, S.D., native, hit 7-of-10 field goals which included 4-of-5 from three-point range as she reached double-digits and had her first 20-point game. She also had four rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 26 minutes on the floor.

Brecht, who transferred to USF from Wisconsin-Green Bay, had a solid outing in her first game at USF.  A 6-0 guard, she hit 7-of-16 field goals with a pair of threes in four attempts to go with six rebounds, a block and assist in 37 minutes.

Hoskinson, a do-everything point guard who transferred to USF from Johnson City Community College, made a pair of field goals, and four free throws. Of her game-high 15 rebounds, Hoskinson had five offensive boards and dished six dimes while recording a steal in her first game at USF. Also in her first game was Nebraska-Omaha transfer Emily Petersen, who had 10 points in her first game at USF. She hit four field goals, including two triples. In addition, senior Lauren Sanders had nine points as she made three triples and now has 94 in her career.

Overall, USF was 30-of-68 from the field for 44.1 percent. The Cougars hit 13-of-29 from three-point range for 44.8 percent and made 13-of-19 free throws while holding a 53-32 rebounds margin. Of that total, USF had 17 offensive boards.  UIU, which had 15 points from Brooke Evenson and 14 by Lydia Haack, was 23-of-68 from the floor for 33.8 percent and hit 9-of-27 from three while connecting on 11-of-14 free throws.

USF led from start to finish with the final score the biggest margin of the game. While USF had 16 turnovers, they also had 16 assists, four blocks and six steals.  USF had a 17-10 edge in second chance points and also a 28-24 edge of points in the paint.
 
After USF opened up with a 10-0 burst to start the game, including Fannin's first two career triples, Upper Iowa countered with seven straight points. Then Fannin's two foul shots ended a four-minute USF scoring drought as the Cougars led, 16-8 at the break. USF was 6-of-14 from the field and hit 2-of-5 threes in the opening quarter. While scoring 18 points in the second quarter, USF was just 6-of-20 from the floor but made 3-of-8 from three-point range. With 1:46 to play Haack scored to cut USF's lead to 32-28 before the Cougars added a late basket.

USF was able to control play in the second half on the strength of solid shooting. The Cougars made over 50 percent in both the quarters of the second half. USF was 9-of-16 for 56.3 percent in the third quarter. That also included 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. In the fourth quarter, USF made 9-of-18 field goals and 4-of-9 from distance as the 52-38 overall margin gave the Cougars a 20-point win.