WAYNE, NEB – Krystal Carlson recorded 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Megan Fannin supplied 17 points as the University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team (16-11, 11-9 NSIC) clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NSIC Sanford Health Tournament with a 79-67 victory on the road at Wayne State (9-15, 6-14 NSIC) in the regular-season finale on Saturday (Feb. 19) at Rice Auditorium.

In earning the win, USF had a strong offensive showing, including scoring 32 points in the third quarter, which is the best this season and the most since scoring 31 in the third quarter of a 74-58 win over Black Hills State on Nov. 20.

The Cougars finished 11-9 in the NSIC South and were 16-11 overall. As a result, the Cougars will host U-Mary (13-15, 7-12 NSIC) at 6 pm on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the Stewart Center. If the Cougars win, they advance to the quarterfinal round of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament against North No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth (21-4, 19-2 NSIC) Sunday at 7 pm at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. 

With the win today, USF now has won nine straight games against Wayne State and owns a 13-10 overall series lead. USF, which defeated WSC, 76-75 on Dec. 4, 2021, swept the season series for the fourth straight year.

USF Head Coach Travis Traphagen was pleased with his team's ability to win its third game in four outings, the final two of the regular season against city rival Augustana (69-62) and Wayne State tonight. 

"I thought we played a complete game as we showed extraordinary balance," said Traphagen, who earned his 266^th career win. "One of the keys was a change in defense at halftime. We put in a zone and I think that got them out of their rhythm a bit. And, in that third quarter, I think we turned the corner and won the game with that big (10-0) run. Overall, I felt like we had a really good performance and did so at the time playing four freshmen on the floor at the same time.  I think you can see they are growing up in various situations. To go on the road and beat a good Wayne State team, they make me proud," he said.

WSC took the early lead, jumping out to a 20-18 lead after the first quarter by hitting 50 percent from the field. However, over the next two quarters, USF dominated to the tune of a 47-to-23 margin. With a 15-to-7 margin in the second quarter, USF had a 33-27 lead at the halftime break. In the third quarter, USF doubled up WSC, 32-16, for a 65-43 lead. In the fourth quarter, USF was outscored, 24-14, but led by as must as 25 points (76-51) before WSC made a late push to draw the score back to 79-67.

With her 18 points, Carlson now has 10 double-digit scoring games this season and 23 in her career. She also had eight rebounds and a steal. Carlson, who now has 627 career points, made 8-of-16 field goals and both of her foul shots.  In her past two games, both wins, Carlson, a senior from Hastings, Minn., hit 15-of-27 field goals and was 5-of-6 at the foul line.

For the second time in three games, Fannin surpassed double-digits and now has 18 in her career with 17 during 2021-22. A freshman from Watertown, S.D., Fannin had five field goals, including making 4-of-7 from three-point range along with all three of her foul shots. She also recorded a season and career-best four steals.

USF showcased balanced scoring in recording the double-digit win. Seven players scored at least six points between six and eight points. One of those was freshman guard JeMae Nichols, who had six points and tied her career-high with 12 rebounds while dishing three assists, recording two steals and blocking two shots. She had 12 rebounds in a game for the second straight night.

In addition, freshman guard Madison Wuebben added eight points, four rebounds, and a steal while freshman guard Olivia Gamoke had eight points, five assists, and three rebounds. In her first career start, Sydney White had seven points as did freshman guard Brecli Honner, who also had three rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

For the game, USF hit on 30-of-63 field goals for 47.6 percent, which was its best mark since making 50.8 percent in a home win over Winona State (74-54) on Dec. 11. USF also made 8-of-18 for 44.4 percent, its best mark this season. Additionally, USF was 11-of-16 from the free-throw line.

Another key to the victory was the rebounding work by USF, which edged WSC, 40-37. Defensively, USF had 12 steals, breaking the double-digit mark for the 14^th time this season. USF owned a 34-to-26 margin of points in the paint and had an 18-to-12 margin in points off turnovers.

As for the Wildcats, they made 23-of-60 field goals for 38.3 percent. WSC was 10-of-33 from the three-point range for 30.3 percent and 11-of-21 at the foul line. Lauren Zacharias had 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead the Wildcats, who also had 14 points from Kylie Hammer.

Scoring Summary -
WSC took a 20-18 lead over one quarter as Zacharias had eight points and a pair of triples to help the Wildcats take a slim lead at the break. The Wildcats made 9-of-18 shots for 50 percent while USF was 8-of-20 for 40 percent. Carlson led USF with eight points.

Two early baskets from Carlson and a three from Fannin provided USF with a 7-6 lead over WSC. After Madison Birnbaum hit a three, Gamoke scored on a jumper at 4:14 for a 14-13 lead. WSC had a 7-0 run for a 20-14 lead with 2:07 to play.    

With a 15-7 points advantage in the second quarter, the Cougars took a 33-27 lead to halftime. USF was 6-of-13 from the field for 46.2 percent while WSC hit just 2-of-12 shots for 16.7 percent.
White hit a three for a 21-20 USF lead at the 9:46 mark and extended a 10-0 run which began late in the first quarter.  Two foul shots from Honner gave USF a 23-20 advantage (6:37). Then, a jumper by Wuebben (4:33) and an offensive rebound and put back by Carlson propelled USF into a 29-23 lead at the 3:31 mark. After WSC cut the lead to four, White scored in the final seconds to extend the margin to 33-27.  

By halftime, USF was making 42.4 percent including 14-of-33 field goals while hitting on 3-of-6 three-pointers. USF also had a 21-20 edge in rebounds and recorded five steals. WSC was 11-of-30 from the field for 36.7 percent and 4-of-15 from the three-point range for 26.7 percent. Both teams had 14 points in the paint while USF held a 6-to-3 margin in points off the turnover.

USF had a solid performance on offense in the third quarter as they made 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, to outscore WSC, 32-16, and build a 65-43 lead at the break. WSC was just 6-of-15 from the floor but hit 3-of-10 from the three-point range in the quarter.

After the halftime break, USF took off on a 10-0 which was keyed by the defense and rebounding of Nichols and the long-distance artistry of Fannin. After Nichols scored on back-to-back baskets, including one off a steal, Fannin knocked down back-to-back triples as USF led, 43-27 with 8:38 to play. Two foul shots by Carlson extended the lead to 47-29 before Zacharias hit another three (6:30). A three-pointer by Honner and three foul shots by Fannin with one second to play gave the Cougars a 22-point lead through three quarters (65-43).

With a 24-14 margin in the fourth quarter, WSC was able to cut the final tally to 79-67. However, the issue had been decided, especially when the Cougars built the lead to 76-51 with 4:18 to play. WSC closed on a 16-3 run but the game and the No. 3 tournament seeding were in the pocket of USF.