Aberdeen S.D. - The Northern State University Women's Basketball team will head north this weekend for two division matchups. The Wolves will face University of Minnesota Crookston on Friday and Bemidji State University on Saturday. Tip-off for Friday against the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday against the Beavers.
 
The Wolves enter the weekend after winning both games over Upper Iowa and Winona State. NSU is currently second in the NSIC North and third in the league overall standings with a 20-4 record overall and 15-3 mark in the league. Miranda Ristau and Jill Conrad are leading the team averaging 19.3 and 11.4 points and 7.6 and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. Ristau is shooting a team leading 55.1 percent from the field, while Brianna Kusler leads the team shooting 46.0 percent from the arc. Kusler also leads the team with 82 assists and 26 steals in 2017-18. The Wolves are shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, 38.6 percent from the arc, and 73.8 percent from the foul line. They are averaging 74.4 points, 42.7 rebounds, 19.0 assists, 13.4 turnovers, 5.1 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game, out-scoring their opponents by 12.0 points and out-rebounding their opponents by 12.8 boards per game. Northern currently sits top-5 in the league scoring offense (72.0), scoring margin (+10.0), field goal percentage defense (38.0), 3-point field goal percentage (38.0), assist/turnover ratio (1.5), offensive rebounds (12.8) and defensive rebounds (29.3), and lead the league in rebounding margin (+12.8), assists (19.3), and field goal percentage (46.3).
 
About the Golden Eagles
    • The Minnesota Crookston women enter the weekend with a 6-16 record overall and 6-12 mark in the NSIC.
    • The Golden Eagles are shooting 39.0 percent from the floor, 30.3 percent from the arc, and 81.1 percent from the foul line, while averaging 64.9 points, 34.3 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 11.7 turnovers, 6.1 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game this season.
    • Isieoma Odor leads the team in points per game with 13.8 and Micaela Noga is second on the team with 12.2 points per game.
    • Isieoma Odor is averaging a team leading 7.5 rebounds per game, and Caitlin Michaelis is shooting a team leading 39.2 percent from behind the arc.
    • Micaela Noga is leading the team in assists with 57 and she is second on the team in steals.
    • Minnesota Crookston is led by head coach Mike Roysland in his eleventh season at the helm.

Last Match-Up
    • The Wolves defeated the Golden Eagles in both regular season matchups.
    • In the game one win, Ristau and Conrad led the team with 19 and 18 points respectively.
   • In the second matchup, the Wolves beat the Golden Eagles 82-53, Ristau had 26 points and Conrad also had double figures with 18.
    • Northern is 31-7 all-time against the Golden Eagles, winning both contests in 2016-17.
 
About the Beavers
    • Bemidji State enters the weekend with a 4-18 record overall and 3-15 mark in league action.
    • Brooklyn Bachmann and Sierra Senske lead the team averaging 13.3 and 8.4 points per game, with Bachmann notching a team leading 4.9 rebounds per game.
    • Sydney Arrington is shooting a team leading 43.8 percent from the floor, while Erica Gartner is shooting a team high 33.8 percent from the arc with 23 made 3-pointers.
    • Bachmann leads the team in steals with 23 for the season.
    • The Beavers are shooting 34.6 percent from the floor, 29.8 percent from the arc, and 69.4 percent from the foul line this season.
    • They are averaging 55.2 points, 37.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 15.6 turnovers, 4.9 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game.
    • Bemidji is led by head coach Chelsea DeVille in her tenth season with the program.
 
Last Match-Up
   • Ristau scored 53 points against the Beavers last season, Jill Conrad also had big numbers against Bemidji State averaging 15 points.
    • NSU won the first matchup 81-72 and won the second matchup 76-55.
    • Brynn Flakus had eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the overtime victory.
    • Northern is 57-9 all-time against Bemidji State, winning both matchups from the 2016-17.