Aberdeen, S.D. – Northern State looks to carry the momentum of a strong end to the regular season into the postseason, having won five of their last six games now after a 36-point triumph on senior night. The Wolves will open NSIC Tournament play on Wednesday with a 12 p.m. tip-off against Upper Iowa in Wachs Arena.

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

• Links to watch and listen to the games, follow live stats, and view the NSU game notes are attached above.
• All Wolves Club season tickets are valid for home regular season contests only. With Northern State hosting the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament, season ticket holders are required to purchase a ticket for the contest. Wolves Club members will be able to sit in their reserved seat and reserved parking passes will be honored.
• Tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for student, with NSU students (valid student ID needed) and children 5 and under admitted free.

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State enters the NSIC Tournament with a record of 17-11 (12-10 NSIC) after finishing the regular season tied for sixth overall in the NSIC and tied for third in the North Division
• The 2022-23 season has marked the most overall and conference wins, and best conference finish for the Wolves since 2017-18 when they went 26-6 (19-3 NSIC), sharing the NSIC Overall & North Division titles
• Northern State is making their 21^st all-time appearance in the NSIC Tournament, entering with a record of 26-19 in tournament games and have won two tournament championships in program history (2015 & 2017)
• NSU earned their second consecutive weekend sweep this past weekend, winning at UMary (63-62) and defeating Minot State at home (90-54)
• Northern has won five of their last six games since returning to NSIC North Division play and have also won seven of their last eight games played in Wachs Arena
• Kailee Oliverson leads a trio of Wolves who average double figures in scoring with 14.8 points per game this season, while Laurie Rogers and Rianna Fillipi add 11.5 and 11.3 points per game respectively
• Oliverson is averaging 18.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks in the past 11 games while she is shooting the ball 47.6 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point range, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line during those games
• Oliverson leads NSU with 7.2 rebounds per game and Rogers is a close second with 7.1 rebounds; Rogers has reached double digit rebounds in eight games while Oliverson has done so in seven games
• Fillipi is averaging a team-best 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game
• Alayna Benike has knocked down a team-high 28 3-pointers this season while shooting the ball 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, Jordyn Hilgemann (26), Fillipi (21), and Rachel Garvey (10) are the only other players to make ten or more this season
• Northern State leads NCAA Division II with the fewest turnovers per game, averaging 11.1 turnovers; the Wolves have committed no more than eight turnovers in each of their past five games and are 10-3 in games where they commit ten or fewer turnovers
• Northern also ranks seventh nationally with 5.0 blocked shots per game this season as Rogers (2.3) and Oliverson (1.0) lead the team in blocks, NSU has recorded five or more blocked shots in 14 contests this season with a record of 11-3 in those match-ups
• Rogers led the NSIC with 2.3 blocks per game in conference match-ups, and ranked third nationally in total blocks (63) and tied for sixth in blocks per game (2.25) in all regular season games
• As a team Northern State ranks 24^th nationally with a 1.14 assist/turnover ratio, led by Fillipi with a 1.94 assist/turnover ratio of her own

UPPER IOWA STORYLINES

• Upper Iowa enters the NSIC Tournament with a record of 10-17 (6-16 NSIC) after finishing the regular season 13^th overall in the NSIC and sixth in the South Division
• The 2022-23 season marked the most overall and conference wins for the Peacocks since joining the NSIC in the 2006-07 season
• UIU is making their first NSIC Tournament appearance since the 2019-20 season when they fell on the road to Minnesota Duluth (81-54) in the first round, Upper Iowa is 0-9 all-time in NSIC Tournament games
• The Peacocks were swept in the final week of regular season action, falling at Concordia-St. Paul (74-66) and at home to Minnesota State (99-82)
• The duo of Lydia Haack and Katie Thornstrom leads Upper Iowa in scoring with 17.0 and 13.6 points per game respectively
• While leading the team in points, Haack also leads UIU with 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game this season
• While adding 4.0 points and 4.6 rebounds, Lexi Lodermeier is averaging a team-best 0.6 blocked shots per game
• As a team UIU is shooting 33.6 percent from 3-point range as Thornstrom and Callista Rochon-Baker lead the team with 49 and 40 made 3-pointers on the season
• Justin Maass is in his first season as the head women's basketball coach at Upper Iowa, he holds a career record of 10-17 with the Peacocks

LAST MATCH-UP

• Upper Iowa snapped Northern State's 17-game win streak in the series earlier this season with a 63-60 win in Fayette on January 28^th
• Northern leads the all-time series 22-2
• The Wolves are 2-0 in NSIC Tournament match-ups against the Peacocks, having won 85-42 in 2018 and 58-29 in 2017 with both games taking place in Wachs Arena