THE GAMES AT A GLANCE
Friday, January 30 (5:30 p.m.) vs. Sioux Falls
Head Coach: Travis Traphagen
NSU vs. USF All-Time: 20-7                                Last Meeting: NSU 77, USF 68 [2026]
 
Saturday, January 31 (4 p.m.) vs. Southwest Minnesota State
Head Coach: Tom Webb
NSU vs. SMSU All-Time: 55-20                                         Last Meeting: NSU 81, SMSU 79 [2025]
 
FAN INFORMATION AND GAME COVERAGE
Game Notes
Live Stats: https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Live Video: https://nsicnetwork.com/nsuwolves/
Radio: https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KGIMAM
Tickets [vs. USF]: https://vivenu.com/event/basketball-vs-sioux-falls-r123aw
Tickets [vs. SMSU]: https://vivenu.com/event/basketball-vs-southwest-minnesota-state-qjz7ti
I Hate Winter Information: https://nsuwolves.com/sports/2022/12/21/i-hate-winter
 
Fan Information:

• NSU vs. USF (Sponsored by Sanford): The first 100 students will receive an NSU bucket hat (courtesy of the Pack), and the game will feature courtside hot tubs, a Special Olympics rivalry game at halftime and specialty drink options through Apex Events LLC
• NSU vs. SMSU (Sponsored by Dacotah Bank): The first 100 students will receive Hawaiian leis and trucker hats (from Dacotah Bank), and the game will feature courtside hot tubs, a baby crawling race at halftime and specialty drink options through Apex Events LLC

 
NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• The Wolves sit at 10-10 (5-9 NSIC) after losing their last two games to Minnesota State, 81-52, and St. Cloud State, 70-39
• This weekend's matchups feature teams Northern State has battled already this season, beating SMSU 81-79 on Nov. 30 and USF 77-58 on Jan. 5, both on the road
• As a team, the Wolves average 63.9 points, 36.7 rebounds, 12 assists, 6.5 steals, 2.1 blocks and 16.1 turnovers per game while shooting 42.8% from the floor, 30.3% from beyond the arc and 65.1% from the charity stripe
• Izzy Moore has been Northern State's standout athlete through 20 games, averaging 16.9 points (leads the team), 6.4 rebounds (leads the team), three assists (leads the team) and 1.0 steals (leads the team) while shooting 45.8% from the field, 37.1% from deep and 71.1% from the line
• In NSU's most recent matchup against the Cougars, Moore recorded her first double-double of the season, tallying 24 points, 12 rebounds and six steals in the victory
• Megan Counts has been a solid pull for the Wolves courtesy of the transfer portal, with the graduate student averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds an outing while starting in all 20 games for Northern State
• The former Chadron State College forward boasts the second-highest field-goal percentage (51.2%) and the second-highest three-point percentage (38.1%) on the team
• Sophomore Taylor Tool has cemented herself as NSU's long-range specialist, holding the only three-point percentage over 40% this season (41.7%) while averaging 8.8 points and 2.7 rebounds a game
• In Northern State's narrow victory over the Mustangs earlier this season, Tool tallied a career-high 24 points in the battle, her only 20-plus point game this season
• Guard Morgan Fiedler continues to be one of the best facilitators on the roster, recording 2.8 assists and 6.7 points a game
• Northern State's reserves are led by freshman Reagan Rus, who is averaging 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 19.4 minutes a game off the bench

 
SIOUX FALLS STORYLINES

• The Cougars are 10-10 (7-7 NSIC) this season and are coming off back-to-back wins against Minnesota Crookston, 100-64, and MSU Moorhead, 77-65
• Through 20 games, Sioux Falls averages 73.9 points, 36 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 7.7 steals, 2.1 blocks and 15 turnovers a game
• As a team, USF shoots 45.4% from the floor, 36% from beyond the arc and 75.5% from the free-throw line
• Sioux Falls has three athletes who average more than 12 points a game in Anna Vaaler (19.7 ppg), Krista Langager (15.3 ppg) and Alexis Rose (12.3 ppg)
• Sophomore Vaaler has been a threat all season, averaging 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals a game to pair with her 19.7 points while making 41.9% of her shots from the field, 39.2% from deep and 91.2% from the free-throw line
• Vaaler averages the third-most points in the NSIC and boasts the second-highest free-throw percentage in the conference
• The 6-foot-2 freshman Langager has been dominant inside the paint, recording 15.3 points and seven rebounds a game while shooting a team-high 58.6% from the floor, the second-highest mark in the conference
• Minnesota native Rose's 12.3 points a game rank third on the team, and her 1.5 steals per game are second-highest behind junior Ayla Brown, who is an all-around threat for USF, averaging 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and two steals a game
• The Cougars are led by Travis Traphagen, who is in his 18th season with the team, accumulating a 311-197 record

 
WOLVES AND COUGARS HISTORY

• Northern State is 20-7 against Sioux Falls, earning wins in each of its last six games

 
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE STORYLINES

• The Mustangs are 12-7 (10-4) this season and are on a four-game winning streak since their narrow 69-65 loss to Minnesota Duluth, which leads the North Division in the NSIC
• SMSU averages 73.1 points, 37.3 rebounds, 6.1 steals, 2.6 blocks and 16.2 turnovers a game
• As a team, Southwest Minnesota State shoots 44.3% from the field, 36.2% from long range and 79.8% from the charity stripe
• Four of SMSU's starters average more than 13 points a game, while Audrey Swanson leads the charge, recording 16.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals a game
• The senior has shot 41.9% from the floor, 35% from deep and 81.6% from the line this season
• Nicole Maenke is the Mustangs' second option, tallying 15.4 points and 2.7 assists a game while shooting 45-34-93 from the field in 19 games
• Both Natalie Nielsen and Kylan Gerads average 13.2 points a game, while Nielsen leads the team in rebounds (8.6 per game)
• Gerads has been solid from deep this season, shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc
• Tom Webb is in his 10th season as head coach of the SMSU women's basketball program, holding a 136-126 record with the team

 
WOLVES AND MUSTANGS HISTORY

• NSU has recorded 55 wins and 20 losses against SMSU, winning its last two games against the Mustangs by a total of five points