The Wayne State College women’s basketball team earned the No. 10 seed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament and will open tournament play in First Round action against the No. 7 seed Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons in Moorhead, Minnesota on Wednesday, February 26.
The Wildcats and Dragons faced off once earlier this year on January 25 in Moorhead. The game resulted in a 63-53 defeat for the Wildcat women in a back-and-forth affair that saw the Dragons take firm control late to put the game away.
Senior guards Tate Norblade and Carsyn Boswell were the only scorers in double-figures. Norblade led with 15 and Boswell added 10.
There were a lot of factors working against the Wildcats in the previous contest. Senior Maya Fitzpatrick suffered a slight injury before the game and wasn’t at full capacity, senior Abby Kopecky went down with an ACL injury during the game and WSC as a team only shot four free-throws while the Dragons attempted 21.
The Dragons can pose some problems defensively, as they allow the second-fewest points per game in the conference and display a very physical style of game. They challenge every cut and screen just as physical as the last. Rebounding was a big factor in the last matchup, which the Dragons won 43-27, and it is set to be a massive key in the rematch.
Guards Natalie Jens and Abby Berge are two top 20 scorers in the conference for the Dragons and the post player Terryn Johnson is third in rebounds per game in the NSIC with 8.8 boards per contest.
For as good as the Dragons are defensively, their offense has struggled this year. Moorhead is the worst team in field goal percentage and three-point percentage in the conference and averages just 61.9 points per game.
WSC women’s basketball head coach Brent Pollari says he likes the matchup against the Dragons and pushes how big rebounding game will be.
“I like some of our strategy we got going,” Pollari said. “They are a very physical team, and they will chuck you when you try to cut, and they are going to push. They rebound well so the glass is going to be a key for us. I think we have some people that give them some problems.”
The Wildcats and Dragons are set to do battle from Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. A win advances either side to the NSIC quarterfinals in the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to play the No. 2 seed Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on Saturday, March 1.
