THIS WEEK: Minot State travels to Valley City State for a Dakota Athletic Conference tournament semifinals game Sunday at 3 p.m.
RECORDS: MSU is 22-7 overall in the 2010-11 season. Valley City State is 21-8.
COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Sheila Green Gerding is in her 16th season at the helm of the Beavers. She has a record of 290 wins, 183 losses all at Minot State. Jill DeVries is the head coach at Valley City State. She has a 144-174 record in 12 seasons at VCSU.
ON THE AIR: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. The game will also be broadcast on television at the Beaver Dam on the MSU campus via the America One network.
RANKINGS: MSU comes into the week as the national No. 27 ranked team, just outside the top 25 in the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll. Valley City State moved up to No. 21 in the latest poll.
RECENT HISTORY: Minot State notched win No. 22, setting a school record in the process, in a 67-61 win over South Dakota Mines in the first round of the DAC playoffs. VCSU held off an upset minded Mayville State team 67-64 in the first round.
OVERALL SERIES: MSU has a slim 40-38 lead over the Vikings in the overall series as the teams split in the regular season. The Beavers, however, have won three of the past four meetings.
NOTING THE VIKINGS: Valley City State's leading scorer Amanda Brown has turned it on lately, hitting for double figures in seven straight games to push her per game average to 12.34… The Vikings are No. 13 in NAIA Division II in turnover margin, causing nearly 4.5 more turnovers than they give up… Caitlyn Wojahn is ranked nationally in steals with 66. She also leads the team with 89 assists… The Vikings are on a six-game winning streak and have won 9 of their last 10 games since losing three straight games on the road in January… Head coach Jill DeVries trails only Barb Felderman at South Dakota Mines and Minot State's Sheila Green Gerding as longest tenured coaches in the conference.
THE WAIT IS OVER: It turned out to be a little bit of a struggle, but Minot State's women's basketball team finally broke the single-season win record with the 67-61 win over SD Mines Wednesday. MSU has hit 21 wins four times in the past five seasons and had chances in the playoffs to extend it to 22, but could not get it done. In fact, MSU has lost in either the first or the second round of the DAC playoffs to end on 21 wins twice during that run.
LET'S GO STREAKING: MSU has nearly the same streak going the Vikings do, winning seven straight games and 10 of its past 11 after losing three straight on the road in January. MSU finished the season with seven straight wins at home to run its overall record to 15-0 at the Dome. While the Beavers home season may not be finished, it is the first time MSU has run the table at home.
SHOOTING STRAIGHT: The Beavers are ranked in the top 20 in the three major shooting, field goal percentage, three throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. MSU's top three gunners from beyond the arc, Kallie Erickson (Sr., G, Fordville, N.D.), Kelly Pankratz (Sr., G, Malta, Mont.) and Caroline Folven (Sr., C, Byron, Ill.) all are hitting 40 percent or better on 3 pointers. Erickson continues to be effective, hitting 54 of 124 3-pointers, good for 43.5 percent and a No. 11 ranking in the country. Pankratz has turned it on over the past month to just her percentage to 44.9 (22 of 49) and Folven has hit 16 of 40 3s for 40 percent.
TOP HEAVY: Minot State and Valley City State are two of four Dakota Athletic Conference teams that have reached 20 wins this season. The other two teams, Black Hills State and Jamestown College, battle in the other semifinal. MSU and BHSU lead the way with 22 wins each, VCSU has 21 and JC has 20. The four top teams in the conference combined for an 85-28 record and a 46-11 mark outside of DAC play. Five DAC teams finished with winning records as Dickinson State joined the foursome at the top with a 15-12 overall record.
– GO BEAVERS –
