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THIS WEEK: Minot State University returns to the MSU Dome for the first time in 2013 as the Beavers play host to Upper Iowa on Friday (6 p.m.) and Winona State Saturday (4 p.m.). After beginning the season with seven Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North games, MISU battles NSIC South teams for the first time.

RECORDS: MISU is 6-5 overall, 2-5 in NSIC play. Upper Iowa is 4-10 overall this season and is 1-6 in the NSIC. Winona State is 11-3 overall and 5-2 in NSIC play.

COACHES CORNER: Sheila Green Gerding is in her 18th season as the Minot State head coach and sports a lofty 308-203 record. Carol Russell is the head coach at Upper Iowa and is 8-58 in three seasons with UI and 171-137 in 10 seasons. WSU's head coach Scott Ballard is 151-108 in nine seasons with the Warriors.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MSU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at msubeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible at msubeavers.com/stayconnected. The Friday game against Upper Iowa will also be available on KMSU Channel 19 in Minot with MISU student Kyle Patterson providing play-by-play.

RANKINGS: Minot State, Upper Iowa and Winona State were not ranked in the latest USA Today/ESPN.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State fell twice on the road to start the New Year, losing 62-49 at Minnesota Duluth and 67-60 at St. Cloud State last week. Upper Iowa snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 80-59 win over Southwest Minnesota State Saturday to earn a split of weekend games. UI lost to Sioux Falls Friday 70-68. Winona State topped both SMSU and Sioux Falls on the weekend, defeating the Mustangs 72-53 and USF 47-44.

OVERALL SERIES: Minot State is meeting both teams for the first time as a member of NCAA Division II and the NSIC.

NOTING THE PEACOCKS: Upper Iowa is a perfect 2-0 when scoring at least 80 points in a game following an 80-59 win over Southwest Minnesota State. The last time the Peacocks scored at least 80 was the team's last win before the SMSU win, an 85-79 triumph at Alaska Fairbanks in November… UI's Whitney Kieffer is third in the Northern Sun in scoring at 18.6 points per game and has an impressive 47 steals this season. Kieffer has 47 of the team's 120 steals this season… Upper Iowa has struggled with turnovers this season, coughing up the ball an average 20.5 times per game… Lindsay Carroll has hit 24 of 53 3-pointers on the seasons, good for a 45.3 percent average… The Peacocks' head coach Carroll Russell has an impressive track record as she won 20 or more games six times in eight seasons at Nebraska-Kearney and advanced to the NCAA tournament five times. Her 2006-07 team finished the season ranked No. 22 as Kearney advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

NOTING THE WARRIORS: Winona State has won three straight games – all at home – since a 56-47 loss to Augustana College Dec. 14. … The Warriors are the Northern Sun's top defensive team, allowing a league-best 50.7 points per game, and are ranked No. 2 in scoring margin at plus-18.4. WSU held nationally ranked Wayne State College to just 35 points Dec. 15, one of seven teams that failed to score at least 50 points against the Warriors… WSU senior Becca Friestleben is ranked fourth in the Northern Sun in points per game, averaging 17.9 per contest this season. She has knocked down 52 3-pointers so far and is second in the country with a 3.71 3s per game average… Winona has hit 80.4 percent of its foul shots, 42 percent from the floor and 41 percent on 3-pointers… The Warriors are one of just two teams in the NSIC with double-digit wins and leads the conference with 11 overall. St. Cloud State is 10-1.

WHITE OUT THE DOME: Minot State has multiple promotions running this weekend, beginning with Alumni/Booster Appreciation Night Friday. To celebrate Minot State's Alumni and Beavers Booster members, food will be served before the game on the third floor of the MSU Dome, good with a valid Appreciation Night card. The night is also a “White Out” at the Dome as fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. Minot State and Montana Mike's Steakhouse have partnered together to hand out “White Out” T-Shirts to the first 500 fans.

FAMILIAR FACES: Minot State seniors Sacarra Molina (G, Hinsdale, Mont.) and Lauren Safranski (G, Burnsville, Minn.) and junior Carly Boag (F, Tamworth, Australia) have combined for 177 starts in their respective careers. Molina has the most with 67 starts in four seasons. She has started every game over the past three years and has started 67 of 96 career games. Boag has 56 starts in three seasons and Safranski has 54. Safranski has appeared in 76 games in her four-year career.

CHASING 1,000: Both Carly Boag and Sacarra Molina have opportunities to join the Beavers exclusive 1,000 point club as both have 800-plus points entering the weekend. Barring injury, Boag is almost certain to break 1,000 career points as she enters the weekend just 125 points shy with 875 points in her career. She has a career scoring average of 13.06. Molina broke the 800 point barrier over the Christmas break with 14 points against Brandon (Manitoba) University Dec. 30. She has 818 points overall with a guaranteed 16 games remaining. She would have to average 11.5 points per game over the remainder of the season to join 10 other players in the exclusive club. The last MISU player to reach the milestone was Caroline Folven in the 2010-11 season.

DeANGELIS HEATING UP: Minot State senior Francesca DeAngelis (G, Laguna Niguel, Calif.) has come on strong over the past month after a slow start to her one-year career. DeAngelis sat out 2011-12 after transferring from Alaska Anchorage to have a full season in the Beavers' first year in the Northern Sun. Since scoring 13 points against Minnesota Crookston Dec. 14, DeAngelis has averaged 9.83 points per game, including a season-high 14 points against Brandon (Manitoba) University to up her season average to 6.5 ppg.

NORTH VS. SOUTH: This marks the first weekend in the Northern Sun where teams from the North Division (which Minot State is a member) battle the South Division. The NSIC split the conference into North/South Divisions when Minot State and the University of Sioux Falls were granted membership for this season. This weekend also marks the longest road trip for member schools as Upper Iowa and Minot State are the two school's furthest apart at 691 miles.

CONFERENCE VS. NONCONFERENCE: Minot State is ranked second in the Northern Sun in free throw shooting percentage in conference games at 76.4 percent (84-110). MISU is eighth in the conference overall in free throw percentage 73.2, making seven more free throws in conference games while shooting the exactly same amount. But, the Beavers are getting to the line considerably less in conference play as they average only 15.7 free throws taken in seven games compared to 27.5 in four nonconference games.