THIS WEEK: Minot State begins Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with a pair of games Friday and Saturday at the Minot State Dome. The Beavers will play host to North Division foes Minnesota State University Moorhead Friday at 6 p.m. and finishes the weekend off with Northern State Saturday at 4 p.m.

RECORDS: MSU is 3-3 overall and has yet to play a game in the NSIC. MSU Moorhead enters the weekend a perfect 4-0 including a 1-0 mark in conference, having defeated travel partner Northern State in its NSIC opener. NSU is 4-2 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State is coached by Sheila Green Gerding. In her 21st season at the helm of the Beaver women's basketball program, Green Gerding has amassed an impressive 349-242 overall record. Green Gerding is the Beavers all-time wins leader and has all 349 wins with the Beavers. She has qualified Minot State for six NAIA National Tournaments over her career while also coaching 12 All-Americans both at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels. You won't find many weekend double headers with more wins in the coaches' box as MSUM's head coach Carla Nelson is 261-171 in 16 seasons with the Dragons. Both Nelson and Green Gerding pale in comparison with one of Division II's all-time wins leader in NSU's Curt Fredrickson, who enters the weekend with 777 wins, all at NSU. He is 777-287 in 37 years as head coach. Between the three mentors, there are a combined 1,387 wins and the most remarkable thing is all three have earned those wins at one school each.

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 – with Leif Bakken serving as the play-by-play announcer – and live stats as well as links to the live audio at msubeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube with all feeds accessible at msubeavers.com/stayconnected.

RANKINGS: MSU Moorhead is the only team in the rankings so far in the young season as the Dragons received 14 votes in the WBCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. MSUM is also No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Central Region Media Poll. Minot State and Northern State were not ranked in either poll this week.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State used superior defense to top host Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan  at the Soo Lakes Lodge Classic Nov. 21 and 22. MSU held LSSU to just 46 points, the lowest point total by an opponent in two years, in a 67-46 win and finished off the weekend with a 59-51 win over NMU. Sarah Lester (Sr., G, Frenchtown, Mont.) combined for 28 points and 14 rebounds in the tournament, while Savana Kingsbury (Sr., F, Omaha, Neb.) combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds as the Beavers evened their record at 3-3. MSUM and NSU played each other as MSU Moorhead had two games canceled in between. In the NSIC opener for both, MSUM outlasted Northern State 66-59 at home. Morgan Banasik paced the victors with 18 points, while Devon Brecke finished with 15 points for the Wolves.

ALL-TIME AT A GLANCE: The Beavers have not been traditionally good against either team, but have been respectable since joining the Northern Sun. MSU trails MSU Moorhead 16-5 and NSU 21-4, but are 3-3 with Moorhead and 2-4 against Northern State.

LAST TIME OUT: MSU was swept by the two teams last year with three of four being close contests. MSU fell 67-64 losing a lead late in the game. Christina Boag scored 19 points to lead MSU, while Alex Haley (Jr., G, Libertyville, Ill.) chipped in with 16 points. Meghan Roehrich led all scorers with 26 points for the Dragons. MSU wasn't able to overcome then No. 6 ranked NSU in the first game of the weekend, shooting 30 percent from the field in a 66-47 loss. Haley had 14 points for the Beavers. Sadie Stotesbery finished with a double-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds for the Wolves.

NOTING THE DRAGONS: Minnesota State University Moorhead was scheduled for a pair of nonconference games in Canyon, Texas, Nov. 27028, but had the games cancelled and hasn't played since Nov. 24… Morgan Banasik has led or tied for the lead in scoring in three of the four games so far this season and leads MSUM with a 17.3 points per game average… Six different Dragons currently own a 6.3 or better scoring average, with three, Banasik, Heather Strese and Savanna Handevidt, all in double figures… Strese has been one of the top posts in the league this year as she comes into the weekend with a 16.3 points and a 8.5 rebounds per game average… The Dragons have been very good in the second quarter, outscoring its opponents 82-61 so far this year… Banasik and Strese have been effective from the free throw line this year, combining to hit 38 of 47 free throws and have 38 of the team's 79 makes… Drew Sannes has averages under Strese's, but has been solid, scoring at 9.8 points per game and coming in with a 6.8 rebounds per game average.

NOTING THE WOLVES: Northern State University has had six different players lead them in scoring this season and only two, Devon Brecke and Jill Conrad, have done it more than once… The Wolves have been great on the glass this season, outrebounding their opponents by 11.7 per game and come into the weekend with a 41.8 average… The second quarter is the only quarter the Wolves haven't outscored their opponents and the only quarter they haven't reached 100 points in yet, trailing 99-79 in the second… Conrad has done a little bit of everything for NSU, as she leads the team in scoring (14.5 ppg.), second in rebounding (7.2 rpg.) and third in assists (2.0 apg.)… NSU has struggled protecting the ball as they Wolves have turned it over 106 times this season, 32 more than their opponents and 21 more than their total in assists (85)… Lauren Deadrick is second on the team with a 9.5 scoring average and leads the Wolves with 8.8 rebounds and six blocks… Brecke has 19 assists on the season and is 16 for 19 from the free throw line for NSU.

THE CHASE FOR 350: Minot State University head coach Sheila Green Gerding is one win shy of 350 wins in her career, averaging 17.3 wins per season over her first 20 as head coach at Minot State. She has only five losing records in that time span and has never failed to reach at least 10 wins in a season. She is MSU's all-time leader in coaching wins and has over half of the school's 611 wins since starting the program in 1972-73.

AMANDA SAVING DIMES: Amanda Sansaver (Sr., G, Wolf Point, Mont.) only averages 5.0 points per game, but has directly led to 32 more with her 16 assists on the season. As accommodating as she has been for her teammates, she has been equally as stingy to the other team with just six turnovers in six games. Only twice this season has she turned it over more than once and has two games without a turnover, despite playing 132 minutes this season. In her past five games, she has 15 assists and just four turnovers. In her last outing, she had one of her best games of the year, scoring eight points, dishing out three assists and finishing with one turnover in 31 minutes in a 59-51 win over Northern Michigan.

LAST FIVE FOR SANSAVER 

Opponent	Minutes	Assists	Turnovers	Points
Washburn University	21	2	2	3
Presentation College	20	2	0	2
Dickinson State	16	3	2	9
Lake Superior State	20	5	1	4
Northern Michigan	31	3	1	8
Total	108	15	4	26

KING OF THE HILL: There isn't player for MSU that hasn't improved more in four years than Savana Kingsbury (Sr., F, Omaha, Neb.). The 6-foot-3 post has been on an island at times in 2015-16 as MSU has used a smaller lineup, but Kingsbury is rising to the occasion. She averages a team-high 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and has logged 156 minutes, the most by any Beaver this season. From the free throw line, she is 13 of 16 and his shooting 54. Percent from the field. She is also second on the squad with eight steals in six games.

BENCH SUPPORT: Minot State's top two reserves, redshirt freshman Kari Clements (G, Trevor, Wis.) and freshman Madison Wald (G, Minot, N.D.) have provided MSU with solid minutes off the bench. Clements is second on the team with 66 points, playing just an average of 18.5 minutes per game and has hit seven of the Beavers 36 3-pointers. She is also 17 of 23 from the line and has eight steals. Wald is leading MSU with nine steals and is averaging 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in her first season.

BIG WEEKEND FOR LESTER: The Beavers final two games before the long break at the Lake Superior State Soo Lakes Lodge Classic saw increased production from senior Sarah Lester (G, Frenchtown, Mont.). Lester came into the tournament averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, but left it with a 9.5 point and a 5.3 rebound average. She finished with 28 points, 15 in the win over LSSU and 13 against NMU and had seven rebounds both nights. She also finished with five steals and four assists in 62 minutes on the court.

BY THE NUMBERS

9: Different players whose high game total is in double figures out of 12 who have scored.

60: Points scored by junior Alex Haley (G, Libertyville, Ill.). Haley has 436 career points and sports a 7.1 career scoring average, but has hit for double figures the past two seasons.

138: Points in the fourth quarter for Minot State. MSU has been outscored in each of the first three quarters this season, but has a 138-93 advantage in the fourth quarter for a 438-432 overall scoring advantage.