MINOT, N.D. – It's a big weekend on the road for the Beavers as they hit the midway point in the NSIC season and the race for the playoffs begins to heat up.

Minot State hits the road to play at South Division foes Wayne State on Friday, and at Augustana on Saturday, with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the men set to start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Minot State men (7-7 overall, 4-6 NSIC) are tied for fifth and sixth in the North Division and take on a Wayne State (11-5, 6-4) team that is just a game out of the South Division lead.

Led by 6-foot-7 fifth-year senior forward Jordan Janssen, who is fourth in the NSIC in scoring averaging 20.4 points per game and third in rebounding at 9.1 rebounds per game, the Wildcats look to exploit their inside assets, especially on offense. While Janssen is a top scoring and rebounding threat, Wayne State also is No. 1 in offensive rebounds in the league at 11.4 per game, meaning limiting second chances will be key for the Beavers.

Saturday against the Vikings (7-9, 3-7), Minot State takes on a dangerous team looking to battle its way back into the playoff picture as Augustana is currently seventh in the NSIC South.

That, despite being one of the top offensive teams in the league as the Vikings are fifth in scoring (70.3 ppg) and in field-goal percentage (43.5 percent).

The Vikings are led by the balanced efforts of 6-4 senior guard Isaac Fink who averages 10.3 ppg and is fifth in the NSIC at 7.3 rpg, and 5-11 guard and graduate student Ryan Miller, who leads four double-digit scorers averaging 12.9 ppg.

Balance has been key for the Beavers, as well, as Cam'ron Dunfee, Khari Broadway, and Jaxon Gunville lead the way averaging 13.3, 13.1, and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Gunville and Dunfee are No. 1 and 2 in 3-pointers with 34 and 31, each, while Broadway leads the team in steals with 18.

As for the Minot State women (6-10, 2-8), they currently sit just outside the playoff picture, making each NSIC contest extra important as they climb the standings. Of course, it will be tough against the Wildcats (9-5, 5-5) and Vikings (13-3, 7-3), two of the top offensive teams in the NSIC.

Wayne State is fourth in the league averaging 73.4 ppg and led by 5-6 senior guard Lauren Zacharias who also is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.1 ppg. A serious 3-point shooting threat, Zacharias is a 41.9 percent shooter from outside the arc, which is No. 2 in the NSIC, and also a talented playmaker as she leads the Wildcats with 44 assists.

As for Augustana, they're talented both offensively and defensively as they are No. 1 in both offensive field-goal percentage (45.5) and defensive field-goal percentage (36.6), third in points per game 76.4, and sixth in points allowed per game (61.4).

Leading the way for the Vikings is 6-0 senior forward Aislinn Duffy who is fourth in the NSIC in rebounds per game (7.9), in field-goal percentage (52.5), and seventh in scoring (15.8 ppg).

She is tied for seventh in scoring with Beaver senior guard Kate Head, who averages 15.8 ppg, as well, and who also is second for Minot State with 51 assists.
Freshman teammate Vilborg Jonsdottir leads the Beavers with 53 assists, while junior forward Natasha Elliott leads Minot State in rebounds as she averages 4.8 rebounds per game along with 8.0 ppg.