Women's Basketball 12/2/2016 1:28:00 PM Shawn Smith, Sports Information Director

Minnesota Crookston Opens NSIC Play at St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth

CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team commences the 2016-17 NSIC season Fri., Dec. 2 and Sat., Dec. 3 against St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota Duluth.

The Golden Eagles will take on St. Cloud State Fri., Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minn. They will then take on Minnesota Duluth Sat., Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. in Duluth, Minn. Minnesota Crookston comes into the weekend with an 0-4 mark. St. Cloud State is 3-2, while Minnesota Duluth is 1-3 on the season.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Mike Roysland
Record at UMC: 97-174 Season at UMC: 11th Season

St. Cloud State Huskies
Head Coach: Lori Fish
Record at SCSU: 124-101 Season at SCSU: Ninth Season

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Head Coach: Mandy Pearson
Record at UMD: 8-22 Season at UMD: Second Season

Dec. 2, 2016 • St. Cloud, Minn. • Halenbeck Hall • 6 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scsu/
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/stcloudstate/w bball/
Dec. 3, 2016 • Duluth Minn. • Romano Gymnasium • 4 p.m.
Video: : https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/
Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umd/

Weekly Snapshot
Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 10 Micaela Noga (5-7, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) 4.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG
So. SG 14 Alison Hughes (5-7, Janesville, Wis.) 19.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG
So. 3G 3 Caitlin Michaelis (5-8, Marshfield, Wis.) 4.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Jr. SF 22 Emily Gruber (5-11, Monticello, Minn.) 2.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG
R-So. PF 15 Isieoma Odor (6-0, Bloomington, Minn.) 11.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 11 Kitri Zezza (5-7, Albertville, Minn.) 4.5 PPG, 2.5 APG
Fr. G/F 20 Kelsey Stinson (5-11, Cottage Grove, Minn.) 4.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Fr. F/C 12 Amber Schoenicke (6-1, Marshall, Wis.) 1.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
St. Cloud State
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 10 Andrea Thomas (5-5, Mauston, Wis.) 7.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.0 APG
Sr. SG 2 Betsy MacDonald (5-5, St. Paul, Minn.) 17.6 PPG, 3.8 APG
Sr. 3G 34 Chelsea Nooker (5-9, Green Bay, Wis.) 16.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.6 APG
Jr. SF 32 Amanda Christianson (5-10, Alexandria, Minn.) 11.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG
R-Jr. PF 25 Emily Pratt (6-0, St. Cloud, Minn.) 3.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 4 Madelin Dammann (5-9, Waconia, Minn.) 9.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG
R-So. G 11 Mallie Doucette (5-6, Colfax, Wis.) 8.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG
R-So. G 3 Mackenzie Uter (5-6, Howard Lake, Minn.) 2.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Minnesota Duluth
Projected Starters
So. PG 23 Sammy Kozlowski (5-9, New Berlin, Wis.) 12.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG
So. SG 33 Emma Boehm (5-11, Eden Prairie, Minn.) 6.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Sr. SF 21 Kenzie Kane (5-10, Grand Rapids, Minn.) 4.5 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Sr. PF 42 Taylor Meyer (6-0, Farmington, Minn.) 11.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Sr. C 4 Allyson Harris (6-2, Northfield, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. F 22 Josie Buckley (6-0, Rice Lake, Wis.) 7.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG
Sr. G 12 Jenna Orr (5-6, Rice Lake, Wis.) 2.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Fr. F 31 Katie Stark (5-11, Hayward, Wis.) 3.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG

#5StoryLines

1. Can the Golden Eagles get more production out of all five starters?

2. Will Alison Hughes continue her strong start to the season?

3. Can UMC slow down the guard play of St. Cloud State?

4. Can UMC hang with the UMD posts, especially Taylor Meyer?

5. Will they be able to improve their three-point shooting?

#NewRoleForNoga
UMC junior Micaela Noga has moved into a new role UMC as she is back to point guard for her junior year. Noga, a player who will do anything she is asked to, is one of several players in new roles as UMC looks to replace three seniors from last year. Noga is averaging 4.8 points per game on the season. She is hoping to improve her shooting from beyond the arc as she is just hitting at a 23.5 percent.

#HughesLeadingTheWay
Alison Hughes has become UMC's go-to scorer as a sophomore. The Janesville, Wis. native is off to a great start as she is averaging 19.3 points per game in the first four for the Golden Eagles. Hughes is shooting 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. Her best performance came in the first game of the season as she tallied 24 points against Michigan Tech.

#IsyInThePost
UMC redshirt sophomore Isieoma Odor has become UMC's go-to player in the post this season. She is averaging 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Odor has played against several strong post players in the first four games. She will look to continue to make an impact for the Golden Eagles heading into conference play.

#SMAConnection
UMC freshman guard Kitri Zezza is continuing the St. Michael-Alberville High School connection that has produced several UMC players in the past including former 1,000 point scorer Brittani Wiese. Zezza is coming off the bench and averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 assists per game for the Golden Eagles.

#Tidbits
- Minnesota Crookston has played a strong opening schedule in non-conference play. They come into Friday with an 0-4 mark on the season. They have relied so far this season on the play of Alison Hughes. Hughes has had a great start, averaging 19.3 points per game and shootin 50 percent from the field. Isieoma Odor is also averaging double-
figures as she is tallying 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on the season.

- The key for UMC this season has been their shooting struggles. The Golden Eagles are shooting just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc and 31.9 percent from the field. Minnesota Crookston is also looking for added production from their line-up as they have had some inconsistency so far this season. They will look for more production this weekend from their starters as they face a pair of NSIC foes.

- A key story line for UMC is replacing a pair of All-NSIC First Team picks in Alexa Thielman and Katrina Nordick. The Golden Eagles have thee starters returning from last season and will look to continue to mature as a team as the season goes along.

- St. Cloud State comes into the season with a 3-2 mark. The Huskies have a strong back-court this season but are inexperienced in the post. Betsy MacDonald leads the way for St. Cloud State with 17.6 points per game. In addition, Chelsea Nooker has been key as she does a little bit of everything. Nooker is tallying 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. The Huskies are shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.

- Minnesota Duluth enters the weekend with a 1-3 mark on the season. The Bulldogs have been led by Sammy Kozlowski, who is averaging 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have a lot of length in their line-up as they start four players over 5-10 in their starting line-up. In addition to Kozlowski, Taylor Meyer has been big in the post with 11.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. UMD is shooting just 34.8 percent from the field and 29.9 percent from beyond the arc.