Women's Basketball | 2/11/2025 9:56:00 AM

• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team comes into the weekend with a 9-15 (7-11 NSIC) mark after winning back-to-back games against Bemidji State, and Northern State. The Golden Eagles sit in a tie for ninth place as they seek to make the NSIC Tournament field. Minnesota Crookston hits the road to face Sioux Falls, and No. 19/22 Southwest Minnesota State for their final road tests of the 2024-25 season. The Golden Eagles have already matched their win total from 2023-24, and have surpassed their conference wins from a season ago. Minnesota Crookston comes in shooting 39.2 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.6 percent from the foul line. The Golden Eagles are being outrebounded 41.3-36.3. Minnesota Crookston is tallying 11.1 assists per game, and 14.3 turnovers per tilt. 

• SERIES HISTORY.  Minnesota Crookston has lost their last two meetings with Sioux Falls. They fell January 4, 2025 to Sioux Falls at home, 75-65. They last defeated the Cougars, 63-60 at home January 27, 2023. Minnesota Crookston has never won at the Stewart Center, with the closest game being a 64-55 loss February 5, 2016. The Golden Eagles have lost their last five meetings with Southwest Minnesota State. The last victory over the Mustangs was a 64-53 result January 31, 2020. The last victory in Marshall came with a 65-61 win January 12, 2018. 

• BLOCK PARTY.  Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) comes into the week with 67 blocks during the 2024-25 season. Hernandez already broke the single-season block record, surpassing Jessica Forsline. She is closing in on the career blocks mark. Hernandez has 152 blocks in her career. She needs six to tie Isieoma Odor's mark of 158, and seven to surpass the record. She has 30 blocks between her and Forsline, in third place all-time for blocked shots in a career. Hernandez currently ranks tied for fourth in the nation, just one block behind Lindsey Becher of Concordia-St. Paul. She is fifth for blocks per game with 2.79. In addition, Hernandez recently surpassed 500 career rebounds. She has 508 career rebounds, needing four to surpass Jamie Zelinsky for ninth all-time. She is 41 boards from moving past Cathy Behr for eighth all-time. 

• HALLE FROM CROOKSTON.  Minnesota Crookston guard Halle Winjum has started 11-of-23 games this season, and has played a prominent role as a freshman. Winjum, a Crookston-native, is tallying 2.8 points per game. She comes in shooting 41.2 percent from the field, and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Winjum scored a career-high 10 points twice, versus Northern State (December 20) and against UMary (February 1). 

• A LITTLE HOPE. Redshirt sophomore guard Hope Dudycha, a native of Austin, Minn., had a good first year on the court for the Golden Eagles. Dudycha has been especially helpful on the passing end lately. Dudycha is averaging 3.3 assists per game in the last six tilts for the Golden Eagles. She had five assists against Wayne State, and Augustana, and six versus Minot State. Dudycha notched three assists in the win Thursday versus Northern State. Dudycha is also coming off 10 points, and five boards against the Wolves. She has had nine double-digit scoring performances, including 21 points in a win over Winona State. She also had 20 points versus Southwest Minnesota State. Dudycha is averaging 7,4 points, 2.3 boards, and 2.1 assists per game. She is shooting 32.5 percent from beyond the arc. 

• ROUND BALL RILEY. Riley Jenkins (R-So., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) has been coming into her own on the court for the Golden Eagles. Jenkins first arrived in 2023-24, recovering from an injury and has continued to improve and become a bigger piece for the Golden Eagles. Jenkins is coming off a nod in the NSIC Shining Five last week, after outstanding performances against Bemidji State, and Northern State. Jenkins averaged 24 points, and 5.5 boards last week. She shot 15-of-26 from the field for 57.7 percent. Jenkins set her career high with 25 points against Northern State. She had 23 points in the victory over Bemidji State. Jenkins has 17 double-digit scoring performances in 2024-25. In addition, she has five double-doubles. She enters the week averaging 11.8 points, and 6.5 boards per game. 

• LOCAL FLAVOR. The Golden Eagles have strong connections to the local area in their incoming class. Minnesota Crookston has Crookston-native Halle Winjum (Fr., G) on the roster. In addition, Brynlea Mahlen (Fr., G, Fosston, Minn.), comes down the road from 45 minutes away in Fosston. She has deep connections to the program as her father Nate Mahlen was a long-time women's basketball assistant coach and is currently an Assistant Athletic Director for the Golden Eagles. Willow Thiel (Fr., F, Perham, Minn.) is from the region in Perham, but her mother Lacey Thiel is originally from Crookston.

• MILLER TIME. Minnesota Crookston junior guard Emma Miller had a strong first two seasons for Minnesota 
Crookston. Miller is a two-time All-NSIC selection, earning All-NSIC First Team as a freshman, and All-NSIC Second Team as a sophomore. She is the first player since Katrina Nordick and Alexa Thielman in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to earn back-to-back All-NSIC accolades. She became the 13th player to score 1,000 points in Minnesota Crookston history. Miller is in the Top 10 all-time for scoring for the Golden Eagles. She comes into the week with 1,528 career points. She is three points away from surpassing her most points in a single season, previously set as a freshman with 524. She is 58 points away from moving past Jessica Forsline for the single-season scoring mark. Miller currently is fourth all-time in scoring, recently moving past Isieoma Odor. She needs 32 points to surpass Katrina (Moenkedick) Nordick for third all-time in scoring at the U of M Crookston. Miller is 197 points away from Jamie Zelinsky's school record. At her current pace, she would move past Zelinsky's mark in just over nine games. Miller is currently averaging 21.8 points per game. She is currently third in the nation for scoring, behind only Alisha Little, and Emilee Weakley. 

• WILLOW. Freshman Willow Thiel is coming off her best week as a Golden Eagle. The native of Perham, Minn., played an instrumental role in wins over Bemidji State, and Northern State. Thiel averaged 16.5 points, and 7,.5 rebounds per game in the wins over the Beavers, and Wolves. Thiel was two points from her career-high with 19 points versus Northern State. Her career-high 21 points came November 16 against Michigan Tech. She had a double-double 14 points, and 10 boards in the win over Bemidji State. Thiel also had a double-double with 10 boards versus Michigan Tech. She comes into the week notching 7.2 points, and 4.1 boards per game. Thiel is shooting 41.7 percent from the field.

SIOUX FALLS. The Sioux Falls Cougars enter the weekend with a 14-11 (10-8 NSIC) record. USF is coming off an upset win over No. 21 Minnesota State, 89-76 February 8 in Sioux Falls. They come in ranked tied for fifth in the NSIC 
standings. They have a +6.2 scoring margin entering the weekend, averaging 73.3 points per game. The Cougars are outrebounding teams by 3.6 boards per tilt. Sioux Falls is shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.9 percent from the foul line. The Cougars are averaging 15.6 turnovers per game. Their season high for points came with 96 points against Minot State. 

KEEPING UP WITH KAMI. Kami Wadsworth is a key player for the Cougars. The 5-11 sophomore from Hayti, S.D., is 
averaging 17.8 points, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Wadsworth is shooting 47.0 percent from the field, and 43.9 percent from beyond the arc. She is averaging 22.2 points per game in her last six tilts. Wadsworth had 27 points against Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State. 

ROSE OFF THE BENCH. Alexis Rose, a 5-10 freshman from Becker, Minn., has been a key player off the bench for the Cougars. Rose is notching 10.2 points, and 3.8 boards per game. Rose is shooting 42.0 percent from the field, and 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. Rose has been mostly off the bench this season, starting nine games and coming off the bench in the other 16. Rose had 16 points against nationally ranked Concordia-St. Paul, and 15 in the win over nationally ranked Minnesota State. 

AYLA ON THE DISH. Ayla Brown leads the team with 88 assists, for an average of 3.7 assists per game. Brown is 
averaging 8.5 points, and 3.0 boards per game. Brown had 10 assists against Concordia-St. Paul. She notched 16 points in the win over Minnesota State. 

PHIPPS ON THE GLASS. Aby Phipps, a 6-0 senior from Harrisburg, S.D., leads the Cougars with 7.3 boards per game. Phipps, a transfer from Augustana, is also averaging 8.8 points per tilt. Phipps comes in shooting 43.1 percent from the field. 

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE. Southwest Minnesota State is ranked No. 19/23 and they head into the final two weeks of the regular season battling for the NSIC regular-season title. They are currently tied with Concordia-St. Paul and lead Minnesota State by one game. They are 22-2 (16-2 NSIC) entering the week. Southwest Minnesota State has the longest winning streak in the NSIC, having won 14-straight. The Mustangs are outscoring teams by 19.0 points per tilt. In addition, they are outrebounding squads by 7.8 boards per game. Southwest Minnesota State is shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.9 percent from the foul line. 

GIVE IT UP TO BRI. NSIC Player of the Week Bri Stoltzmann has been elite. She comes in leading the team averaging 20.3 points per game. Stoltzmann is shooting 55.2 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from distance, and 80.8 percent from the foul line. Stoltzmann is also averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, and 4.1 assists per game. Stoltzmann is coming off 30 points against Winona State, and 27 versus Minnesota Duluth. 

PEYTON PLAYING WELL. Peyton Blandin is averaging 15.2 points, and 4.2 boards per tilt. Blandin is shooting 44.8 
percent from the field, and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. Blandin had 23 points versus Minnesota Duluth February 5. She had a season-high 27 points against Wayne State. 

SWANSON ON THE BOARDS. Audrey Swanson leads the team with 9.2 rebounds per tilt. She is also averaging 14.5 points per game. Swanson is shooting 50.9 percent from the field. She had 24 points against Bemidji State. Swanson is coming off a pair of double-doubles versus Minnesota Duluth, and Winona State. 

GAMEDAY

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON AT SIOUX FALLS
DATE: Friday, February 14
TIME: 7:30 p.m. C.T.
SITE: Sioux Falls, S.D.
ARENA: Stewart Center
LIVE STATS: usfcougars.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: nsicnetwork.com/usfcougars/
X: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON AT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
DATE: Saturday, February 15
TIME: 5:30 p.m. C.T.
SITE: Marshall, Minn.
ARENA: R/A Facility
LIVE STATS: smsumustangs.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: nsicnetwork.com/smsumustangs/
X: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 1 Emma Miller (5-1, Albertville, Minn.) 21.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.0 APG
R-So. SG 2 Hope Dudycha (5-5, Austin, Minn.) 7.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.1 APG
R-So. 3G 30 Riley Jenkins (5-10, Galesburg, Ill.) 11.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.3 APG
Fr. SF 21 Willow Thiel (5-11, Perham, Minn.) 7.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG
R-Sr. PF 4 Nicole Hernandez (6-2, Oak Creek, Wis.) 7.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.8 BPG
Bench
Fr. G 10 Halle Winjum (5-6, Crookston, Minn.) 2.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG
So. F 14 Rayna Klejeski (6-0, Barnum, Minn.) 3.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG


SIOUX FALLS
Projected Starters
So. PG 3 Ayla Brown (5-6, Becker, Minn.) 8.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.7 APG
Gr. SG 23 Megan Fannin 5-8, Watertown, S.D.) 6.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG
Fr. 3G 21 Anna Vaaler (5-10, Andover, Minn.) 8.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Sr. SF 24 Aby Phipps (6-0, Harrisburg, S.D.) 8.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG
So. PF 30 Kami Wadsworth (5-11, Hayti, S.D.) 17.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Bench
Fr. G 15 Alexis Rose (5-10, Becker, Minn.) 10.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG
So. G 14 Dani Minsaas (5-11, Chili, Wis.) 4.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG
So. F 2 Gracie Traphagen (5-10, Aberdeen, S.D.) 2.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 2 Bri Stoltzman (5-8, Mankato, Minn.) 20.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 4.1 APG
Sr. SG 21 Peyton Blandin (5-9, Farmington, Minn.) 15.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Jr. SF 1 Maddie Thorfinnson (6-0, Glenwood, Minn.) 3.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Jr. PF 22 Audrey Swanson (5-11, Wacona, Minn.) 14.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG
So. C 34 Natalie Nielsen (6-3, Akron, Iowa) 10.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG
Bench
Fr. G 4 Nicole Maenke (5-10, Shakopee, Minn.) 7.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Sr. F 13 Kenzie Jones (5-10, Willmar, Minn.) 6.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG
So. G 10 Brynn Busse (5-6, Winthrop, Minn.) 2.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG