The 38th-ranked Nebraska Kearney women's basketball team returns home this weekend to face Minnesota Crookston and Southwest Minnesota State.
This is the second year in a row UNK (1-1) will face the Golden Eagles and Mustangs with Northwest Missouri State also in attendance. Last November, the four teams met in Maryville, Mo.
Northwest and Southwest start things Friday at 5 p.m. followed by UNK and UMC. On Saturday, the games are at 2 p.m. (NW and UMC) and 4 p.m. (UNK and SMSU). All four can be viewed on The MIAA Network with Friday's UNK-UMC game being heard on The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM. Finally, live stats are available as well.
Crookston went 4-19 (3-14 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conf.) last season and was picked to finish eighth in the North Division and 16th overall. Seventeenth-year head coach Mike Roysland has a 2022-23 roster that features seven freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and two seniors.
Five of the top six scorers must be replaced with 6-3 redshirt senior Bren Fox (8.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 13 blocks) the top veteran. The newcomers include 6-2 junior transfer Nicole Hernandez (Lindenwood U.) and sophomore transfer Erika Lane (U. of North Dakota).
UNK got a double double from Klaire Kirsch (16 points & 10 rebounds) to beat Crookston last year, 74-58. The Lopers went 13 of 33 from down town and led 44-31 at the break. Fox led the Golden Eagles with 10 points, four dimes and two blocks.
Southwest went 13-13 (9-11 NSIC) last year. They beat both Northwest, 64-48, and UNK, 76-66, as part of a 7-2 start. The top three scorers have all departed with the leading returners being 5-8 junior guard Sam Wall (7.7 points, 22 blocks) and 5-6 senior guard Jenna Borchers (7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists). This pair went for 23 points in last year's win over the Lopers. Finally, SMSU is picked 12th in the preseason NSIC poll.
UNK has two games already under its belt with Kirsch (13.0) and forward Elisa Backes (12.5) the scoring leaders. Kirsch hit five threes and Backes four as the Lopers downed Southern (Okla.) Nazarene and fell to No. 6 West Texas A&M in Kansas City. In the record books, Backes is now ninth in career made 3's (127) with Kirsch tied for 10th (117).
The stingy Lopers held SNU and WT to 31% three-point shooting and 112 points (56.0) while taking advantage of 30 turnovers. Backes (six) and Kirsch (five) combined for 11 steals with Backes swatting four shots.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up