What's on tap

On Saturday, February 14, the Fighting Sioux women's basketball team will host the first of three home games when they take on Houston Baptist at 2 p.m. in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Media information

All Fighting Sioux women's basketball games - home and away - can be heard on Cat Country 100.3 FM and on stations across the Fighting Sioux radio network. Paul Ralston handles the play-by-play.

Stay tuned for any schedule changes.

Links for live stats, live radio audiocast, and a live audio/video webcast can be found on the Official Site of Fighting Sioux athletics, www.fightingsioux.com.

TICKET INFORMATION

Single-game tickets for all North Dakota home games are $12 ($10 game day) for adults and $9 ($8 game day) for youth. UND students admitted free with ID.

Visit www.ticketmaster.com for more information.

GAME PROMOTIONS

Saturday's game has been dubbed “Date Night” where fans will enjoy buy one, get one tickets.

All season long, North Dakota fans can enjoy “All You Can Eat Seats”. Prices are $18 for adults and $10 for youth. Each ticketed person receives a wristband for unlimited nachos, hot dogs, chips, and soda.

Also ongoing will be “Operation Enduring Friendship” providing free entry to all military personnel and their dependents. Each game is limited to 50 tickets.

Saturday's game sponsor is Rydell Auto Center.

Last SIOUX ACTION

At the end of a game that totaled 12 lead changes, the North Dakota women's basketball came up just one-point short as Seattle took a 75-74 victory in front of 357 at the Connolly Center.

Seattle's top two scorers, Chelsie Morrison and Breanna Sally were credited with giving SU the last-second win. With :25 left on the clock, Sally hit from behind the arc to tie the game at 74-74. Seconds later, Morrison scored from the free throw line to give the Redhawks the lead and the win.

The loss put an end to UND's two-game winning streak and left it with a record of 12-11. Seattle extended its winning streak to seven games and with a 14-7 record, tallied its sixth-straight win at home.

Five players finished with double-digit showings for the Fighting Sioux. Senior Kierah Kimbrough (F, Greenbush, Minn.) led with 20 points and senior Danye Guinn (G, St. Francis, Minn.) tallied 13 points with the help of 3-for-3 shooting from the three-point line.

Junior Jossy Bergan (G, Valley City, N.D.) recorded 11 points and junior Kayla Bagaason (G, Clearbrook, Minn.) added another 10 points.

Junior Whitney Ledger (F, Bismarck, N.D.) landed her first ever double-double with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Guinn and Bergan garnered four assists each.

NOTING THE SIOUX

For the next three games, the Fighting Sioux will find themselves in a place that has brought them much success this year and in seasons previous - the Betty.

For the second time this season, UND will host a trio of games. This time, however, each game will be against a Division I opponent and only one will be versus an opponent not faced already this season,

UND will go into the weekend with an overall 12-11 recored and an unblemished 8-0 mark at home.

Still on top for the Sioux are senior captains Kierah Kimbrough (Greenbush, Minn.) and Danye Guinn (St. Francis, Minn.).

Following 34 points last week - including a 20-point showing against Seattle (Feb. 7) - Kimbrough is averaging 18.9 points per game with 7.2 rebounds. She is the team's lead blocker with 53 thus far.

Guinn is bringing 10.7 points per game and is shooting .412 (40-for-97) from the three-point line. She tops the assist column with 99 this season and an average of 4.3 per contest.

Guinn is one assist away from becoming one of two players in UND history to record 100 assists in each of their freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. Jamie Pudenz (1996-00) was the first to do so.

UND is still above the 50.0 percent mark in free throw percentage after shooting 305-for 424 (.719) through 23 games and is out-rebounding its opponents, 909-817.

The Green and White have scored over 200 points more than their foes this season and hold nearly a 100-point advantage in the first half while topping the opposition 897-764 in the second stanza.

ALL-TIME VS. HOUSTON BAPTIST

In its first game versus fellow Great West Conference member Houston Baptist, North Dakota senior Kierah Kimbough finished with her second-consecutive double-double in the New Year to lead North Dakota to a 76-54 victory in Sharp Gymnasium. 

The forward from Greenbush, Minn., recorded a season-high 29 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Fighting Sioux improved to 7-9 on the season while the Huskies dropped to 4-11.

Also in double-figures for the Sioux was junior Kayla Bagaason (Clearbrook, Minn.) who finished with 10 points after shooting 4-for-7 from the field. She was credited with seven of UND's first nine points of the game.

Junior Whitney Ledger (Bismarck, N.D.) finished 4-for-6 shooting for nine points.

Charged with the task of bringing the ball up the court for the Sioux, junior guard Jossy Bergan (Valley City, N.D.) was fourth in the scoring line with nine points and led UND with four steals.

To round out the Sioux scoring, a trio of players ? senior Danye Guinn (St. Francis, Minn.), sophomore Mallory Youngblut (Davenport, Iowa) and junior Alys Seay (Grand Forks, N.D.) ? finished with four points apiece.

Guinn added a team-high four assists.

It was the first time ever that the two teams had met on the court.

NOTING THE HUSKIES

Houston Baptist is on a three-game losing streak after falling to Seattle 74-65 on Monday evening at the Connolly Center in Seattle, Washington. The other two losses came to SIU-Edwardsville (78-64) and Cal State Bakersfield (66-59).

The Huskies are led in scoring by Jelela Simpson who is averaging 10.4 points per game with 6.2 rebounds. She is shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.

Megan Morris is next in line with 10.0 points per game and Fallon Thomas leads the team with a 51.5 percent shooting average. As a team, HBU is shooting just 39.0 percent (564-for-1,447).

HBU HEAD COACH TODD BUCHANAN

Todd Buchanan enters his fourth season at the helm of the HBU women's basketball program and leads the Huskies back to the NCAA Division I ranks. Last season, the Huskies' first in Division I, Buchanan led HBU to a 14-11 record and has a 69-22 record in his first three seasons at HBU.

In his first HBU season, he led the Huskies to a 28-4 record, an RRAC championship, RRAC tournament title and the “Sweet Sixteen” of the NAIA national tournament, finishing the year as the No. 6 team in the nation. The following season, Buchanan's team posted a 27-7 record, the RRAC tournament, and returned to the NAIA national tournament, advancing to the “Elite Eight.”

Buchanan, who has an overall record of 88-58, came to HBU from the University of Houston where he was associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped the Lady Cougars to four postseason appearances, including a WNIT national championship runner-up finish and two NCAA tournaments.

PROTECT AND SERVE

All-time, the Fighting Sioux are 406-74 (.846) when it comes to defending their own court and are 310-30 (.912) under the tutelage of Gene Roebuck.

Since the program's beginning in 1974, the Green and White have gone undefeated in Grand Forks five times, including back-to-back seasons from 1997-1999. In those years, the Sioux were national champions.

LET'S GET BETTY TO RUMBLE

UND is 77-6 (.928) all-time at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, which opened prior to the 2004-05 season.

In 2007, UND drew 28,514 fans to its 15 home games, an average of 1,901 per game. In 2006, UND was cited by the WBCA for having the Best Fans and Best Facility in Division   II.