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The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team opens Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health tournament play on Wednesday at home at 6 p.m. against Upper Iowa.  It is the second straight year the Dragons will have hosted the Peacocks in the first round.

The Dragons won the NSIC North Division title and in terms of seeding, are No. 2 (Northern won the tiebreaker with a better division record). Upper Iowa is the No. 7 seed from the south.

The games will be broadcast live at WDAY'Z Xtra with Steve d'Eustachio and Jared Bledsoe on the call. Live stats and live online audio/video are available at msumdragons.com

MSUM owns an 18-0 lead in the series with Upper Iowa; the Dragons rolled to a 71-55 win over the Peacocks in January in Fayette, Iowa.

About MSUM
MSUM, which was ranked seventh in the region last week, wrapped up a division title in the NSIC North with home wins over Bemidji State (74-58) and Minnesota Crookston (75-69) last weekend. The Dragons were led by sophomore forward Drew Sannes, who averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.5 blocks for the weekend.

Junior Morgan Banasik averages 14.7 points per game to lead MSUM while senior Heather Strese averages 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.  Senior Savanna Handevidt averages 10.1 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game, while junior guard Natalie Van Wyhe averages 2.8 assists per game and leads with 43 steals. Sannes leads with 45 blocks.

The Dragons score 69.8 points per game and shoot 40.7 percent from the field.  They outrebound their foes 42.1-36.5 and allow 60.7 points per game on defense.

Karla Nelson is in her 16th season as MSUM head coach with a record of 277-176 at the school.

About Upper Iowa
Upper Iowa is 5-23 overall and finished 4-18 in the league. The Peacocks have lost 10 in a row, including road losses at Augustana (77-67) and Wayne State (73-49) last weekend.

Aleesha Cleaver averages 13.1 points to lead Upper Iowa while Whitney Kieffer averages 12.8 points per game. Kieffer leads at 5.5 rebounds per game while Sam Ofstad leads at 2.2 assists per game.

The Peacocks average 58.7 points per game and shoot 35.6 percent from the field. They allow 71.1 points per game and are being outrebounded by their foes 35.7-34.4.

Mike Sybrant will be in his first game as Upper Iowa's interim head coach. He replaced Carol Russell, who was relieved of her duties on Tuesday after serving for six seasons.

MSUM Notes
—With the win over Minnesota Crookston, MSUM reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2008-09 season and for the fourth time under Head Coach Karla Nelson.
—MSUM is 11-16 all-time in the conference tournament but is 7-4 at home, including beating Upper Iowa last season.
—Sophomore guard Natalie Van Wyhe had five steals in the win over UMC, the most by a Dragon player this season.
—MSUM is ranked ninth in the nation at 31.0 defensive rebounds per game, which also leads the NSIC.
—The Dragons also rank in the top 40 nationally in turnovers per game (32nd, 13.6).
— Sophomore Drew Sannes set a single-game school record with eight blocks in the win over Bemidji State; she is now fifth all-time with 98.
—Banasik is 36th in the nation at 36.0 minutes per game.