SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — For the second time in program history, the No. 24/RV University of Sioux Falls Women’s Basketball Team (26-6) will play in the NCAA DII postseason as the Cougars received the No. 3 seed in the NCAA DII Central Region Tournament.
USF will face No. 6 seed St. Cloud State at noon on Friday, March 13 in Warrensburg, Mo. Due to Corona virus concerns and with health and safety the primary focus, games at NCAA DII Championships will be played but with only student-athletes, coaches, administrators/essential university staff, and limited family members allowed into the arena.
NCAA President Mark Emmert made an announcement on Wednesday to allow games to continue but with only essential staff and limited family attendance.
Statement by NCAA President Mark Emmert:
“The NCAA continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 in consultation with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel. Based on their advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance. While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States. This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”
Cougars ranked No. 24 by D2SIDA – RV from WBCA
Sioux Falls, which became the program’s first-ever NSIC South Division champs in 2019-20, earned an at-large bid to the tournament after earning the No. 3 seed. with a 26-6 record. The winner of the first round matchup between USF and SCSU will play the winner of No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 7 Fort Hays State on Saturday, March 14 at 5 pm. The NCAA Central Region Championship will be held on Monday, March 16. In the most recent national polls, USF was ranked No. 24 in the D2SIDA Poll and received votes (39) in the WBCA National Poll. The Cougars have been ranked in a national poll,either WBCA or D2SIDA, a program-best 11 times.
Looking Back –
The last time USF earned a trip to the regionals was in 2015-16, when the Cougars finished 27-6, won the NSIC title and advanced to their first-ever regional at Pittsburg, Kan. At the 2015-16 regional, USF was the No. 7 seed. Like in 2015-16, the Cougars had a 17-5 record in the South Division.
In 2019-20, the Cougars have two All-NSIC performers with first-teamers Kaely Hummel (17.0 ppg, of Cherokee, Iowa, who is USF’s all-time third-leading scorer (1,733 points) and all-time three-point artist (273 made 3s) and Mariah Szymanski of Pulaski, Wis., who has 1,172 points for 17th all-time at USF. USF senior forward Jacey Huinker was named to the All-NSIC Defensive Team for the second time.
NCAA DII Regional — Schedule
Central Regional – Warrensburg, Mo. – Round 1 – Schedule, Friday, March 13
No. 3 Sioux Falls (26-6) vs. No. 6 St. Cloud State (23-7), noon
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth (26-6) vs. No. 7 Fort Hays State (23-7), 2:30 pm,,
No. 1 Central Missouri (27-4) vs. No. 8 Southwestern Oklahoma State (21-8), 5 p.m.
No. 4 Emporia State (24-7) vs. No. 5 Southeastern Oklahoma State (23-7), 7:30 pm
Semifinals – Saturday, March 14
Winner of USF/SCSU vs. FHSU/UMD, 5 pm
Winner of CMU/SWOSU vs. ESU/SEOSU, 7:30 pm
Championship – Monday, March 16, 7 pm
Breaking Down USF-SCSU
The Cougars, which won the NSIC South Division title, and SCSU, which finished second in the NSIC North, has played 11 times with the Cougars owning a 7-4 lead. USF has lost three straight including a 76-59 decision on March 2 in the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament. USF won seven of the first eight games in the series. In the first matchup, USF had a 92-79 win on Jan. 11, 2014 in St. Cloud. This year, SCSU also defeated the Cougars, 80-76 in two overtimes on Dec. 14, 2019.
USF ranks first nationally in fewest turnovers and third in AT ratio
Entering play Friday, USF is ranked first in fewest turnovers per game at 10.5 while sitting third in total turnovers at 335. With a 1.32 assist-turnover ratio (13.8 assists to 10.5 turnovers), USF is eighth in NCAA DII. Kaely Hummel is also 16th in three-point percentage nationally and second in the NSIC at 37.0 while ranking 27th in DII in free throws made. Interestingly the Cougars have made 141 more field goals than their opponents while shooting 193 more shots. USF is ranked in the top six in 10 NSIC statistical categories. Those include three-point percentage, second, 37.0; scoring, 75.3 ppg, third; assist-turnover ratio, 1.32, second; turnovers, 5.75, third; defensive scoring, 64.2 ppg; field goal defense, 39.3 percent, fifth; free throw percentage, 75.8 percent; and steals, 7.69 per game, sixth.
On Coach Travis Traphagen
In his 12th season, Traphagen is the program’s career leader with 243 career wins. This is the second straight season, and fourth in the last five, for Traphagen teams to eclipse 20 wins. He has directed six USF teams to 20 wins.
Hummel, Szymanski earn third selection to All-NSIC squad and Huinker named to All-Defensive Team
For the third straight season, seniors guards Kaely Hummel and Mariah Szymanski have been named to the All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference squad, according to an announcement by the league office Thursday (Feb. 27). In addition, senior forward Jacey Huinker has been named to the All-NSIC Defensive squad. For the fifth time in their seven-year membership of the NSIC, USF has had two players named All-NSIC. This year, Hummel and Szymanski were both named to the 12-member first team. Hummel and Szymanski become USF’s first-ever three-time All-NSIC honorees. Hummel is the second player (Laura Johnson, 2012-13, 2013-14) to earn first-team honors in back-to-back seasons. After two straight second team honors, Szymanski was named to the 12-member first team. Huinker picked up her second All-Defensive Team honor (2017-18). The league MVP was Brooke Olson of UMD and Mandy Pearson of UMD earned the league’s coach of the year honor.
Hummel, Syzmanski and Huinker have helped lead USF to a 26-6 record, third seed in the NCAA DII Central Regional as well as a program-first NSIC South Division title. In addition, the trio are part of the first team at the DII level to earn a top 10 ranking in the WBCA Top-25 poll (as high as 7th) and 10 overall national rankings.
Player Notes – Kaely Hummel ranks first all-time in made threes and third in scoring
Hummel, a 5-8 shooting guard from Cherokee, Iowa, is a three-time All-NSIC honoree, who was named a Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award recipient. Hummel, who was named the NSIC Preseason South Division Player of the Year this season, recently was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District first team selection, which moves her to the national ballot and into consideration for Academic All-America honors. A business administration major with a 3.76 GPA, she is the daughter of Julie and Troy Hummel. Hummel, who is averaging 17.0 ppg which is fifth in the NSIC. She is second in the NSIC in three-point percentage at 40.3, and tied second for made threes per game with 2.5 while ranking fifth in free throw shooting at 86 percent. At USF, Hummel is one of the all-time greats with 1,733 points, which ranks third all-time at USF and behind all-time leader Courtney Farrell, 2,433, 2002-05; and Janna Austin, second, 1,930 points, 1992-96. Hummel is USF’s all-time leader in three-pointers with 273, which is not only the most in women’s basketball history but the most by a male or female player as Drew Guebert had 264. . With 122 career games, she ranks third all-time at USF with Szymanski. She has 93 double-digit scoring games with 26 of 20 points or more. Hummel is the first player in school history to have 67 or more three-point field goals in the same season three times and one of two players with 460 points or more in the season three times. With 545 points this season, she ranks ninth all-time at USF. With 81 made threes this season, she has the third most in school history for a season. Hummel ranks 12th in assists in a career with 220.
Szymanski ranks 7th in made threes
Szymanski, who is averaging 11.8 points, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds, has 1,172 career points (17th all-time) but trails Sherri Hawes, 1,173 (1991-95) by just one point. With 171 made threes (7th all-time at USF) in 122 games (tied for third all-time), she is just one away from sixth place held by Chelsa Baxa, 172, 2007-11. With 247 assists, she is eighth all-time at USF but just eight away from seventh where Holly Aggen had 255 from 2009-13. With 12 assists, she would surpass Kelly Barnhart for sixth. Barnhart played at USF from 1987-90. Sxymanski has 57 double-digit scoring games, 12 games of 20-points or more and four over 30. A native of Pulaski, Wisc., recorded a school record 43 points with a school mark of 9 3s against CSP in 2018. A nursing major and daughter of Steve and Tracey Szymanski, has 376 points this season and has 54 made threes this season.
Huinker owns the USF DII record for offensive reboundsHuinker, a 5-9 forward from Altoona, Iowa, was named recipient of the Elite 18 Award by the NSIC in women’s basketball in 2017-18. Selected among 32 recipients league-wide of the NSIC’s Butch Raymond Scholarship, she has been named Academic All-NSIC twice and to the All-NSIC Defensive Team for the second time. Averaging 4.8 ppg and 8.4 rebounds (3rd NSIC), Huinker leads the NSIC in offensive rebounds and with 85 has set the USF record for the best in USF’s DII era. She ranks eighth in school history and second in DII era with 776 rebounds with 17 games of 12 or more rebounds. Huinker, who has 12 double-digit scoring games and seven double-doubles, has her nursing degree and is in the USF Master of Business Administration program with a 4.0 GPA in both disciplines.
The daughter of Darren and Janel Huinker, she is the only remaining player from the 2015-16 team that won the NSIC Tourney title and became the program’s first-ever squad to earn an NCAA DII Tournament bid. She has accumulated 229 assists (10th all-time at USF), 98 steals, 463 points and 19 blocks in 109 games with 88 starts in her outstanding career.
Thramer has two games of 20 pts
A two-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, senior Augusta Thramer has accumulated 438 career points, 290 rebounds, 168 assists, 104 steals, 25 threes and 17 games in double-digit points in 107 games and 14 starts at USF. Twice in 2019-20 she has hit a career-high with 20 points.
(The University of Sioux Falls contributed this report.)
