Nov. 17, 2000

VERMILLION, S.D. - The University of South Dakota women's basketball team (11-16 and 4-14 in the NCC in 1999-2000) will open their season this Friday and Saturday when they travel to Aberdeen, S.D., to play in the Tri-State Classic. The Coyotes will play Wayne State (Neb.) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Northern State at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Coyotes will host their non-conference home opener Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. against Mount Marty College.

LAST TIME: The Coyotes defeated Wayne State 74-61 at home Dec. 18, 1999 while Northern State turned back USD in the DakotaDome, 75-71. USD defeated Mount Marty 79-47 in the DakotaDome last Dec. 13.

SOME COYOTE NUMBERS TO REFLECT ON: During 1999-00, the Coyotes out-scored opponents 1,857 to 1,840, averaging 68.8 to 68.1 for opponents. The Coyotes made 646-of-1,565 field goals for a .413 percentage while opponents were limited to a .387 percentage on 634-of-1,640 field goals.

FOR THE RECORD: The Coyotes were 11-16 and 4-14 in the NCC during 1999-00. USD was 8-8 at home and 1-8 away with a 2-0 record at neutral sites. In non-conference games, the Coyotes were 7-2 including 5-2 at home and 2-0 at neutral sites.

COYOTES PLAYER NOTES:

GESE BACK: Kelly Gese, a 5'8" senior guard from Shoreview, Minn., is back with the Coyotes after redshirting last year. Two years ago Gese, who played at Totino Grace High School, turned in one of the finest seasons in school history. She earned all-NCC and all-North Central Region honors during a season in which she averaged 18.5 points per game, scoring 500 points (fifth highest total in school history). She finished fifth in the NCC scoring race with 18.1 points per outing, pacing the squad in scoring 23 times. She scored 20 or more points 12 times and scored in double figures in 25 of 27 games. She was also an all-academic pick in the NCC.

FRIE RETURNS AS LEADING SCORER: Julia Frie finished eighth in the NCC scoring race with 384 points (14.2 per game) during 1999-2000. She led the Coyotes in steals with 53, which was eighth in the NCC and finished the season with 138 rebounds and 42 assists. She led the Coyotes in scoring eight times including a 31-point outing in her collegiate debut against Concordia (Neb.) Nov. 20, 1999.

HOT SHOT KOEPP: Senior guard Kelly Koepp scored a school-record 38 points against Huron in a 96-54 win Dec. 10, 1999. In that game she turned in one of the best performances ever when she made 16-of-21 field goals, 6-of-8 free throws, eight assists and 10 rebounds in the DakotaDome. She had a career-high 12 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, in a 75-58 win over Northern Colorado Jan. 8, 2000 at home. Koepp led USD in scoring on 10 occasions and rebounding nine times. She was sixth in the NCC with a .504 shooting percentage and ninth in the NCC in scoring.

NELSON SCORES INSIDE AND OUT: Heather Nelson, a sophomore from Yankton, turned in a stellar freshman season during 1999-2000. She averaged 13.4 points and 5.6 rebounds and tied a team-high with 48 three-pointers. Nelson led USD in scoring nine times and rebounding 10 times.

JAYCOX RAINS THREES: Nicole Jaycox, a sophomore from Hartley, Iowa, is an outstanding three-point shooter, converting 48-of-113 three-point shots for a .425 percentage. She ranked second in the NCC in three-point shooting percentage.

COYOTES' NCC NOTES: The Coyotes won the first three NCC championships from 1982-85 but haven't won a title since. The Coyotes, who were coached then and now by Chad Lavin, accumulated 28 wins and just eight losses during that span. Two Coyotes, Karrie Wallen (1982-83) and Ann Pancoast (1983-84) won NCC scoring titles while Katie Dailey won three consecutive assists titles from 1983-86. Shelby Petersen won the three-point field goal title in 1992-93. The Coyotes had three academic all-Americans including Deb Petersen (first team, 1983-84), Karrie Wallen (second team, 1983-84), and Jean Misterek (first team, 1986-87)

COYOTES IN POST-SEASON: USD has made four post-season playoff appearances including 1982-83 (North Central Region runner-up), 1983-84 (North Central Region champions), 1984-85 (North Central Region runner-up) and 1988-89 (North Central Region qualifier). The Coyotes have appeared four times in the NCAA Division II Poll including a high mark of seventh during the 23-5 season of 1985.

COYOTES PLAY WAYNE STATE FRIDAY NIGHT: Led by Head Coach Ryun Williams, Wayne State rolled to a 19-9 record including 14-4 in the NSIC, good enough for fourth place. The Wildcats return four starters, losing just one while returning seven of 11 letterwinners. Williams, who is a 1992 graduate of USD, has a 34-21 record in his third year at Wayne State. His assistant coaches include Mike Maloney, Travis Traphagen, and Rory Williams. Overall the Wayne State Wildcats, which began basketball in 1970-71, have a 377-418 record in 30 seasons. Key returning starters include Krista Bernadt, who is the leading returning scorer at 15.5-ppg, and a first-team all-NSIC performer (1999-00). Senior Sara Miller returns off a 13.9-ppg season in which she led the team with 74 three-pointers. Sophomore Karen Hochstein was the NSIC Newcomer of the Year and a second team all-conference selection. She averaged 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds a year ago. Also back is Kristene Strait, who averaged 1.9-ppg and 3.5-rpg.

NOTES ON NORTHERN STATE: Northern State, with Head Coach Curt Fredrickson, had a 26-6 mark in 1999-00. Fredrickson, who begins his 22nd year at Northern State, has a career record of 507-114. The Wolves were 15-3 in the NSIC including 7-2 at home and 8-1 on the road. The Wolves were 11-3 in non-conference action, including 5-0 on the road, 4-0 away, and 2-3 at neutral sites. Among the key returnees will be 5'9" senior forward Memory Johannsen, who averaged 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a year ago. Also back is Jennifer Murphy who averaged 7.4 points per game while 5'10" senior forward Natalie Braun chipped in with 9.6 points per game. The Wolves lost a vital cog in Jammie Coyle, who led the team with 18.2 points per game a year ago. Frederickson, an Aberdeen native, currently ranks third among NCAA Division II coaches in winning percentage and victories. He has never won fewer than 19 games and has won 28 games in 1980-81 (28-4), 1987-88 (28-3), 1992-93 (28-7) and 1994-95 (28-3) and 30 games in 1993-94 (32-1). He has a 466-96 overall record. Fredrickson attended Northern State where he was an NAIA All-American in baseball and honorable mention All-American in football. Since Northern State joined NCAA Division II, they have made two post-season playoff appearances. Among the major highlights during the Fredrickson years were NSU's national championship runs in the early 1990s. The 1991-92 team won the national championship and finished the season with a 30-4 record. His assistant coaches are Paula Krueger, Scott Klungseth and Joe Reints.

ON MOUNT MARTY: Head Coach Chuck Iverson, who also serves as Athletic Director, begins his 10th year at Mount Marty where he has a 123-133 record. Overall Iverson has a 162-197 mark in 20 years of coaching. Assistant coaches include Calvin Hanson and Jamie Parish. The Lancers, who were 14-14 and 9-5 (3rd) in the SDIC in 1999-00, return five starters, losing only Natascha Dawson, who averaged 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds last year. The Lancers return 11 letterwinners, losing just three. Leading the returnees will be Emily Fletcher, a 5'11" senior guard from Elk Point, who averaged 11.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. Also back will be Kate Heine, a 5'7" junior guard, who scored at a 10.2-ppg clip while grabbing 4.6 rebounds and handing out 4.3 assists. Stacy Schlumbohm, a 5'8" senior guard, averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while 5'9" senior guard Anna Kranz averaged 7.3 points and 2.4 rebounds.