Kearney, Neb. – A more experienced Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball begins its 2019-20 season at home this weekend with the UNK Crossover Tournament.

Coming to town on Friday and Saturday are Northwest Missouri State, Wayne State and Minnesota-Crookston. The Lopers will face the UMC Golden Eagles on Friday and the rival Wildcats Saturday; check the women's basketball schedule page for tip times and media links.

UNK, returning virtually its entire roster off last year's 15-14 squad that reached the MIAA Tournament, may not have a senior on the team this winter but does have a sophomore class that logged serious minutes in 2018-19.

That class begin its collegiate careers with losses to both Minnesota-Crookston, 71-59, and Wayne, 69 -52. Those games were held in Rice Auditorium in Wayne. UNK responded by winning its next five contests.

The Crookston Golden Eagles went on to go 10-19 including a 5-17 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Senior post Isieoma Odor earned first-team All-NSIC honors and haunted the Lopers to the tune of 16 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. She must be replaced as well as second leading scorer Caitlin Michaelis with 5-7 sophomore guard Kylie Post (#5) the top returner.

WSC now leads the all-time series with UNK by a 38-32 margin. The 'Cats went 15-15 (9-13) last winter and were picked 11th in the preseason NSIC poll. UMC was 14th out of 16 teams.

Junior forward Erin Norling (#22) is on the 2019-20 NSIC All-South Division preseason squad. She was at 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game last winter and managed nine points and nine rebounds in the win over UNK. Junior center Brittany Bongartz (#54) and junior guard Halley Busse (#23) also averaged in double figures a year ago.

The Lopers were picked sixth in the MIAA preseason coaches' and media polls. Only a late season injury to junior guard Kelsey Sanger (Crofton) stopped UNK from getting close to 20 wins last year and a top five finish in the league.

Despite missing eight games Sanger was tabbed honorable mention all-conference as was sophomore post Brooke Carlson (Elkhorn) and wing Maegan Holt (Council Bluffs, Ia.). This trio all averaged in double figures as did sophomore forward Shiloh McCool (Pleasant Hill, Ia.). Unfortunately she'll miss the 2019-20 season due to injury.  

Sanger will be joined in the backcourt by juniors Adreon Bell (Independence, Mo.) and Shelby Megyeri (Green Mountain Falls, Colo.) and sophomores Aspen Jansa (Wahoo) and Klaire Kirsch (Rapid City, SD). Graduate transfer Haley Simental (Pueblo, Colo.) adds experience after four years at Division I Denver.

Besides her 10.2 points per game, Sanger averaged 2.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals a night while shooting 47% from the field. Carlson (team-high 10.3 ppg) is a force in the lane and led UNK in blocks (27) and was second in board work (5.0). Next Holt scored 31 points, a school freshman record, in a win over Lincoln and paced UNK in threes made (73).

Sophomore Elisa Backes (Salina, Kan.) and freshman Madison Dreckman (Le Mars, Ia.) will likely help replace McCool inside. Backes played in all 28 games last year, ranking second on the team in blocks (20) while making 21 threes to have a 6.8 scoring average. Bell (5.2 points & 2.4 assists), Kirsch (7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds & 2.8 assists) and Jansa (3.5 points) all can run the point and combined for 63 made threes in 2018-19. Simental is a solid ball handler who appeared in 67 games for the DU Pioneers over the past four seasons. 

Besides Dreckman and Simental the other newcomers are guards Kaleigh Kummer (N.P. St. Pat's) and Trinity Law (Brandon, S.D.), wing Alexus Moes (Smithville, Mo.) and forward Adrienne Falk (Pleasanton).

UNK heads to Hays next weekend to face the Cameron (OK) Aggies and Adams (CO) State Grizzlies.