NIACC's Khalilah Holloway drives to the basket against Central CC on Dec. 2 in Fort Dodge.

December 8, 2017

No. 2 NIACC women play in NDSCS Circle of Nations Classic

WAPHETON, N.D. - The No. 2 NIACC women's basketball team faces NDSCS at 6 p.m. Friday in the NDSCS Circle of Nations Classic.

The Lady Trojans (10-1) also play Dakota College-Bottineau at noon on Saturday in the two-day classic on the NDSCS campus.

Last time out

Northeast CC topped NIACC 68-54 on Dec. 1 at the Great Western Shootout on the Iowa Central campus in Fort Dodge. Shayley Vesel led the Lady Trojans with 15 points and Mikayla Homola scored 12 points.

On Dec. 2, the NIACC women stopped Central CC (Neb.) 111-51. Homola led six players in double figures with 15 points. The Lady Trojans connected on 19 3-point goals.

In the rankings

The NIACC women's basketball team is ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA Division II poll released Dec. 5. The Lady Trojans were ranked No. 9 in the October preseason poll.

It is the highest the Lady Trojans have been ranked since Dec. 17, 2014 when they were also ranked No. 2. The last time the Lady Trojans were ranked No. 1 was in the Feb. 26, 2014 poll.

The Lady Trojans were ranked in 4 polls in 2016-17, 8 polls in 2015-16, 10 polls in 2014-15 and 11 polls in 2013-14.

Climbing the charts

Sophomore Taylor Laabs has 459 career points and ranks 44th on the school's all-time scoring list. Sophomore Kelsie Willert has 378 career points, which ranks 52nd on school's career list.

Laabs has 79 career 3-point goals, which is tied for 13th on the career list. Willert has 78 career 3-point goals, which is 14th on school's career list.

UU Longs has 114 career assists, which ranks 29th on the school's career assist list. Laabs has 93 career assists, which is tied for 36th on school's career list.

Dialing long distance

The NIACC women's basketball team has 160 3-point goals through 11 games this season, which ranks second in NJCAA Division II. The Lady Trojans set a school single-game record with 23 3-point goals against the Grand View Junior Varsity on Nov. 26. They also made 22 against Lake Region State College (Nov. 25) and 19 against Central CC (Dec. 2).

The 2013-14 NIACC women's team set a school record for 3-point goals in a season with 379. Assistant coach Cortni Rush led the Lady Trojans in 2013-14 with 84 3-point goals.

The 2016-17 Lady Trojans rank 2nd on career's school list with 340 3-point goals in a season. Taylor Laabs led the Lady Trojans with 63 3-point goals.

NIACC's 2017-18 leaders

Points (1,154, 104.9 ppg.) - Taylor Laabs (16.1 ppg.) 145; Mikayla Homola (13.2 ppg.) 145; UU Longs (11.6 ppg.) 128.

3-point goals (160) - Kelsie Willert 24, Homola 20, Shayley Vesel 19.

Rebounds (552) - Khalilah Holloway 79, Morgan Frank 50, Cici Kieger 49.

Assists (261) - Longs 39, Kieger 36, Laabs 30.

Steals (182) - Longs 26, Laabs 22, Holloway 21.

NIACC's 2017-18 season (10-1 overall)

NIACC 99, Illinois Central 82

NIACC 90, Bay College 61

NIACC 134, Milwaukee Area Tech 45

NIACC 121, Harper College 28

NIACC 98, Iowa Western 89