MADISON, S.D. ( playnorthstar.com) – Valley City State senior Maara Nelson was selected as the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Week
Maara Nelson – Valley City State (N.D.) – 5’9″ – Senior – guard – Carrington, N.D. – Nelson matched her career-high, scoring 20 points to leading Valley City State (N.D.) to a 54-50 home defeat to Bellevue (Neb.).  She then topped her career-high with 24 points in an 87-80 high-scoring affair defeat to No. 17-ranked Dakota State (S.D.).  Nelson averaged 22.0 points (44 total points), 6.0 rebounds (12 rebounds), 2.0 steals (4 steals), 1.5 assists (3 assists) for the week.  She was 16-of-33 from the field (48.5 percent) and converted 10-of-13 from the free-throw line (76.9 percent).

Recap from last week’s games
No. 17-ranked Dakota State (S.D.) secured the North Star Athletic Association women’s basketball title after going 2-0 record on the road last weekend.  The Trojans extended their historic 17-game winning streak, defeating Dickinson State (N.D.) 81-67 on Feb. 12 and Valley City State (N.D.) 87-80 on Feb. 13.  Dakota State raised their overall record to 21-3.

Bellevue (Neb.) also went 2-0 record in North Dakota last weekend, extending their winning streak to seven games.  The Bruins held on to defeat the Vikings 54-50 on Feb. 12, followed by a 67-46 victory over the Blue Hawks.  Bellevue lifted their overall record to 15-5.  Dickinson State is 8-11 overall record, while Valley City State is 7-12 overall record.

Viterbo (Wis.) went 2-0 record on the road last weekend.  The V-Hawks won their third straight game with a 56-53 thriller at Mayville State (N.D.) on Feb. 12.  VU recorded their fourth consecutive victory with a 66-54 win at Presentation (S.D.) on Feb. 13.  Viterbo improved to 9-6 overall record on the season.

PC snapped their 14-game losing skid and earned their first league win of the season with a 66-54 victory over Waldorf (Iowa) on Feb. 12.  The Comets defeated the Warriors 70-44 on Feb. 13.  Mayville State is 12-7 overall record.  The Saints are 2-22 overall record and the Warriors at 1-18 overall record.

Dakota State is 13-0 record in the league, while Bellevue is second with 11-2 record.  Viterbo is third in the conference standings with an 8-5 record, followed by Mayville State fourth at 7-6 record.  Dickinson State is fifth with 6-7 record.  Valley City State holds the sixth spot in the standings with 5-8 record.  Presentation and Waldorf are tied for seventh with 1-12 NSAA record.

Looking Ahead This Week
The North Star Athletic Association season is heading into the final week of regular season play.  The traveling partners will be facing each other this week.

The week kicks off with Waldorf (Iowa) hosting Viterbo (Wis.) on Tuesday evening.  Bellevue (Neb.) welcomes No. 17-ranked Dakota State (S.D.) on Thursday evening, while Presentation (S.D.) hosts Mayville State (N.D.) on the same night.

The week wraps up with Valley City State (N.D.) visiting Dickinson State (N.D.) on Friday evening, battling for a playoff positioning.

            Tuesday’s Game
Viterbo (Wis.) @ Waldorf (Iowa) – 5:30 p.m.

            Thursday’s Games
(17) Dakota State (S.D.) @ Bellevue (Neb.) – 5:30 p.m.
Mayville State (N.D.) @ Presentation (S.D.) – 5:30 p.m.

            Friday’s Game
Valley City State (N.D.) @ Dickinson State (N.D.) – 6:30 p.m. (Central Time)/5:30 p.m. (Mountain Time)

NSAA Women’s Basketball Conference Standings