College Insider: Ashton Safranski shines for Dragons, showing scoring burst

Becca Hanson / MSUM Dragons Athletics By Eric Peterson Today at 5:17 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? MOORHEAD — Always a defensive stalwart for Minnesota State Moorhead, junior Ashton Safranski also flashed her offensive potential in a recent road trip to Washington. The 5-foot-7 guard had two games of at least 20 points in three games, helping the Dragons women's basketball team to a pair of victory at the CWU D2 Tip-Off Classic. ADVERTISEMENT “She played so well at both ends of the floor," said Dragons head coach Karla Nelson . “She hit shots in a variety of ways.” Safranski, a Fargo Davies graduate, had 24 points in a season-opening win against Central Washington and then added 20 points in a victory against Montana State-Billings. In the third game, she was limited to four points in a loss against No. 21 Western Washington. “We did a lot more good things than bad things," Nelson added of the three games in three days. The Dragons (2-1) are jumping into NSIC play at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, on the road at the University of Jamestown. That game comes 10 days after the Western Washington contest. Safranski is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game heading into the conference opener. “You can always count on her defensively to create a lot of havoc," Nelson said. Nelson said finding consistent play in the post is going to be key factor for the Dragons during league play. ADVERTISEMENT “Post play, that is probably the biggest area of anticipation," Nelson said. “We’re going to have to find some consistency at the position (center) to compete in the NSIC.” Nelson said multiple post players have shown their potential at different times over the first three games, including junior Ayelishka Teko-Folly , sophomore Julia McAdams and freshman Aria Garrett . The 6-foot Teko-Folly is averaging 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Dragons junior Caylin Kelly also played well over the opening three games, averaging 11.0 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game. “She played really steady, and that’s what she is going to have to do for us," Nelson said. “I like her aggressive play. I trust her. She’s going to continue to grow.” Top 10 test for Dragons While the MSUM football team has fallen out of the NCAA Division II playoff hunt, the Dragons final game of the regular season is going to be a litmus test, head coach Steve Laqua said. MSUM (6-4, 5-4 NSIC) host No. 10-ranked Minnesota State Mankato at noon Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Fargodome. The Mavericks are a perennial D-II power playing for a potential home game in the postseason. “It’s a great test," Laqua said. “If that’s where we want to be, how can we stack up in a game like that? They’re playing for home-field advantage, so they have a lot to play for.” ADVERTISEMENT The Dragons have lost three games by a total of five points, including a 29-28 overtime loss at Sioux Falls, a 14-13 home loss against Northern State and a 37-34 road loss against Bemidji State. "We’ve certainly had some ups and downs and some inconsistencies that come with a team that doesn’t have a lot of experience," Laqua said. “On the exciting end of things, we’ve played some really good football at times against playoff-type teams.” The Dragons have secured a fourth consecutive winning season, regardless of Saturday's outcome. That's the first time the program has done that since the 1990s. More related coverage Big East's Creighton bounces Bison women, causing 24 turnovers 20h ago Jed Klang nears Cobbers TD catch record to help spark home win 3d ago RedHawks hire former Twins pitcher, Saints manager George Tsamis to replace Coste 5d ago First-year starting quarterback Drew Huebner has rushed for 686 yards and 10 touchdowns on 144 attempts to lead the team on the ground. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound sophomore also has completed 179 of 320 passes (56%) for 22 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Huebner took over for record-setting QB Jack Strand , who is now in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. “I think he’s done a good job," Laqua said of Huebner. "It’s hard to manage an entire season as a quarterback. He’s grown into it nicely and he continues to get better.” Notes and quotes North Dakota State forward Karrington Asp has been named Summit League Peak Performer of the Week in women's basketball, the first time she's won that honor in her Bison career. Asp averaged 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game over two games last week. She shot 52% from the field and 83% from the foul line. ... Concordia quarterback Nick Walter was named MIAC offensive player of the week. Walter completed 15 of 18 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's win against Macalester. He also added a rushing TD. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags DRAGONS WOMENS BASKETBALL MINNESOTA STATE MOORHEAD DRAGONS By Eric Peterson Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps out with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has been working at the newspaper since 1996. 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