After a memorable slugfest in Aberdeen just more than a week ago, somehow it’s fitting that Northern State and the University of Sioux Falls are set to do battle again today only this time with the season on the line.

While the most recent encounter involved a chance at a first-round by in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament, this morning’s 11 a.m. tip off at the Sanford Pentagon is for the right to play on or have the season come to an end.

Northern State coach Paula Krueger said regardless of the winner of the Sioux Falls-Crookston play-in game, the Wolves would have been facing either foe for the third time this season. She said there are no secrets left at this point in the year.

“Now it’s going to come to who can make more plays, who walks in and does a few more of the little things right,” Krueger said. “It’s two really good basketball teams playing on a relatively neutral floor.”

The Wolves already own to wins over USF and enter the postseason coming off back-to-back wins over Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State to cap off the regular season.

“We played well enough to win. We certainly didn’t play perfect basketball,” Krueger said. “This group always plays hard. They find ways to win the big ones and now we’re heading into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and when you get to that stage, everybody is 0-0.”

She said there is definitely a sense of urgency in the postseason.

“You have to take care of business. There are no tomorrows. There’s no, we can do that better next time. You are at next time,” Krueger said. “So, we really have to focus and we have do the little things right, and at the same time be able to relax and remember that we’re playing a game.”

While today marks Northern’s first official postseason contest, Krueger said the reality is that the playoffs started a long time ago for the Wolves.

“The playoffs have been every game for us,” she said. “This league is so good, you’ve got to win as many of them as you can.”

Northern is currently eighth in the most recent Central Division ratings, meaning the Wolves need a win today or else risk falling out of the top eight spots which qualify for the upcoming region tournament. Krueger has a different take on it.

“I don’t care about region rankings right now,” Krueger said. “They are the furthest thing from my mind and they should be the furthest thing from my team’s mind. Because the only way to assure that you’re making the region tournament is to win the conference tournament.”

The Wolves have been tough under fire thanks in part to an experienced squad that features a fifth-year player and a sixth-year member, and a starting lineup that has had continuity since the first game of the season.

“I feel very confident in our kids when it comes to down the stretch,” Krueger said. “The reason for that is all five of our kids have started every game together and that’s really rare in this day and age that you’re able to do that. So they’re very comfortable with each other.”

And as Krueger pointed out, “You can’t teach experience. Experience is gained.”

The Wolves are focusing on getting stops heading into the tournament, breaking things down to each quarter.

“We’ve really just tried to focus on the defensive end, and just being one or two possessions better each quarter, because we’re executing pretty well on offense,” Krueger said. “If we can get two stops, that means a score for us, so that’s four extra baskets or four extra scores if we can get eight extra stops.”

The tournament continues with the semifinals on Monday and the championship on Tuesday.

The Wolves are hoping to find some more efficient offense than they have experienced in the past at the tourney.

“Traditionally we haven’t shot well at the Pentagon,” Krueger said. “We’re hoping that that tradition is ended and we can start a new one, where we shoot a whole lot better.”