Two rising area NAIA women’s basketball programs will clash at 5:30 tonight, when Haskell Indian Nations University (8-1) hosts Baker University (5-1) in Coffin Complex.

Fresh off a 20-win season in the final year of the Midlands Collegiate Athletics Conference, Haskell has adjusted well to being one of 16 independents in NAIA Division II. HINU’s eight wins have come by an average of 17.1 points per game, and three of those victories have come against top-15 teams: No. 9 Tabor (80-52), No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan (74-72) and No. 15 College of St. Mary (Neb.) (69-65).

“This is probably my most athletic team that I’ve ever had,” fifth-year coach Shane Flanagan said. “Last year’s success kind of gave our kids some confidence, so we’ve really kind of picked up where we finished last year.”

Haskell coach Shane Flanagan draws up a play during a time out in their game against N0 9 Tabor Tuesday evening at Coffin Complex. Haskell routed No. 9 Tabor, 80-52, and with the win Haskell improved its season record to 4-0 and claimed its second victory over a top 25 ranked team in the past week.

Senior point guard Arnetia Begay and a core group of six juniors have helped Flanagan turn the HINU program around after back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13. HINU did not receive any votes in the NAIA Div. II Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll, but that just served as motivation for Begay and her teammates.

“We just take it one game at a time and try not to think about the rankings before the game,” Begay said. “It’s just another team. We’re going to go out there and do what we do.”

Two of HINU’s top scorers did not play Friday and Saturday against Johnson & Wales and Northern New Mexico in the J&W Classic in Denver. Junior center Keli Warrior and sophomore forward Tyler Sumpter were both sidelined. Sumpter sat out because of strep throat, and Warrior was unavailable after suffering a left Achilles injury in a car accident a few hours before HINU’s Nov. 17 game against Park. Flanagan said Sumpter should be ready to go tonight against Baker, but that Warrior was still about a week away.

“There is nothing ruptured, nothing is really torn,” said Warrior, who is trying to work her way out of a walking boot. “It’s just a really, really bad bruise.”

Sumpter has served as a versatile offensive threat since transferring in from Bismarck State — scoring 14 points per game and shooting 19-for-46 (41.3 percent) from behind the arc — and Warrior has been HINU’s go-to option down low.

Warrior’s presence inside could be sorely missed tonight against Baker, as the Wildcats’ have a veteran center of their own in 6-foot-3 senior Macy Wallisch. Wallisch, a two-time Heart of America Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, has helped No. 23 Baker to two consecutive NAIA Div. I tournament appearances. The BU center has swatted 19 shots in six games and ranks fourth in the nation in blocks.

“I feel like a lot of times it honestly gets our team going because it brings a lot of energy,” Wallisch said of the feeling she gets when rejecting a shot. “It’s always exciting to get a block, plus that’s just one less shot that they don’t make.”

The Wildcats have played lock-down defense on the perimeter as well, led by senior Jami Hodge. Hodge has been a handful for opposing guards, as she ranks 11th in the country with 20 steals.

“(Head coach Ben) Lister usually makes me guard one of the primary scorers, so I just do my job, get in the passing lanes and hopefully come up with a few steals every game,” Hodge, who also is second on the team with 12.8 points per game, said.

A defense-first mentality has been something that Lister has stressed to the Wildcats, and they have responded by limiting teams to 52.3 points per game.

“I think they’ve started to realize that if they play at both ends, that they will have a much higher success rate,” the fifth-year BU coach said. “We’ve just got kids that believe in shutting other teams down.”

HINU/Baker men meet tonight, too
Following the women’s matchup, the Haskell and Baker men will tip off at 7:30.

Haskell (2-5) has won two of its last three after dropping four in a row to begin the season. HINU has steadily improved in its new motion offense since Matthew “Cougar” Downing Jr. took over as coach on Nov. 3.

Baker (2-3) will look to snap a three-game losing streak after winning its first two contests of the year. Junior guard Javeion Gray has averaged 14.0 points per game to lead the Wildcats and has scored in double figures in four straight.

BU has edged HINU in three of the past four seasons.