Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team will host a pair of conference foes this weekend at Taylor Center in Upper Iowa and Winona State. MSU takes on UIU Friday at 6:00 p.m., and squares off with WSU on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

From Last Week: Minnesota State opened up NSIC play last weekend on the road with a pair of losses to Augustana and Wayne State. 
 

In last Friday's loss to Augie, the Mavericks fell in double overtime by the score of 96-93. The game was a back and forth affair with 14 ties and 14 lead changes and both teams combined for 69 three point attempts in the contest.
 

Junior Britney Scherber [Bloomington, Minn.] had a career night after posting her first career double-double with 26 points and 11 assists. Scherber shot 9-of-20 from the field in the game, including three made three-pointers, one of which that forced double overtime after sinking a shot with one second left in the first overtime.
 

Two other Maverick players recorded double-doubles in the high scoring matchup as well, as sophomore Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] added 10 points and 12 rebounds, while senior McKenzie Hoelmenn [Lakeville, Minn.] finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds. 
 

The next day in last Saturday's loss to Wayne State, the Mavericks fell victim to the Wildcats by the score of 89-70. In the game, WSC held the lead throughout the whole game and forced 25 Maverick turnovers. 
 

Four Mavericks finished the game in double digit points, inlcuding Ziegler, Scherber, Hoelmenn and junior Karina Schroeder [Lake Crystal, Minn.]. Ziegler tallied 14 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while Scherber and Hoelmenn each finished with 12 points apiece. Hoelmenn also added a team-high seven rebounds, while Schroeder set a new season-high 11 points, along with six rebounds in the road loss.
 

Concerning Upper Iowa: The Peacocks enter the week with a 2-7 overall record and a 1-2 record in NSIC play, with their lone conference win coming against Southwest Minnesota State. UIU is coached by Carol Russel who is in her sixth season at the helm. 
 

Friday's matchup will mark as the 17th all-time meeting between MSU and UIU. The Mavericks own a resounding 16-0 all-time record against the Peacocks in series history.

This season Upper Iowa is averaging 62.6 points a game, while its opponents are scoring 74.8 points a game. UIU is shooting 39% (190-489) from the floor, inlcuding 33% (54-166) from beyond the arc. Its opponents are averaging 47% from the floor, while the Peacocks average 32.8 rebounds a contest and hold a -3.1 rebounding margin. The Peacocks are also dishing out 9.7 assists a game and are averaging 18.4 turnovers each game. 

Senior Aleesha Cleaver leads the Peacocks in socring as she is averaging 14.6 points per game. She also leads UIU in minutes played per game with 35 and made three-pointers with 12 this season. Senior Whitney Kifeer is also averaging double-digits in points with 13.3 a game and is leading the Peacocks in rebounds per game with 6.2 and steals per game with 1.4. Junior Carley Pagel is UIU's third leading scorer with 8.8 points a contest and is second on the team with 5.2 boards a game.

Concerning #11 Winona State: The Warriors enter the week with an unblemished record as they sit with a perfect 10-0 record and a 3-0 record in NSIC play. WSU's head coach is Scott Ballard who is in his 12th season with the program.

Saturday's matchup will be the 51st all-time meeting in the two schools storied history between MSU and WSU. The Mavericks own a comfortable 35-15 all-time record against the Warriors.
 

This season the Warriors have been winning in rather dominationg fashion as they have had only one game within 20 points. WSU's average scoring margin is +30, as the Warriors are averaging 81 points each game and are holding their opponents to 51 points each ball game. WSU is averaging an efficient 49% from the field, including 43% from the three-point line.
 

The Warriors grab 39.3 boards a game and hold a 8.2 rebounding margin over their opponents. WSU also dishes out 16.4 assists each game and own a +6.9 turnover margin.
 

WSU has three players averaging double figures in points this season, as junior guard Tara Roelofs leads the Warriors this season with 15.7 points a contest. Roelofs is also averaging 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game and is shooting 47% (58-124) from the field and 44% (19-43) from beyond the arc. Senior Alexis Foley is second on the team with 14.0 points and 3.5 assists a contest, along with a team-leading 53% from three. Rounding out the trio is junior Kayla Timmerman who is third on the team with 12.8 points a game and leads the team with 6.4 boards a game and 19 total blocks this season.
 

Senior guard Connor Nagle leads the Warriors this season with 4.0 assists game and 24 made three-pointers. Nagle is also averaging 9.3 points a game a team-leading 26 minutes  a game. Sophomore Hannah McGlone is second on the team in rebounding average with 5.6, along with averaging 7.5 points a game. 
 

Leading Scorers: Through six games, the Mavericks have three players averaging 10 points or more in junior Britney Scherber and sophomore's Madison Lee [Coon Rapids, Minn.] and Claire Ziegler. Scherber tops the trio with 13.3 points game, while Ziegler falls right behind with 10.7 points and Lee is averaging 10.2 points a game.
 

Rebounding Attack: Three Mavericks are averaging five or more rebounds a contest through six games this season. Senior McKenzie Hoelmenn is averaging a team-best 8.5 boards, while sophomore Claire Ziegler is second on the team with 7.8 boards a contest. Junior Karina Schroeder sits third on the team with 5.8 rebounds a game.
 

Season High: Minnesota State made 13 three-pointers in last Friday's double overtime loss to Augustana. Not only does that mark as a season-high for MSU this season, but its the most made three-pointers in a game since last season back on Jan. 30, 2015. The Mavericks nailed 13 three-pointers in a 85-80 loss to Northern State on the road. 
 

Double-Double's: Three MSU players recorded double-double's in last Friday's loss to Augustana. The players include Britney Scherber, McKenzie Hoelmenn and Claire Ziegler. Dating back to at least the 2003-04 season, this is the first time in program history where three players in the same game achieved double-double's.

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