Looking Ahead: The Minnesota State Mavericks will travel to Marshall, Minn., to battle the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State, Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

What’s in a Win: A win Saturday would mark the 577th win in program history and seventh consecutive win against the Mustangs...A victory would also mark the 46th win away from the Taylor Center....A win Saturday would be the 46th win for the Mavericks under head coach Pam Gohl.

MSU-SMSU Notables: Saturday’s contest will be the 34th match-up between the two teams. MSU owns a winning record over the Mustangs of 19-14. The first time the two teams met was in 1972 when the Mavericks won, 62-36. Minnesota State has not lost to the Mustangs since the 2004-05 season at Southwest Minnesota State, 74-61. Since then, MSU has won six consecutive games against the Mustangs. Earlier this season the Mavericks hosted the Mustangs in the Taylor Center (Dec. 5) as MSU earned a 12-point victory over SMSU, 74-62. Sophomore guard Jennie Noreen led the Mavericks with 21 points in the game as freshman forward Ali Wilkinson tallied her second double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Mustang Musings:  The Mustangs ended their 2008-09 campaign with an overall record of 14-16 and 6-14 in the NSIC. The Mustangs return three starters from last season.
    In the 2009 NSIC Women’s Basketball Pre-Season Coaches Poll, Southwest Minnesota State was ranked 11th with 66 points, 110 points less than the Mavericks. This season the Mustangs have tallied a record of 15-9 overall and 9-8 in the NSIC in the seventh spot of the NSIC.  Last weekend the Mustangs went 1-1 on the road, defeated St. Cloud State Friday evening, 66-44, and dropping the contest against Concordia-St. Paul, 93-69. This season SMSU is averaging 68.7 points per game, shooting 39 percent from the field, 33 percent from the arc and 67 percent at the line. The Mustangs average 39.8 rebounds per game. Leading the Mustangs in scoring is sophomore center Abby Kenealy averaging 13.0 points per game, followed by junior guard Tori Fink with 11.6 points per game. Leading the board attack for SMSU is junior center Laura Kramer grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game.

All-Time: The 2009-10 season marks the 45th year of women’s basketball as a varsity sport at Minnesota State. MSU currently holds a 576-518 (.527) and has made three NCAA Tournament Appearances in 1986, 2008 and 2009.

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