MANKATO, Minn.   —   The Minnesota State Mavericks begin the home portion of their schedule this week as they face Waldorf College tonight and UW-Eau Claire Saturday.  Both games start at 7 p.m., at the Taylor Center.

Successful Trip: Last week the Mavericks participated in the California (Pa.) Tip-Off Tournament where they proceeded to win  both of their games.  MSU defeated Ashland University, 63-46, before finishing off California (Pa.) 57-45.  Junior forward Ali Wilkinson was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after posting two double-doubles while averaging 14.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

Upcoming Opponents: Monday the Mavericks square off against Waldorf College which owns a 1-3 overall record with its lone win coming in a 79-59 contest against Peru State College.  The game also marks the second time the two schools have faced eachother as the Mavericks won the first meeting 104-77 on Nov. 21, 2009.  Saturday the Mavericks play host to UW-Eau Claire who is 2-1 overall and will play St. Norbert Tuesday before making the trip to Mankato.  MSU is 0-1 all-time against the Blugolds as the Mavericks lost 66-54 in the school’s first ever meeting last year.

Scouting the Warriors: The Warriors, coached by Denny Jerome own a 1-3 overall record coming into Monday’s tilt against the Mavericks.  Waldorf is led offensively by senior center Aubrey Draves who is averaging 12.3 points per game while hitting 55.6 percent from the floor.  Draves also leads the Warriors on the boards with 17 rebounds (5.7 rpg) while playing a team-high 28.3 minutes per game.  Also averaging double-digits for Waldorf is junior forward Shayna Geitzenauer with 12.0 ppg on 44.8 percent shooting from the field including 7-of-17 from behind the three-point line (.412).  The leading distributor for the Warriors is sophomore guard Ellie Markwardt who has totaled 11 assists while also contributing 6.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Blugolds: The 2-1 Blugolds, coached by Tonja Englund, will play St. Norbert Tuesday before Saturday’s game against MSU.  UW-Eau Claire is led offensivley by junior forward Sarah Bingea with 19.0 points per game on 57.9 percent shooting.  Bingea is a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line and averages 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  Also scoring in double-figures for Eau Claire is senior center Ellen Plendl and senior guard Nicole Christianson who average 12.7 and 11.7 points per game, respectively.  Plendl leads the Blugolds with 12.3 rebounds per game while Christianson has recorded a team-best 17 assists (5.7 apg).

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