MANKATO, Minn.   —   Minnesota State faces two of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s best this weekend as the Mavericks host  No. 25 Augustana Friday at 6 p.m., and No. 4 Wayne State Saturday at 4 p.m.

Much Needed Win: Minnesota State (13-6, 9-6 NSIC) went 1-1 last week falling to Winona State Friday, 67-55, before ending its three-game losing streak with a 76-72 win Saturday against Upper Iowa.  Senior forward Laura Weber earned her third double-double of the season against the Peacocks tying her career-high with 23 points while pulling down 10 rebounds.  Against UIU, senior guard Jennie Noreen connected on 3-of-5 attempts from long range en route to her 16-point performance while she also contributed six rebounds.  Two other Mavericks scored in double figures for MSU as freshman forward Jamie Bresnahan scored 15 while sophomore guard Alli Hoefer added 10.  Freshman guard Aubrey Davis tied a season-high delivering eight assists against the Peacocks while also adding eight points and three rebounds.  MSU was led over the weekend by Weber’s 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.  She connected on 17-of-27 (63.0 FG%) from the floor in a team-high 31.5 minutes per contest.  Bresnahan was second on the team with 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while Noreen was third with 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Upcoming Opponents: Friday, Minnesota State will be tested by the co-conference leading No. 25 Augustana Vikings.  Sitting 16-3 overall, 13-2 in the NSIC, the Vikings have won their last ten games with their latest win coming in an 80-78 contest against St. Cloud State.  The last time Augie lost was Dec. 17 in a 73-70 defeat against Minnesota, Crookston.  Augustana owns a 39-22 record in the all-time series between the two schools including wins in the last five meetings.  The Vikings won earlier this season on Dec. 3, 62-57, as the last time MSU won a game in the series was in 2009 in an 81-68 contest.  Despite leading 36-29 in the second half, Augie was able to come back and win the first meeting of the season thanks in large part to a 24-of-27 performance from the free-throw line compared to just 12-of-22 by the Mavericks.  Noreen led the Mavericks with 19 points and 12 rebounds earning her first double-double of the season.  Saturday, the Mavericks face No. 4 Wayne State who, at 13-2, sit atop the conference with Augie while posting a 19-2 overall record.  The Wildcats have won four-consecutive games and will play Southwest Minnesota State before Saturday’s tilt at MSU.  Wayne State’s last loss came on Jan. 17 in a 71-52 loss at Augustana.  Wayne State holds a 7-4 all-time record against MSU, and has won the last four in the series including a 78-60 contest back on Dec. 2.  The last time MSU defeated WSC was in 2009 when MSU came away with an 86-68 victory.  The Mavericks were led in the meeting earlier this season by Ali Wilkinson (now out due to injury) who finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.  Also scoring in double figures for MSU was Weber who added 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Scouting the Vikings: The Vikings, coached by Dave Krauth, are led by two time NSIC Player of the Week Alex Feeney who leads the Vikings with 16.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.  Feeney is third in the NSIC in ppg, fifth in rpg and second with 2.05 blocks per game.  Also contributing double-digit scoring for the Vikings are Lydia Nelson and Molly Hayes who average 12.2 and 10.7 ppg, respectively.  Augustana leads the NSIC with 76.7 points per game while shooting the league’s second-best percentage at 43.9.  The Vikings allow opponents 61.8 points per contest on 36.1 percent shooting.

Scouting the Wildcats: The Wildcats, coached by Chris Kielsmeier, are led by two time NSIC Player of the Week Ashley Arlen who leads WSC with 17.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.  Arlen leads the conference in ppg while she is second in rpg and sixth with 1.67 blocks per contest.  Joining Arlen averaging double digits is Clare Duwelius with 10.9 ppg while she leads the NSIC with 50 three pointers made (47.2 3FG%).  Setting up the Wildcat scorers has been Ali Schwartzwald who is second in the NSIC with 3.90 assists per game.  She is also averaging 5.9 points and 1.62 steals per game.  Wayne State is third in the NSIC averaging 67.6 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting which tops the conference.  Defensively, the Wildcats are allowing 55.1 points on 33.1 percent shooting which also paces the conference.

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