MANKATO, Minn. - Minnesota State opens play in the central region portion of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Friday against the host of the event, Wayne State College.  Tipoff for the opening-round game against the Wildcats is slated for 6 p.m.

Ticket Info: All tickets for the 2012 NCAA Division II Central Women’s Basketball Regional Tournament are general admission and are good for all games during that session.  Please see a ticket representative for re-admittance information if you intend to leave the arena and return at a later time that day.  Prices are $10 for adults all day Friday, Saturday and Monday, $8 for seniors all day Friday, Saturday and Monday and $5 for youth (ages 5-17) and college students each day.  Children under the age of five are free.  The ticket office and pass gates will open 60 minutes prior to the start of the first game of each daily session and the arena will open 60 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of each game.  There will be no advance ticket sales by phone for the tournament.

NSIC Semifinals Recap: Minnesota State (18-10 overall) fell in the semifinals Saturday, Feb. 3 to the eventual NSIC/Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Tournament champions, Wayne State College.  Scoring a season-low in the 58-35 loss, the Mavericks led, 16-13, with 6:30 remaining in the first half as freshman guard Aubrey Davis scored five consecutive points for MSU.  However, Minnesota State scored just one point over the last seven minutes of the half as the Wildcats took a 22-17 lead into the break.  Both teams struggled offensively in the first half but Wayne State was able to put aside its shooting woes while MSU was not.  The Mavericks scored just three points in the first 11:30 of the second half as the Wildcats sprinted out to a 40-20 lead.  Finishing the game just 19.0 percent from the floor, MSU also struggled at the free-throw line converting on just 7-of-18 attempts.  The Mavericks were led by Davis who scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting while also pulling down six rebounds.  Freshman forward Jamie Bresnahan led MSU on the glass with 11 rebounds while senior forward Laura Weber finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.  Despite the loss, Minnesota State earned the eight seed in the NCAA Tournament and will seek revenge against the Wildcats as MSU plays Wayne State for the fourth time this season in the tournament’s opening round.

Upcoming Opponent: For its second consecutive game, Minnesota State will play Wayne State in the opening round of the Central Region Tournament.  Winners of the NSIC regular-season and conference tournament championships, Wayne State owns a 29-2 overall record and has won 14 straight games dating back to Jan. 20.  The Wildcats last loss came on Jan. 14 in a 71-52 contest against Augustana.  Wayne State won the NSIC/Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Tournament last weekend after defeating Augustana on a last-second, buzzer-beating shot, 62-59.  Wayne State is 3-0 this season against MSU and holds a 9-4 record in the all-time series against the Mavericks including wins in the last six games.  Wayne State won the first meeting on Dec. 2, 78-60, handing the Mavericks their first loss of the 2011-12 season.  With the score tied at 22, WSC went on a 14-0 run over a five-minute span taking a 36-22 lead.  The Wildcats would go into halftime with a 44-33 lead after shooting 70.8 percent on 17-of-24 from the field.  Despite a valiant second-half effort from MSU, the Wildcats wouldn’t budge as they maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the game, sealing the 78-60 victory.  The Mavericks were led offensively by Ali Wilkinson who finished with 19 points while also grabbing nine rebounds.  In the second meeting this season, Wayne State showed its power with an 83-45 victory at the Taylor Center on Feb. 4.  MSU was never able to get its offense going in the second meeting as the Mavericks shot just 28.8 percent compared to 61.7 percent by the Wildcats.  MSU was led by two players in double figures as Weber and Davis each scored 10 points.

Scouting the Wildcats: The Wildcats, coached by NSIC Coach of the Year Chris Kielsmeier, are led by three-time NSIC Player of the Week and recently named NSIC Player of the Year, Ashley Arlen.  Arlen led the NSIC in scoring during the season averaging 18.3 points per game while ranking second in rebounding at 9.3 rebounds per contest.  Arlen is connecting on 49.1 percent from the field and 78.7 percent from the charity stripe this season while recording 13 double-doubles.  This season marks the second straight season Arlen was named the conference’s player of the year and her third straight season receiving First Team All-Conference honors.  She was also named the Most Valuable Player of the NSIC Women’s Basketball Tournament while teammates Ashley Yossi and Ali Schwartzwald joined Arlen on the all-tournament team.  Joining Arlen receiving all-conference honors was teammate Clare Duwelius.  Duwelius leads the conference in three-point percentage shooting 47.8 percent from behind the arc and is third in three pointers made at 2.42 per game.  For the season, Wayne State is averaging 68.1 points per game on 45.2 percent shooting while allowing opponents a league-low 54.8 points on just 33.2 percent shooting.

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