MANKATO, Minn.   —  The Minnesota State women’s basketball team (11-2, 7-2 NSIC) will take to the road for three contests on the circuit in the next five days, beginning with a rematch against Concordia-St. Paul. The Mavericks downed the Golden Bears 85-66 on Dec. 1. MSU will then take to the road as it travels to do battle with St. Cloud State on Friday, and Minnesota Duluth Saturday.

Looking Back: The Mavericks played two home contests against Northern State and MSU Moorhead, MSU completed the weekend sweep earning a 71-47 win over the Wolves and downed the Dragons 74-55 to improve to 11-2 overall with a mark of 7-2 on the circuit. The Mavericks were led this past weekend by Aubrey Davis who tallied 29 points in the two contests, and recorded 23 against MSU Moorhead, while converting on 5-of-6 of her shots from downtown in the contest.

A Little on Concordia-St. Paul:  The Golden Bears enter the contest with a mark of 8-5 overall and 6-3 in the NSIC. This marks the second time Concordia-St. Paul and MSU have faced each other during the 2012-13 campaign, the Mavericks won the first contest by a score of 85-66.  The Mavericks were led in the contest by Ali Wilkinson who recorded 22 points, the Golden Bears were led by Anika Whiting who tallied 19 points. Concordia-St. Paul is coached by Paul Fessler who is in his 13th season at the helm of the program, and has posted a record of 255-112 in his time with the Golden Bears.

Scouting St. Cloud State: The Huskies enter Friday’s contest with a mark of 11-2 overall and 7-2 in the NSIC, they enter the contest in sole possession of first place in the North Division of the NSIC. St. Cloud is led by Jessica Benson who is currently averaging 15.7 points per game and is just one of two athletes averaging double digit points. The Huskies are coached by Lori Fish who is in her fifth year at the helm of the women’s basketball program.

Probing the Bulldogs: Minnesota Duluth is currently 9-4 overall this season with a mark of 6-3 on the circuit. The Bulldogs are led by Hannah Rutten who is averaging 15.2 points per game, Annette Wiles returns for her fifth season as the Bulldogs’ head coach.

High-Powered Offense: The Minnesota State Univeristy women’s basketball team is currently ranked second in the NSIC in scoring offense, averaging 78.5 points per contest, the Mavericks are ranked eighth in the nation in the same category. Glenville State leads the nation in scoring, averaging 98.3 points per game.

It’s Good!: The Mavericks have been shooting the ball efficiently in the first half of the 2012-13 campaign, as they are currently ranked at the top of the NSIC in field goal percentage converting on 44.7% of their shots from the floor, MSU currently sits 12th in the nation in field goal percentage.

Leading the Way: Ali Wilkinson leads the Maverick offensive attack averaging 18.8 points per contest, which ranks her 27th in the nation in scoring, Wilkinson sits 14th in the nation in field goal percentage, making 56.9% of her shots from the floor, and also ranks 38th in the country in double-doubles this season with five.

Deuces!: Junior forward Ali Wilkinson has played 70 games for the Purple and Gold and has tallied 25 double-double performances, most amongst all active Mavericks. Wilkinson has recorded a double-double in 35% of the contests she has played in.

Balanced Attack: The Minnesota State women’s basketball team is currently second in the conference in scoring average, averaging just under 80 points per contest, and junior Ali Wilkinson leads the league in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per contest, but there are no Mavericks in the top 30 in the conference in minutes played.

New Faces: Freshman Britney Scherber joins the Mavericks for the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign, in which she will redshirt, and will begin competition in the fall of 2013. Scherber comes by way of Jefferson High School where she currently holds the single game scoring record (45), single season three point record (64), career three point shot record (171), career assist record (293), and career scoring record (1,563).

League Honors: Junior Ali Wilkinson was named the NSIC Player of the Week Dec. 10 for her efforts against Winona State and Upper Iowa helping the Mavericks to an overall record of 6-0 and a mark of 3-0 in league play. Wilkinson posted 55 points and hauled in 27 rebounds while converting on 19-31 (61%) of her shots from the field and recorded seven assists, seven steals, two blocks and only committed one turnover in the two contests.

Starting Strong: The Purple and Gold started the 2012-13 campaign with a mark of 7-0 before falling to the University of Sioux Falls, Dec. 15. The 7-0 start marked  the best starting mark since the 2008-09 season when the Mavericks started 17-0, MSU went on to win a national title during that campaign.