MANKATO, Minn.   —  The Minnesota State women’s basketball team (9-2, 5-2 NSIC) will return to friendly confines of the Taylor Center for a pair of games against conference opponents in Northern State and MSU Moorhead after splitting this past weekend against ranked opponents. The Mavericks defeated No. 5 Augustana College Friday evening, but fell to No. 19 Wayne State Saturday evening.

What’s Next?: The Mavericks are 8-4 all-time against Northern State, who enters the contest with an overall mark of 8-3 overall, 4-3 in league play, the two teams will do battle Friday, Jan. 11 at the Taylor Center, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. Minnesota State will return to action Saturday, Jan. 12 as it plays host to MSU Moorhead is 7-4 on the season and 3-4 in the NSIC, tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.

Looking Back: The Mavericks faced a pair of ranked opponents for the first time during the 2012-13 campaign this past weekend as it downed No. 5 Augustana College 80-79, Jan. 4 to improve to 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in the NSIC. MSU was paced in the contest by junior forward Ali Wilkinson who finished with a career-high 35 points and also hauled in 11 rebounds. Following the win, the Mavericks traveled to Wayne, Neb. to square off against No. 19 Wayne State, in hopes of completing the weekend sweep. MSU fell short in their effort though, falling to the Wildcats 78-56, the Mavericks were led once again by Wilkinson who finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, both were team-highs.

A Little on Northern State: The Wolves enter the contest with an 8-3 record and a mark of 4-3 on the circuit, they are coming off a 63-56 loss at home to Minnesota Crookston. NSU is under the direction of Curt Fredrickson who has tallied 707 wins in 33 seasons, and is just one of two Division II coaches to reach 700 career wins. The Wolves are led by Alison Kusler who is averaging 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest.

Scouting MSU Moorhead: The Dragons are currently 7-4 overall and hold a mark of 4-3 in NSIC play. MSU Moorhead defeated Bemidji State at home last Saturday, 75-55, earning its seventh win of the 2012-13 campaign. The Dragons are coached by Karla Nelson who is in her 13th season as head coach. The Dragons have three student-athletes averaging double-digit points, led by Megan Stresse who is averaging a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest.

Deuces!: Junior forward Ali Wilkinson has played 68 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 37% 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 20.5 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).

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