MANKATO, Minn. --- The No. 24 Minnesota State women's basketball team will enter this weekend's contest averaging 103.5 point per game after posting the second most points in program history after defeating Buena Vista last Tuesday by the largest margin of victory in MSU women's basketball history, 62 points. The Mavericks will look to improve on their 1-1 record as they do battle with Metro State and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
The Mavericks opened the 2013-14 slate with a 96-88 loss to No. 8 Central Missouri before rebounding with a 119-57 win at home against Buena Vista, extending their home winning-streak to 18, which is the longest in Taylor Center history by a women's basketball team.
Sophomore Aubrey Davis (Bloomington, Minn.) paced the Mavericks against Central Missouri, tallying 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. Davis was one of six Mavericks to tally double-digits in the loss. It was redshirt freshman Britney Scherber (Bloomington, Minn.), who led the Mavericks against Buena Vista, the 5-7 guard would record a game-high 20 points. In the 119-57 victory, the Mavericks would see seven athletes reach double-digits and as a team connected on 57% of their shots from the field and 48% from behind the arc.
On the season, MSU is connecting on 51% (73-143) of its shots from the field and 49% (23-47) from behind the arc, while forcing 52 turnovers, recording 32 steals. The Mavericks have taken care of the ball only allowing their opponents to tally 13 steals on the Mavericks 28 turnovers. MSU is averaging 37.5 rebounds to its opponents 43.5.
Scouting the Roadrunners: This will mark the fourth meeting between the two schools in program history, with MSU holding a 2-1 advantage, with the most recent contest ending in a 76-60 Minnesota State victory.
Tanya Haave is the head coach of the Metro State women's basketball program, and was named the RMAC coach of the year in 2011 and 2012. Haave is responsible for the only three teams in program history to have won NCAA tournament games. Last season, her Roadrunners posted a 21-10 record, including a mark of 17-5 in the RMAC.
Metro State has won a pair of exhibition contests this season, as it downed MidAmerica Nazarene 61-53 and Grand View (Iowa) 67-51. The Roadrunners were led by 5-11 senior Amy Nelson who posted double-digit points in both contests and averaged 12 points per game during Metro State's exhibition slate. Nelson was one of two Roadrunners to average double-figures a season ago, averaging 11.3 points per game.
Scouting the Mountain Lions: This will be the first meeting between the UCCS Mountain Lions and the Minnesota State Mavericks. The Mountain Lions are under the direction of fourth year head coach Corey Laster, who is the first UCCS coach in program history to lead the Mountain Lions to back-to-back RMAC Shootout appearances.
UCCS finished third in the conference a season ago, posting a 19-8 overall record, while going 16-6 in RMAC action. Last season UCCS was led by sophomore Abby Kirchoff, who finished the season averaging 14.1 points per contest.
The Mountain Lions are off to a 1-1 start, as they opened the season with an 85-76 loss to Bemidji State, but rebounded with a 76-64 win over California Baptist as part of the UCCS Classic held this past weekend. Returning for her junior campaign, Kirchoff leads the Mountain Lions with 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
In the Polls: The Minnesota State University women's basketball team dropped one spot to No. 24 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top-25 Poll released Tuesday, the Mavericks finished the 2012-13 campaign ranked No. 17, which was a season-high.
Week Pos. (Votes)
Preseason 23
Week 1 24
Preseason Prognosis: The Mavericks were picked to finish second in both the NSIC South Division and the overall NSIC poll. MSU received five first-place votes and finished only three points behind Concordia-St. Paul in the coaches' preseason poll.
Effectively Efficient: Minnesota State picked up right where it left off a season ago, connecting on 51% of its shots from the field, and 49% from behind the arc in the first two contests of the 2013-14 season. The Mavericks are currently first in the NSIC in scoring average, averaging 103.5 points per game, first in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 49% (23-47) of their shots from behind the arc, and boast the leagues best turnover margin (+12).
We're Going Streaking!: The Mavericks are currently riding a program-best 18-game winning streak in Taylor Center. A streak dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. During the 2012-13 campaign MSU went a perfect 15-0 at home, improving its record to 114-68 (.626) all-time in Taylor Center.
Surpassing the Century Mark: The Minnesota State women's basketball team posted the second-most points in program history with its 119-57 win over Buena Vista on Nov. 11, in what proved to be the most lopsided victory by the MSU women's basketball team, with a 62 point margin of victory.
