MANKATO, Minn.   —  The  No. 17 Minnesota State women’s basketball team (23-4, 18-4 NSIC) earned the second-seed in the NSIC South Division and downed seventh-seeded Bemidji State, 94-77 in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament. The Mavericks will turn their attention to the third-seed from the North Division, MSU Moorhead who owns an overall record of 16-11. The Dragons defeated the University of Sioux Falls 62-50 in their opening round game.

Minnesota State was represented in the scoring column by eight Mavericks who contributed to the opening round win, led by sophomore Aubrey Davis who finished with 18 points. Junior Ali Wilkinson tallied her eighth double-double of the 2012-13 campaign finishing with 17 points and ten rebounds, senior Jamelia Hudnell and junior Karlee Gengenbacher each netted 16 points while junior Steffaney Thomas finished with 12 points.

The Mavericks connected on 34-of-66 (52%) of their shots from the floor, 7-of-19 (36%) from behind the arc while going 19-of-27 from the charity stripe. MSU forced the Beavers to commit 23 turnovers while holding BSU to 6-of-18 from behind the arc. MSU Netted a season-high 94 points, as it downed BSU 94-77.

Last Time Around:  Minnesota State and MSU Moorhead squared off in Taylor Center on Jan. 12, with the Mavericks coming away with the 74-55 victory. MSU connected on 30-of-59 (51%) of its shots from the field, 9-of-23 (39%) from behind the arc and 5-of-9 (55%) from the charity stripe, while the Beavers went 20-of-55 (36%) from the field, 5-of-15 (33%) from behind the arc and 10-of-13 from the free throw line.

The Mavericks were paced in the game by sophomore Aubrey Davis who netted a game-high 23 points while connecting on 5-of-6 (83%) of her shots from downtown. Junior Karlee Gengenbacher was the only other MSU student-athlete to reach double figures, she finished with 17 points. The Dragons were led by senior Kaycee Charette who netted a team-high 12 points on a 5-of-10 shooting effort from the floor.

Digging a Little Deeper: MSUM is coached by Karla Nelson who is in her 13th season as the Head Coach of the women’s basketball program and her 19th season as a member of the program’s coaching staff The Dragons are currently 16-11 on the season and on a two game win-streak, defeating Minot State 74-61 in the regular season finale and knocking off Sioux Falls in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament 62-50. The Dragons are led in scoring by junior Megan Stresse who is averaging 14.6 points per game, and is one of three Dragons averaging double-figures.

Moving On Up: The Minnesota State University women’s basketball was a season-high No. 17 in the latest edition of the USA Today Coaches Top-25 Poll. MSU’s previous highest ranking was No. 20.

Oh Fourth Real?: The Mavericks remained ranked No. 4 in the second edition of the NCAA Central Region Rankings, Washburn and Central Missouri both of the MIAA reside in the top two spots while Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State represent the NSIC in third and fourth place,e respectively.

Proud Programs: The Minnesota State men’s and women’s basketball programs during the 2012-13 regular season combined for an overall record of 44-8. The Mavericks proved to have a potent athletic attack, as the two programs combined for one, 100+ point game, four, 90-99 point games and 18, 80-89 point games. The Mavericks men’s and women’s basketball programs each are currently leading the conference in scoring with the women averaging 77.1 points per contest and the men netting 79.0 points per game.

We’re Going Streaking!: The Mavericks are riding a season-high 12 game win-streak through the opening round of the conference tournament. MSU began its 2012-13 campaign on a seven game win-streak before falling to the University of Sioux Falls, 77-64 on Dec. 15, in Sioux Falls, S.D.  

Effectively Efficent: Minnesota State has shot the ball efficiently for duration of the 2012-13 campaign. The Mavericks are the top team in the NSIC in scoring, averaging 77.1 point per game, which is the ninth-best average in the country. MSU connected on 44% of its shots from the floor, which is the best percentage in the league and ranks 18th in the nation. The Mavericks posted the best turnover margin in the NSIC, owning a +6.52 turnover margin through 27 games which is also ranked ninth-best in the nation. Junior forward Ali Wilkinson is currently connecting on 56.9% of her shots from the floor which is the seventh-best shooting percentage in the nation and sophomore guard Aubrey Davis is connecting on 43.8% of her shots from behind the arc, which is the sixth-best shooting percentage from downtown in the nation.

Join the Club!: Junior forward Ali Wilkinson netted her 1,000 career- point against Winona State making her the 20th student-athlete to reach 1,000 career-points in program history Lisa Walters (1984-’88) holds the program’s scoring record, she tallied 2,072 points.

Tremendous Turnovers: Through 27 games this season the Mavericks have turned the ball over 418 times, compared to 595 by their opponents, owning a +177 margin in the turnover column. In Taylor Center the Mavericks own a +117 turnover ratio and have committed 204 turnovers compared to 321 by their opponents.

Earning it from the Stripe: The Mavericks finished the first half against Minnesota Duluth 1-of-5 (20%) from the charity stripe, since then MSU has converted on 196-of-257 (76%) of its shots from the free-throw line over a ten and a half game span.

In the Polls: The Minnesota State University women’s basketball team has received some love in the USA Today Division II Top-25 coaches poll, and received a season-high ranking in the week 13 poll, cracking in top-20 ranked No. 17 in the nation, the previous high was No. 20 in the week 7 poll.

Week        Pos. (Votes)
Preseason    -
Week 1       RV (10)
Week 2       RV (27)
Week 3       RV (39)
Week 4       RV (95)
Week 5       RV (88)
Week 6       24
Week 7       20
Week 8       RV (19)
Week 9       RV (20)
Week 10     RV (23)
Week 11     25
Week 12     21
Week 13     17

High-Powered Match-Up: The Minnesota State University women’s basketball team is currently ranked first in the NSIC in scoring offense, averaging 76.5 points per contest, the Mavericks are ranked 9th in the nation in the same category. Glenville State leads the nation in scoring, averaging 96.6 points per game.

It’s Good!: The Mavericks have been shooting the ball efficiently during the 2012-13 campaign, as they are leading the NSIC in field goal percentage converting on 44% of their shots from the floor, MSU currently sits 18th in the nation in field goal percentage.

Balanced Attack: The Minnesota State women’s basketball team is currently first in the conference in scoring average, averaging 77.1 points per contest, and junior Ali Wilkinson is fourth  in the league in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per contest, but there are no Mavericks in the top-30 in the conference in minutes played.

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