MANKATO, Minn.   —  The  No. 17 Minnesota State women’s basketball team (24-4, 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, followed that up with a 75-57 win over MSU-Moorhead in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. The Mavericks will do battle with Winona State, Friday at 12 p.m. at Taylor Arena in Rochester, Minn.

The Mavericks were led by junior Ali Wilkinson who finished the contest against the Dragons with 23 points and eight rebounds, she was one of three Mavericks to net double-digit points, joined by senior Jamelia Hudnell who netted 12 points and junior Steffaney Thomas finished the contest with 10 points.

In their first two games of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament the Mavericks have outscored their opponents by 35 points, while connecting on 58-of-123 (47%) of their shots from the floor, 14-of-43 (32%) from behind the arc and forced their opponents to commit 45 total turnovers compared to 31 by MSU.

Last Time Around:  Minnesota State and Winona State are familiar with each other as Friday will mark the third meeting between the two programs during the 2012-13 campaign. The Mavericks won the first two meetings by 76-68 and 77-68. MSU connected on 57-of-120 (48%) of its shots against Winona State this season and knocked down 19-of-46 (41%) of its shots from downtown, while owning a +10 margin in the turnover column.

The Mavericks have been paced by junior Ali Wilkinson against the Warriors, she is averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest while connecting on 65% (15-23) of her shots from the floor, a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc and a blistering 12-of-13 (92%) from the charity stripe. Fellow junior Karlee Gengenbacher is the only other Maverick currently averaging double-figures against WSU, she is averaging 10 points and three rebounds per contest while connecting on 53% (8-15) from the field and 50% (3-6) from behind the arc.

Winona State is led by senior Becca Friestleben who is averaging 26.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest against the Mavericks while connecting on 18-of-41 (44%) from the floor and 11-of-24 (46%) from behind the arc, she is joined by fellow senior Katie Wolff who is the only other Warrior averaging double-figures against MSU.

Digging a Little Deeper: Winona State is coached by Scott Ballard who is in his eighth season at the helm of the WSU women’s basketball program. The Warriors enter the contest as the fourth-seed and have posted a 21-10 overall record this season with a mark of 13-9 in the NSIC. Winona State defeated Minnesota, Duluth 74-56 in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health tournament and followed that up with a 47-45 at St. Cloud State in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

I’m Honored: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference recently named two Mavericks to its all-conference teams. Junior Ali Wilkinson was named NSIC All-Conference First Team, while sophomore Aubrey Davis received second-team honors.

Double-Down: There have been nine double-doubles by Mavericks this season, junior Alli Hoefer netted 14 points and dished-out 10 dimes against Gustavus Adolphus on Nov. 26. Junior Ali Wilkinson leads the way with eight double-doubles on the season, which ranks her 71st in the nation in double-doubles.

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 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 13 game win-streak through the quarterfinal 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.  The Mavericks then hit a rough-patch in their schedule going 4-4 from Dec. 15 to January 16, but have returned to their winning ways, winning the last 13 contests.

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 eighth-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 12th in the nation. The Mavericks posted the best turnover margin in the NSIC, owning a +6.50 turnover margin through 28 games which is also ranked sixth-best in the nation. Junior forward Ali Wilkinson is currently connecting on 57.5% of her shots from the floor which is the sixth-best shooting percentage 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 28 games this season the Mavericks have turned the ball over 434 times, compared to 617 by their opponents, owning a +183 margin in the turnover column.

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 216-of-285 (76%) of its shots from the free-throw line over a 12.5 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
Week 14      17

High-Powered Match-Up: The Minnesota State women’s basketball team is currently ranked first in the NSIC in scoring offense, averaging 77.1 points per contest, the Mavericks are ranked 8th in the nation in the same category. Glenville State leads the nation in scoring, averaging 95.3 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 12th 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 17.7 points per contest, but there are no Mavericks in the top-30 in the conference in minutes played.

League Honors: Junior Ali Wilkinson was named the NSIC Player of the Week Dec. 10 for her efforts against Winona State and Upper Iowa. 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 against Upper Iowa and Winona State.

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.

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