Mankato, Minn. - The Minnesota State women's basketball team will host Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The game will mark as the Mavericks home opener.
Earlier this Week: The Mavericks began their 2015-16 regular season earlier this week down in Missouri, as MSU squared off with a pair of MIAA opponents in Missouri Southern State and Missouri Western State. The Mavericks lost both games, as they fell to MSSU last Wednesday, 70-58, in Joplin, Mo., before falling to MWSU on Thursday, 89-52, in St. Joseph, Mo.
Concerning Missouri-St. Louis: The Tritons currently sit at 1-2 so far this season, as they have lost to Lindenwood and Upper Iowa. UMSL is coached by Katie Vaughn who is in her fourth season at the helm and owns a 50-34 overall record in her first three seasons with the team. Sunday's game will mark as the second all-time meeting between the two teams, as the Tritons defeated the Mavericks last season 83-68 in St. Louis, Mo.
In the game last season, MSU shot 40% (21-53) from the field and forced 26 UMSL turnovers. Junior guard Sammie Delzotto [Eagan, Minn.] led the Mavericks in the game with 17 points, three rebounds and two steals. Delzotto also shot 4-of-10 from the field, including two three pointers and hit 7-of-9 of her free throw attempts.
This season the Tritons are averaging 68 points a ball game, while holding their opponents to 65.7 points a game. UMSL is shooting 43% from the field and 32% from the beyond the arc, while its opponents are shooting 43% from the field and 36% from three-point territory.
The Tritons dish out 15.7 assists and grab 28.7 rebounds a game and own a -5.6 rebounding margin. UMSL forces 22.7 turnovers a game, while the Tritons turn the ball over 15.7 times a game. The Tritons also average two times more steals a game than their opponents, 14 steals to seven each game.
UMSL is led by senior forward Kelly Kunkel this season, who was a Second-Team All-GLVC selection last season. Kunkel is averaging team-high's of 17 points and six rebounds a contest through three games. She is also averaging a team-best 38 minutes and is shooting 38% (18-48) from the field.
The Tritons have two other players averaging double-digits in junior guard Robneisha Lee and junior guard Sydney Bloch. Lee is second on the team with 11.7 points a game and has tallied a team-high 11 steals through three games. Lee is also shooting 40% (10-25) from the field and has connected on 15-of-18 on her free-throw attempts. Bloch is averaging 11 points, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals a game, while shooting 52% (13-25) from the field.
Action for Newcomers: Five new Maverick players saw action earlier this week against Missouri Southern State and Missouri Western State. Freshmen Monica Muth [Cambridge, Wis.], Taylor Paulsrud [Rogers, Minn.] and Ashley Reed [Whitefish Bay, Wis.] all saw playing time for the first time in a Maverick uniform. Transfers Logan Anderson [Clear Lake, Iowa] and Karina Schroeder [Lake Crystal, Minn.] also saw playing time for the first time in a MSU uniform.
Numerous Career-High's: Many returning players for the Mavericks set new career-high's in a variety of statistics earlier this week. The list includes: junior Claire Jordan [Green Bay, Wis.] posted 19 minutes against Missouri Southern State; junior Madison Lee [Coon Rapids, Minn.] tallied 23 minutes and 12 points against Missouri Southern State; sophomore Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] recorded 12 points against Missouri Southern State and eight rebounds against Missouri Western State; senior McKenzie Hoelmenn [Lakeville, Minn.] tied a career-high of 10 rebounds against Missouri Southern State.
Rebounding Machines: Through two games, senior McKenzie Hoelmenn and sophomore Claire Ziegler both find themselves ranked in the top-ten in the NSIC in rebounding average. Hoelmenn ranks second in the NSIC with 9.5 rebounds a contest, while Ziegler sits 10th in the NSIC with 7.5 a ball game.
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