Mankato, Minn. - The Minnesota State women's basketball team will host Concordia-St. Paul Saturday at Taylor Center. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. The game will mark as the Mavericks final game before the new year.

From Last Week: MSU went 1-1 this past week at home, as it took down Upper Iowa on Friday by the score of 75-54, before falling to #11 Winona State on Saturday evening, 74-59. 

In Friday's win over Upper Iowa, MSU shot 46% from the field and held UIU to a 25% field-goal percentage. The Mavericks also shot 17-of-19 from the free-throw line, while the Peacocks shot just 15-of-26 from the charity stripe. MSU was also able to force 18 UIU turnovers which translated into 19 points off turnovers.

Junior point guard Britney Scherber [Bloomington, Minn.] led MSU with 22 points, including 17 first half points. Scherber made 8-of-12 of her shots from the field and also added two assists and two steals in the win. Senior center McKenzie Hoelmenn [Lakeville, Minn.] recorded her second double-double of the season, as she posted 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] also finished the game in double-figures with 10 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Claire Jordan [Green Bay, Wis.] tallied nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

In Saturday's loss to #11 Winona State, the Mavericks shot just 29% from the field, while the Warriors finished the game with a 44% field-goal percentage. WSU outrebounded MSU in the game, 45-33 and owned a 29-16 advantage in the second half alone. The Warriors also outscored the Mavericks in second chance points, 16-6, and points in the paint, 20-10.

Hoelmenn set a new career-high of 15 points in the loss and also added seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Sophomore Madison Lee [Coon Rapids, Minn.] chipped in with 14 points and a new career-high five assists, while Scherber tallied 10 points in the loss. Jordan did a little bit of everything in the game as she added seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Concerning Concordia-St. Paul: The Golden Bears enter Saturday's matchup with a 5-5 overall record and a 1-3 record in NSIC play, after losing three straight games to Augustana, Winona State and Upper Iowa. CU is coached by Paul Fessler who is in his 16th season at the helm and has accumulated a 321-142 overall record with the program. 

Saturday's matchup will mark as the 28th all-time meeting between MSU and CU, as the Mavericks own a 12-15 all-time record against the Golden Bears. Both teams met up twice last season and the road team in each game earned the win. In game one of last season, the Mavericks took down the Golden Bears in St. Paul, 64-60, before MSU fell to CU at Taylor Center, 86-73.

This season the Golden Bears own the fourth best scoring offense in the NSIC as they average 74.1 points a game and rank seventh in the conference in field-goal percentage with 42%. CU's opponents average 73.1 points each game and are averaging 41% from the field. The Golden Bear's connect on 26% of their three-point attempts, which ranks second to last in the NSIC and their opponents are shooting 36% from three which places them last in the NSIC. CU dishes out 14.0 assists and grab 41.7 boards a game. The Golden Bears also own a +2.4 rebounding margin and a +1.00 turnover margin.

Sophomore guard Lauren Shifflett leads the Golden Bears in scoring with 14.8 points per game, which places her eighth in the NSIC. Freshman guard Anna Schmitt is second on the team with 13.1 points each contest and leads the team with a 50% 950-100) field-goal percentage, which is fourth best in the NSIC. CU has two other players averaging double-figures, as junior Caitlyn Russel is averaging 10.3 points and junior Mishayla Jones is right behind with 10.2 points each game. The Golden Bears also have the top rebounder in the NSIC, as sophomore Kyrah Fredenburg is averaging 10.4 rebounds per game.

Leading Scorers: Through eight games, the Mavericks have three players averaging 10 points or more in junior Britney Scherber, senior McKenzie Hoelmenn and sophomore Madison Lee. Scherber leads the trio with 14.0 points each game, while Hoelmenn ranks second on the team with 10.5 points a contest. Lee rounds out the trio with 10.3 points per game.

Rebounding Attack: Three Mavericks are averaging five or more rebounds a contest through eight games this season. Senior McKenzie Hoelmenn leads the team with 8.5 rebounds each game, which places her third in the NSIC. Sophomore Claire Ziegler is second on the team in rebounds per game with 7.6 which ranks her ninth in the NSIC. Junior Karina Schroeder [Lake Crystal, Minn.] is third on the team in rebounds per game with 6.6 boards.

From the Beyond the Arc: Junior guard Britney Scherber leads MSU with a 42% (14-33) three-point percentage, while sophomore Madison Lee ranks second on the team with a 38% (16-42) three-point percentage.

Minnesota State History: The 2015-16 season will mark the 50th season in Minnesota State's women's basketball program history, dating back to 1966. During that span MSU has totaled an all-time record of 681-573 (.543).

Walking the Sidelines: Head coach Emilee Thiesse will begin her fourth season at MSU. In her three years plus here, she currently has amassed a 72-28 (.720) overall record, including two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons. In NSIC games, she owns a 53-17 (.757) career record.