Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team will take on Minnesota Crookston in a quaterfinal round game at the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament. The game will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Earlier this Week: The Mavericks are advancing on to the quaterfinal round after defeating Minot State in opening round play last Wednesday by the score of, 87-73.

In the game MSU was down one, 51-50, to MISU midway through the second half, before the Mavericks started to pull away from the Beavers. The Mavericks went on a  20-6 run to put the Purple and Gold ahead 70-57 with six minutes and change left in the game. MSU would hold its lead to finish up the game.

With the win, the Mavericks extended their overall record to 20-8 on the year.

Scouting the Golden Eagles: Minnesota Crookston enters the contest after defeating Concordia-St. Paul in late-second fashion, 63-62, for its opening round game of the NSIC Tournament. UMC holds a 14-13 overall record and went 12-10 in NSIC play this season. The Golden Eagles are coached by newly named  NSIC Coach of the Year in Mike Roysland who is his eighth year at the helm. Saturday's matchup will mark the 18th meeting between Minnesota State and Minnesota Crookston. The Mavericks own a 13-4 all-time record against the Golden Eagles, although UMC was victorious in the latest installment, as UMC beat MSU in overtime from earlier this season by the score of 75-70.

This season the Golden Eagles are averaging 69.1 points a game, while their opponents are averaging 67 points a game. UMC is shooting 39% from the field and its opponents shoot 41%. As a team, they shoot 34% from three which places the Golden Eagles fifth in the NSIC and rank second in the conference in free-throw percentage, shooting 78% from the line. The Golden Eagles also own a +0.7 rebounding margin and a +1.5 turnover margin, which places them fifth in the NSIC.

UMC is led by a pair of juniors who were recently named to the 2014-15 NSIC First-Team in Alexa Thielman and Katrina Moenkedick. Thielman is a 5-8 guard, who leads the Golden Eagles in scoring with 15.7 a game. She also leads the team in three-point shooting and free-throw shooting, with 34% and 88%, respectively. Thielman currently ranks eighth in the NSIC in  scoring, sixth in  three-point percentage and third in free-throw percentage. Moenkedick is first on the team in rebounding and second in scoring. The 5-11 forward averages 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. She also leads the team in field-goal percentage, shooting 47% (154-331) from the field, which places her sixth in the NSIC.

A few other key players for UMC are senior guard Ebony Livingston and 2014-15 All-Freshman Team member,  Emily Gruber. Livingston averages 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and leads the NSIC in free-throw percentage with,  92% (85-92). Gruber, a forward/center,  is averaging 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds a contest.

Honored Mavericks: Earlier this week, seniors Aubrey Davis and Lexie Ulfers were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams. Davis earned First Team All-NSIC, while Ulfers garnered Second Team All-NSIC and All-Defensive Team honors.

Regional Rankings: In the latest Regional Rankings (2/25/15), MSU dropped to No. 8. MSU is the lowest of the three NSIC schools in the rankings, as Wayne State sits in fourth and Northern State is currently in sixth. Last Wednesday's win over Minot State has no barring in the rankings.

Potent Offense: The Mavericks rank third in the NSIC in scoring offense, averaging 74.4 points a game.

Team Rebounding: MSU sits in fourth  in the NSIC entering the contest in total rebounds, as the Mavericks are averaging 40 boards a game. 

Three-Point Shooting: MSU places second in three-point percentage coming into the contest, shooting 36% from behind the arc. The Mavericks also sit in fourth in the conference in made threes per game with 7.4 a game. 

Dropping Dimes: The Mavericks currently rank second in the NSIC in assists per game, with 15.61 a game.

From Deep: Senior guard Ashley Olson  qualifies for first coming into the game in the NSIC in three-point field percentage with 40% (59-148). Olson also ranks fourth in the conference in made three-point field goals per game 2.1, while senior guard Aubrey Davis ranks eighth with 1.9 a game.

Assisting the Way:  Senior guard Aubrey Davis finds herself currently second in the NSIC in assists per game with 4.7, after tallying 4 more assists in the win over Minot State.

Block Party: senior forward Lexie Ulfers currently sits in fifth in the NSIC in block shots per game with 2.0.

Pick Pocketer: Senior guard Aubrey Davis finds herself in the top-ten in the NSIC in steals per game currently as she sits in seventh after tallying 1.8 a game.
 
Minnesota State History: The 2014-15 season will mark the 49th season in Minnesota State women's basketball program history, dating back to 1966. During that span MSU has totaled an all-time record of 678-563 (.546).

Walking the Sidelines: Head coach Emilee Thiesse is in her third season at MSU. In her three years here, she has amassed a 69-20 (.775) overall record, including a 2012-13 NCAA Tournament appearance in her first year. She is also 52-14 (.787) in NSIC games.