Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team will continue its stay at the friendly confines of Taylor Center this weekend, as it will play host to a pair of NSIC North Division opponents. The Mavericks will first take on the Bemidji State Beavers on Friday at 6:00 p.m., before they square off with Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

From Last Week: Last weekend MSU fell to Wayne State and Augustana at Taylor Center, as the Mavericks lost to WSC, 72-63, and Augie, 87-73.

In last Friday's loss to WSC, MSU struggled to find its shot in the first half, as the Mavericks finished the half with a 29% field goal percentage, while the Wildcats totaled 42% from the field. MSU was also hampered by turnovers in the loss as it coughed the ball up 22 times in the contest.

Sophomore forward Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] led the way for the Mavericks, as she posted a game-high 24 points and finished 9-of-14 from the field. Junior point guard Britney Scherber [Bloomington, Minn.] collected 15 points of her own, while senior center McKenzie Hoelmenn [Lakeville, Minn.] led MSU with eight rebounds in the loss.

In Saturday's game against Augie, the Mavericks trailed by just two points against the Vikings, 36-34, at halftime. To begin the third quarter, MSU continued its momentum from the second quarter as it began the second half on a 9-2 run, to give the Mavericks a 43-38  lead at the 8:02 mark. That five-point lead marked MSU's largest lead of the ball game.

From that point on it was all Vikings in the third quarter, as they outscored the Mavericks, 32-8, to give them a, 70-51, lead heading into the fourth over the Mavericks. During the run, Augie nailed five-three pointers and forced seven MSU turnovers, which translated into 12 points off turnovers for the Vikings.
 
MSU closed Augie's lead down to 13, 70-57, to begin the fourth quarter after back-to-back 3-pointers from Britney Scherber and junior guard Sammie Delzotto [Eagan, Minn.]. However, that was the closest the Mavericks ever got to the Vikings lead as Augie took the contest, 87-73.

Four players for the Mavericks finished in double figures, as Britney Scherber led MSU with 16 points and five rebounds. Claire Ziegler added 15 points of her own, along with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.  McKenzie Hoelmenn and Delzotto each finished with 12 points, while Hoelmenn also tallied nine boards and Delzotto added six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Concerning Bemidji State: The Beavers enter the week with a 6-8 overall record and a 2-8 record in NSIC play, as they have lost four of their last five conference games. BSU is coached by first year head coach Chelsea Deville. 

Head to head, the Mavericks and Beavers have faced off with each other 40 times and during that span MSU has built a 27-13 all-time record over BSU. The Mavericks have won the last five meetings against the Beavers, including an 80-63 win over BSU in Bemidji, Minn. last season. In the game, Sammie Delzotto tallied 10 points and four rebounds, while Britney Scherber added nine points and three assists in the road win for MSU.

This season the Beavers rank middle of the pack of the NSIC in scoring offense with 69 points per game and give up an average of 66 points a game to their opponents. BSU is shooting 37% from the field this season and its opponents are shooting a little better with 40% from the field. From beyond the arc, the Beavers rank fourth in the NSIC in three-point percentage with 33% and sit fifth in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage defense at 29%.

The Beavers grab just shy of 40 rebounds a contest and own a -1.4 rebounding margin.  BSU owns the fifth best turnover margin in the NSIC with +3.50 and average just over eight steals a contest.

Junior guard Aimee Pelzer leads the Beavers in scoring with 14.7 points per game this season, which ranks sixth in the NSIC. Pelzer is shooting 38% from beyond the arc and averaging 2.5 makes a game which is second best in the NSIC. Pelzer also leads the team with 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals a game this season, which places her seventh and third in the NSIC, respectively.

Sophomore center Sierra Senske is also averaging 14.1 points a game this season which is tenth best in the NSIC and leads the Beavers with 5.9 rebounds a contest. Junior guard Tatum Sheley is also avaeraging double-figures this season with 12.4 points a game is shooting 36% from the three-point arc. Lastly, junior guard Hanna Zerr is averaging 9.9 points a contest and is tied for a team-leading 33.5 minutes per game.

Concerning Minnesota Crookston: The Golden Eagles enter the week riding a seven game winning streak, including wins over Wayne State and Augustana by 15 points or more. UMC owns an 11-3 overall record and an 8-2 record in NSIC play. The Golden Eagles are coached by Mike Roysland who is in his 10th season roaming the sidelines. 

MSU has squared off with UMC 18 times dating back to 1996 and during that span the Mavericks have built a 14-4 all-time record against the Golden Eagles. Last season, MSU and UMC took on each other twice as the two teams first met in Crookston, Minn. and the Mavericks fell to the Golden Eagles in overtime, 80-75. In the second meeting, MSU took down UMC, 70-60, in the second round of the NSIC Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. 
The Golden Eagles this season lead the NSIC in three-point shooting with a 44% clip and also lead the conference in three-point field-goal percentage defense with 25%. UMC also averages 74 points a game and is shooting 43% from the field, both of which rank third in the NSIC. From the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles sit second in the conference in free-throw percentage with 78%. On the boards, UMC pulls down 40.1 rebounds a game and owns a +2.9 rebounding margin.

UMC is led by a pair of First-team All-NSIC members from last season in forward Katrina Nordrick and guard Alex Thielman. Nordrick leads UMC with 16.9 points a game which places her third in the NSIC and also pulls down 7.1 rebounds a game. Thielmean ranks second on the team with 15.4 points a contest and is shooting 47% from the beyond the arc and 85% from the free-throw line. Freshman guard Alison Hughes also averages double-figures with 10.5 points a game and leads the team with 3.4 assists a contest.
 
Leading Scorers: Through 13 games, the Mavericks have two players averaging 10 points or more in junior Britney Scherber and sophomore Claire Ziegler. Scherber leads the team with 14.5 points a contest and ranks seventh in the NSIC in scoring. Ziegler is averaging 13.2 points a game and has tallied double-figures in nine games this season.

Rebounding Attack: Three Mavericks are averaging five or more rebounds a contest through 13 games this season. Senior McKenzie Hoelmenn leads the team with 8.2 rebounds a game and ranks fourth in the NSIC. Sophomore Claire Ziegler sits second on the team with 7.8 rebounds each game, which places her eighth in the NSIC. Rounding out the trio is junior Karina Schroeder [Lake Crystal, Minn.] as she is averaging 6.2 per contest.

Efficient Shooting: Sophomore forward Claire Ziegler leads MSU with a 52% field-goal percentage which is third best in the NSIC.

At the Charity Stripe: Junior point guard Britney Scherber leads the Mavericks with a 85% free-throw percentage, which ranks her fifth in the NSIC. For her career, Scherber is averaging 80% from the line.