MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team returns to Taylor Center hosting Concordia-St. Paul on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The Mavericks will then take on Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (2-7, 1-3 NSIC) went 1-1 last week in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action. The Mavericks fell on the road at Winona State, 80-52, before mastering Upper Iowa, 75-62. 

Impact Mavericks: Senior Claire Ziegler leads Minnesota State with a team-best 10.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per contest. Senior Logan Anderson is also contributing 9.3 points per game and has dished out a team-high 17 assists this season. Senior Claire Jordan rounds out the top performers with 8.7 points per contest.
 
Stat Pack: As a team this season, Minnesota State is posting 62.6 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 74.3. The Mavericks are also pulling down 37.9 rebounds per game and passing out 9.6 assists per contest. 

Dropping 14: Sophomore Taylor Drost netted a career-high 14 points for the fourth time in her career against Upper Iowa last weekend. She also added a career-best eight rebounds with two assists and one block. Drost has reached double figures in scoring four times this season. 

Rejecting the Competition: The Mavericks recorded a season-high six blocked shots at Upper Iowa. Senior Claire Jordan and sophomore Taylor Drostpace Minnesota State with six blocks each this season.

Chasing the 800-point/500 Rebound Club: Senior Claire Ziegler is looking to become the 14th member of the MSU 800-point/500 rebound club. She currently sits  at  754 points and 472 rebounds over 76 career games. 

100th Win Watch: Head Coach Emilee Thiesse has totaled 97 career wins with an overall career record of 97-57 (73-40 NSIC). She has led the Mavericks to two NCAA postseason appearances and boasts a 53-19 (.736) record at Taylor Center. 

Shooting Free Throws: Minnesota State netted a season-high 21 free throws against Upper Iowa. The Mavericks are shooting .642 from the charity stripe this season. 

Going to the Bench: The Minnesota State bench registered a season-best 32 points at Upper Iowa last weekend. The bench has contributed at least 20 points in six games this season and is averaging 22.6 points per game this season. 

Scouting Concordia-St. Paul: Concordia-St. Paul is located in St. Paul, Minn., and enters the week with a 3-6 (1-3 NSIC) record. Most recently, the Golden Bears came up short at Winona State, 62-43. Concordia-St. Paul is led by second year head coach Amanda Johnson. 

As a unit, the Golden Bears are averaging 63.2 points per game in comparison to their opponents' 70.1. Concordia-St. Paul is also pulling down 31.1 rebounds per game and handing out 11.1 assists per contest. 

In their most recent meeting last season, the Golden Bears edged the Mavericks, 72-61, at Taylor Center. Minnesota State is 6-4 in its last four meetings against Concordia-St. Paul but trails the all-time series, 17-14. 

Junior Anna Schmitt leads the Golden Bears with 21.8 points per game and is shooting .508 from the field. She is also handing out a team-high 2.6 assists per game. Junior  Lindsay Dorr has grabbed a team-best 7.2 rebounds per contest. 

Scouting Palm Beach Atlantic: Palm Beach Atlantic is located in West Palm Beach, Fla., and is a member of theSunshine State Conference (SSC). The Sailfish enter the week with a 1-8 (0-5 SSC) overall record. Palm Beach Atlantic has dropped its last five games and most recently fell to Bethune Cookman, 61-48, in exhibition play. 

As a team, Palm Beach Atlantic is averaging 61.4 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 74.7. The Sailfish are also collecting 36.6 rebounds per game and passing out 8.6 assists per contest. 

This will mark the second all-time meeting between these two schools. The first encounter occurred during the 2007-08 season when Minnesota State topped Palm Beach Atlantic, 97-75, in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

Senior Hannah Grim leads the Sailfish with 19.7 points per game and is shooting .350 from the field. Redshirt sophomore Ciara Cumbie is pulling down a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game and adds 8.8 points per contest. 

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State hosts MSU Moorhead on Dec. 30. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. 

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