MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team will take to the road for the first conference road trip of the season, traveling to Marshall, Minn. Friday at 5:30 p.m. to face off with the Mustangs, and then to Sioux Falls, Minn., Saturday at 4:00 p.m. to take on the Cougars.  

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (5-1, 1-0 NSIC), enters the week after handily defeating the Bethany Lutheran Vikings Monday night at Taylor Center, 98-46, a game which saw seven Mavericks score in double figures. MSU then opened NSIC play with an 83-60 victory over Concordia-St. Paul Saturday, a game in which sophomore forward Rachel Shumski paced the Mavericks in scoring with 15 points and added 11 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season.  

Impact Mavericks: Junior forward Taylor Drost is the leading scorer for the Mavericks averaging 10.8 points per game, including a career best 21-point outing against the the Michigan Tech Huskies. Senior guard Monica Muth is also averaging double figure points per game with 10.0 and leads the team with ten three-pointers made, shooting them at 47.6%.  Sophomore forward Brooke Tonsfeldt is the leading Maverick in rebounds averaging 6.4 per game and also is averaging 3.0 steals per game.

Freshman Fire: Several freshmen are making an early impact for the Mavericks this season.  Center Kristi Fett is the fourth leading scorer for the team averaging 7.4 points per game and is shooting 64.0% from the floor, while also averaging 4.2 rebounds a game, and leading the team with 1.2 blocks per game.  Guard Maddy Olson is averaging 5.6 points per game and 2 assists per game, and guard Rylee Menster is averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 50.0% from the floor and has made the second most free throws on the team with 10 made. 

Scouting Southwest Minnesota State:  Southwest Minnesota State is located in Marshall, Minn., and is currently 3-3 on the season. The Mustangs are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Southwest Minnesota State is led by head coach Tom Webb who is in his third season with the program.    

As a team this season, the Mustangs net 74.7 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 72.0. Southwest Minnesota State also snatches 40.2 rebounds and dishes out 11.3 assists per contest. 

The Mustangs are led by junior forward Caleigh Rodning who is averaging 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.  Sophomore guard Maleah Reinhart is the second leading scorer for the team averaging 12.3 points per game. 

Friday's game will mark the 48th all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 56-53 for the Mavericks.  

Scouting Sioux Falls:  Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls S.D., and is currently 5-1 on the season. The Cougars are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Sioux Falls is led by head coach Travis Traphagen who is in his 11th season with the program.    

As a team this season, the Cougars net 79.2 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 51.5. Sioux Falls also snatches 41.8 rebounds and dishes out 15.5 assists per contest. 

The Cougars are led by junior guard Kaely Hummel who is averaging 12.8 points and 1.7 steals per game.  Freshman forward Krystal Carlson is the second leading scorer for the team averaging 8.7 points per game.  Freshman guard Hanna Jones is the leading rebounder for the Cougars, averaging 6.3 a game.  

Saturday's game will mark the 13th all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 61-60 win for the Mavericks

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State will return home to face off with the Winona State Warriors Friday, Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m., and the Upper Iowa Peacocks Saturday, Dec. 15 at 6:00 p.m.