MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team (5-9, 2-8 NSIC) will remain home to take on Minnesota Duluth (9-4, 8-2 NSIC) Friday, at 5:30 p.m., before facing off against St. Cloud State (10-4, 7-3 NSIC) Saturday at 3:30 p.m., at Taylor Center.  Saturday's contest will also celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2008-2009 national championship team.  There will be a celebration featuring members of the championship team at halftime of the game.  
 
Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (5-9, 2-8 NSIC), enters the week after coming up short against Sioux Falls 81-71 last Friday.  Saturday, the Mavericks fell to Southwest Minnesota State 88-73.  

Impact Mavericks: Junior forward Taylor Drost is the leading scorer for the Mavericks, averaging 11.1 points per game, including a career best 21-point outing against the Michigan Tech Huskies that she also matched against the University of Mary. Sophomore forward Rachel Shumski is the second leading scorer on the team averaging 9.4 points per game and is the second leading rebounder for the team averaging 5.9 rebounds per game.  Sophomore forward Brooke Tonsfeldt is averaging the most rebounds with 6.9 per game and also is averaging 1.9 steals per game.

Freshman Fire: Several freshmen are making an early impact for the Mavericks this season. Center Kristi Fett is averaging 6.4 points per game while also averaging 5.0 rebounds a game and leading the team with 13 blocks. Guard Rylee Menster is averaging 5.2 points per game while shooting 46.3% from the floor.

Stat Pack: As a team Minnesota State is averaging 75.1 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 72.4. Additionally, the Mavericks average 43.2 rebounds per game and dish out 15.4 assists per game and steal the ball 9.0 times per game.  

Scouting Minnesota Duluth:  Minnesota Duluth is located in Duluth, Minn., and is currently 9-4 (8-2 NSIC) on the season. The Bulldogs are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Minnesota Duluth is led by head coach Mandy Pearson who is in her 4th season with the program.
 
As a team this season, the Bulldogs net 62.8 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 54.6. Minnesota Duluth also snatches 35.6 rebounds and dishes out 15.7 assists per contest. 

The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Sammy Kozlowski who is averaging 11.5 points per game.  Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is the second leading scorer for the team averaging 9.8 points per game while leading the team in rebounds with 6.8 per game and 2.3 blocks per game.

Friday's game will mark the 61st all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 65-59 road win for the Mavericks in the first round of the NSIC tournament.

Scouting St. Cloud State:  St. Cloud State is located in St. Cloud, Minn., and is currently 10-4 (7-3 NSIC) on the season. The Huskies are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).  St. Cloud State is led by head coach Lori Fish who is in her 11th season as the leader of the program.  

As a team this season, the Huskies net 66.6 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 56.4. St. Cloud State also snatches 37.2 rebounds and dishes out 14.1 assists per contest. 

The Huskies are led by sophomore guard Tori Wortz who is averaging 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.  Senior guard Mallie Doucette is the second leading scorer for the team with 12.6 points per game.   Sophomore forward Nikki Kilboten is the leading rebounder for the Huskies, averaging 6.3 per game

Saturday's game will mark the 96th all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 68-67 loss for the Mavericks last season.  

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State will take to the road next weekend when it travels to Wayne, Neb., Saturday Jan. 25, at 3:30 p.m., to take on the Wayne State Wildcats.  Sunday the Mavericks will face off with Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D., at 1:30 p.m.