MANKATO, Minn. --- Despite a slow start, the Minnesota State women's basketball team defeated the University of Mary Marauders, 70-59, Saturday at Taylor Center.
 
With the win, the Mavericks improve to 9-3 (6-2 NSIC), while the Marauders fall to 11-6 (5-3 NSIC).
 
U-Mary jumped out to an 11-4 lead with 3:12 left in the first quarter while Minnesota Struggled to find the bottom of the net with any consistency. A three-pointer by Kirstin Klitzke cut the Maverick deficit to just three points at 11-8, but the Marauders ended the quarter with a pair of free throws and a jumper to lead 15-8 after one quarter.
 
In the second quarter, MSU outscored U-Mary 24-12. The Mavericks drew within two points at 18-16 with 6:30 to play before they took their first lead of the game with 4:16 to play in the half as Tayla Stuttley knocked down a triple to make it 24-22. The Mavericks took a 32-27 lead into the half.  MSU shot 10-of-40 in the opening half compared to 10-of-30 by the Marauders.
 
U-Mary used a 7-0 run in the third quarter to knot things up at 36-36 with 6:46 to play, but MSU responded with an 8-0 run to take a 44-36 lead with 3:27 to play in the quarter. The Mavericks led 51-43 going into the final frame.
 
MSU started the final quarter with a 6-0 run, extending its lead to 57-43 with 7:48 to play. The squads traded baskets the rest of the way as the Mavericks went on to win 70-59.
 
Joey Batt led the Mavericks with 17 points on 4-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Kristi Fett scored 14 points on 7-11 shooting and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Taylor Drost added 10 points and five rebounds, while Brooke Tonsfeldt recorded five points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
 
As a team, MSU shot 24-of-75 (32.0%) from the field compared to 20-of-66 (30.3%) by U-Mary. The Mavericks held a 56-50 rebounding edge in the contest and held a 47-7 advantage in bench scoring.
 
Minnesota State will now travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. for a conference game with the Sioux Falls Cougars. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Friday night.