MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team (13-9, 10-8 NSIC) will return to the road for a pair of conference games this weekend against the Augustana Vikings and the Wayne State Wildcats. Friday, the Mavericks take on the Vikings with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, MSU will face-off with the Wildcats with the game slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (13-9, 8-8 NSIC), enters the week with a 13-9 record after a pair of convincing wins against Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State last weekend
Stat Pack: As a team, Minnesota State is averaging 75.4 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 69.9. Additionally, the Mavericks average 41.6 rebounds per game and dish out 13.6 assists per game while stealing the ball 12.8 times per game.
Impact Mavericks: Senior guard Kirstin Klitzke is the leading scorer for the Mavericks, averaging 9.9 points per game as well as averaging 2.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore center Kristi Fett is the leading rebounder for the Mavericks, averaging 5.9 boards per game while ranking second in scoring averaging 9.7 points per game. Junior forward Tayla Stuttley the team's third leading scorer, averaging 8.7 points per game as well as a team leading 2.5 assists per game.
Youth Movement: Several underclassmen are making an early impact for the Mavericks this season. Center Kristi Fett is averaging 9.7 points per game while also averaging 5.9 rebounds a game. Freshman guard Shea Fuller is averaging 4.7 points per game this season. Freshman guard Joey Batt is averaging 8.2 points per game to go along with 1.5 steals per contest.
Bench Squad: The bench players for the Mavericks have outscored their opponents 786-412 to date this season.
Scouting Augustana: Augustana is located in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is currently 13-9 (9-9 NSIC) on the season. The Vikings are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Augustana is led by head coach Dave Krauth who is in his 31sr season as the leader of the program.
As a team this season, the Vikings net 70.0 points per game in comparison to their opponents' 62.6. Augustana also snatches 38.4 rebounds and dishes out 11.7 assists per contest.
The Vikings are led by senior guard Abby Hora who averages 12.2 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds per game. Senior forward Hana Beyer is the leading rebounder for Augustana, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game and contributing 6.2 points per contest.
Friday's game will mark the 79th all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 61-60 win for the Mavericks earlier this season.
Scouting Wayne State: Wayne State is located in Wayne, Neb., and is currently 16-8 (11-7 NSIC) on the season. The Wildcats are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Wayne State is led by head coach Brent Pollari who is in his second season as the leader of the program.
As a team this season, the Wildcats net 76.6 points per game in comparison to their opponents' 70.3. Wayne State also snatches 41.2 rebounds and dishes out 14.4 assists per contest.
The Wildcats are led by junior forward Erin Norling, who is averaging 19.6 points per game as well as a team leading 8.0 boards per game. Junior guard Halley Busse is the second leading scorer for Wayne State, averaging 14.4 points per game and 3.6 assists per game.
Saturday's game will mark the 44th all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was an 79-69 win for the Mavericks earlier this season.
Looking Ahead: Next weekend, Minnesota State will return home to wrap up the 2019-20 regular season. Friday night, the Mavericks will take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, MSU will take on the Winona State Warriors with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
