MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team (14-10, 11-9 NSIC) will return home for the final two games of the 2019-20 regular season with the opportunity to clinch a first round NSIC tournament home game with a pair of wins.  Friday night, the Mavericks will host the Upper Iowa Peacocks with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m.  Saturday, Minnesota State will take on the Winona State Warriors with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.  Saturday will also feature senior day celebrations for the program's three seniors, Kirstin Klitzke, Heidi Cap, and Taylor Drost.
 
Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (14-10, 11-9 NSIC), enters the week with a 14-10 record after splitting a pair of games last weekend.  Friday night, the Mavericks fell to the Augustana Vikings before they bounced back Saturday for a convincing win over the Wayne State Wildcats.

Stat Pack: As a team, Minnesota State is averaging 76.3 points per game in comparison to its opponents' 71.0. Additionally, the Mavericks average 41.6 rebounds per game and dish out 14.0 assists per game while stealing the ball 12.5 times per game.

Impact Mavericks: Sophomore center Kristi Fett is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Mavericks, averaging 10.2 points per game while pulling down 6.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Kirstin Klitzke is the second leading scorer for the Mavericks, averaging 9.8 points per game as well as averaging 2.9 rebounds per game.  Freshman guard Joey Batt is the team's third leading scorer, primarily contributing off the bench, averaging 9.3 points per game.  

Youth Movement: Several underclassmen are making an early impact for the Mavericks this season. Center Kristi Fett is averaging 10.2 points per game while also averaging 6.5 rebounds a game. Freshman guard Joey Batt is averaging 9.3 points per game to go along with 1.5 steals per contest.  Sophomore guard Maddy Olson is averaging 6.5 points per game this season.  

Bench Squad: The bench players for the Mavericks have outscored their opponents 856-460 to date this season.

Scouting Upper Iowa:  Upper Iowa is located in Fayette, Iowa and are currently 3-23 (2-18 NSIC) on the season. The Peacocks are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Upper Iowa is led by head coach Nate Oakland who is in his first season as the leader of the program.  

As a team this season, the Peacocks net 56.8 points per game in comparison to their opponents' 72.5. Upper Iowa also snatches 35.5 rebounds and dishes out 10.5 assists per contest. 

The Peacocks are led by freshman guard Jessica Musgrave who averages 14.8 points per game to go along with a team leading 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Natalie Dinius is the second leading scorer for Upper Iowa, averaging 8.7 points per game.  

Friday's game will mark the 27th all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 78-71 win for the Mavericks earlier this season. 

Scouting Winona State:  Winona State is located in Winona, Minn., and is currently 16-8 (12-8 NSIC) on the season. The Warriors are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).  Winona State is led by head coach Scott Ballard who is in his 16th season as the leader of the program.  

As a team this season, the Warriors net 71.1 points per game in comparison to their opponents' 67.7. Winona State also snatches 36.2 rebounds and dishes out 13.5 assists per contest. 

The Warriors are led by junior forward Taylor Hustad, who is averaging 14.6 points per game as well as  a team leading 8.2 boards per game. Junior guard Allie Pickrain is the second leading scorer for Winona State, averaging 11.8 points per game and 2.6 assists per game.

Saturday's game will mark the 57 all-time meeting between these two programs, the most recent of which was an 77-65 win for the Mavericks earlier this season. 

Looking Ahead: Next week, Minnesota State will play in the first round of the NSIC tournament and depending on final records will either play a home or road game Wednesday, February 26.  The winner of that first round game will advance to play at the Sanford Pentagon in round two, scheduled for Sunday, March 1.