Starting Off: The 21st ranked Minnesota State women's basketball team returns from the holiday break to take on the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul. The Mavericks are 11-0 this season. This is the third best start in program history. In the 1985-86 season, the Mavericks started the season with 16 straight wins. Then, in the 2008-09 season the Mavericks started 17-0 before eventually winning the national championship.  

Last Time Out: The Mavericks defeated the University of Sioux Falls 73-64 and Southwest Minnesota State 96-74 on Dec. 17 and 18 before going on the break. The Mavericks are looking to defeat Concordia-St. Paul for the second time this year as they defeated them 84-74 on Nov. 23 in St. Paul, Minn.

Rising in the Polls: The Mavericks improved three spots in the WBCA poll from 24th to 21st. The Mavericks are now the lone NSIC team in the top-25. This is one spot behind the 2013-14 team that finished the season ranked 20th.

Mavericks at a Glance: The Mavericks enter the week starting the season 11-0. Minnesota State is in sole possession of first-place in the NSIC as well as the South Division. They currently have a two-game lead over the Golden Bears in the South Division, who are 5-2 heading into Sunday's contest and a one game lead for the overall conference lead over Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State, who both sit at 6-1 in NSIC play. With a win over the Golden Bears this Sunday the Mavericks would take a commanding three-game lead in the South Division.

Stat Pack: As a team this season, Minnesota State averages 84.5 points per game, which is tops in the NSIC and third in the nation, in comparison to its opponents 66.9. Additionally, the Mavericks average 39.7 rebounds per game. The Mavericks have also dished out 14.3 assists per game while stealing the ball 174 times which is good for 15.8 per game which is first in the NSIC and first in the nation. The Mavericks own a plus-11 turnover margin, which is first in the conference and third in the NCAA.

Minnesota State History: The 2021-22 season marks the 57th season in Minnesota State women's basketball program history, dating back to 1966. During that span, the Mavericks own a record of 769-643 (.544).

Mavericks With The Swipes: The Mavericks defensive pressure has been immense in the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks lead the NSIC in steals with 174 which equals out to 15.82 per game. In comparison, the next closest team is Sioux Falls who has 137 steals with 10.54 per game. Joey Batt and Rylee Menster lead the team in steals with 33 and 31, respectively. Batt and Menster are second and third in the NSIC and 10th and 15th in takeaways in the nation in steals where they average 3.0 and 2.8 steals per game.

Turnover Machine: The Mavericks potent pressure on the defensive side of the court has been outstanding in the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks boast an NSIC-best turnover margin with a plus-10.82 ratio and forced opponents into 284 turnovers compared to their 165. With that margin it puts the Mavericks third in the nation in turnover margin. In addition to the turnover margin, the Mavericks have the ninth-most forced turnovers in NCAA Division II.

Mavericks Hitting From Deep: The Mavericks as a team are shooting well from downtown as they are third in the NSIC in three-point field goal percentage shooting just over 34%. The Mavericks are second in the NSIC in three-point field goals made per game as they have hit a total of 82 so far in the 2021-22 season which averages out to 7.5 per game. Taylor Theusch leads the team and is fourth in the conference in three pointers made. She has made 26 and averages 2.4 per game.

Most-Offensive: The Mavericks 11-0 start has been driven by their number one-ranked scoring offense in the NSIC and third in the nation. The Mavericks have scored a total of 930 points. They have averaged just over 84 points per game. The Mavericks also hold a plus-17.6 point-scoring margin, which also leads the NSIC and is good for 19th in the country. This bus has been driven by sophomore guard Joey Batt as she leads the Mavericks and is third in the conference in scoring with 198 points and 18 points per game.

Applying the Pressure: The Maverick defense has been putting the pressure on their opponents early and often. The Mavericks have forced their opponents into 284 turnovers, tops in the NSIC, compared to 165 of their own in the 2021-22 season.  The Mavericks have turned those turnovers into 288 points on the other end. The Mavericks average only 15 turnovers a game compared to their opponents 25.8.

Walking the Sidelines: Head Coach Emilee Thiesse is in her 10th season at the helm of the Mavericks. She has amassed a 160-99 (.617) overall record, including two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons. In NSIC games, she owns a 121-75 (.617) career record.

Player to Watch: Sophomore Joey Batt was named the Mavericks' Player to Watch this season by the NSIC. Last season, Batt led Minnesota State in scoring to be named to the NSIC South Division All-Conference First Team as well as NSIC South Division Defensive Player of the Year. She was also named to the NSIC South Division All-Defensive Team.  She finished the season with 214 points, 45 rebounds and 50 steals while also being named to the NSIC All-Academic team of Excellence.

Scouting Concordia-St. Paul: Concordia- St. Paul University is located in St. Paul, Minn. The Golden Bears are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Golden Bears are currently 9-2 (5-2 NSIC). Concordia St. Paul is led by head coach Amanda Johnson, who is in her 7th season with the team.

As a team this season, the Golden Bears have averaged 72.6 points per game in comparison to their opponents 62.5 per game and is third in the NSIC in scoring offense and second in scoring margin with a plus 10.2 in that category. The Golden Bears average 42.3 rebounds per contest and dish out 15.5 assists per game.

The Golden Bears are led by freshman forward Lindsey Becher and junior guard Meghan DuBois, who average 13.1 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. DuBois also leads the team in assists with 61, which leads the NSIC and is 10th in the nation so far in the 2021-22 season. Sophomore forward Sydney Zgutowicz leads the way on the glass for the Golden Bears as she has snatched 86 rebounds so far this season and averages 7.8 per contest, which is good for third in the NSIC. DuBois also leads the Golden Bears and is seventh in the NSIC in steals with 27 and averages 2.5 per game.

Thursday's game will mark the 43rd time these teams have met. In the most recent outing, the Mavericks defeated the Concordia-St. Paul 84-74 on Nov. 23 earlier this year. The Golden Bears own the all-time series with an 22-21 record.

Looking Ahead: The Mavericks hit the road next weekend as they head to Duluth, Minn. to take on the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth Jan. 7 with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m., Then, on Saturday Jan. 8 the Mavericks take on rival St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minn. with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m.


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