Starting Off: The No. 8 seeded Mavericks are set for the NCAA Division II Central Region Women's Basketball Tournament as they take on the No. 1 seeded Fort Hays State on Friday March 11 with tip-off slated for 5:00 p.m., Minnesota State heads to Hays, Kan., for the tournament inside the Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Mavericks have split their two games against the Tigers in their brief history. Minnesota State was defeated by Fort Hays State 74-57 back on March 13, 2015 at Fort Hays State. 

Last Time Out: The Mavericks defeated Southwest Minnesota State 89-65 in the quarterfinal round of the NSIC Tournament Feb. 26 and advanced to the semifinal round of the tournament. Minnesota State then squared off against Minnesota Duluth and fell to the eventual conference champion 69-66 Feb. 28. 

Mavericks at a Glance: The Mavericks enter the NCAA tournament with a 21-6 overall record and 16-5 mark in the NSIC. Minnesota State has eclipsed the 20-win mark for the 11th time in team history and fourth time in head coach Emilee Thiesse's tenure that the Mavericks have reached this mark. The Mavericks are the number eight seed in the Central Region bracket in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament.

Tourney Time:  This is the seventh that Minnesota State has made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament that includes a national championship in the 2008-09 season. This is the third time in head coach Emilee Thiesse's tenure that her team has made the NCAA Tournament. The last time the Mavericks went dancing, they fell to Fort Hays State in the first round 74-57 in 2014-15. This is the second time both these teams are meeting in the NCAA Tournament. Should the Mavericks advance to the second round over Fort Hays State they will face the winner of the Missouri Southern State (24-6) and St. Cloud State (23-4) game. On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma (29-4) will take on seventh seeded Missouri Western (21-9). In the final quarterfinal matchup, the third seeded Minnesota Duluth (24-4) will square off against the sixth seeded Nebraska Kearney (23-7).

Scouting Fort Hays State: Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kan., The Tigers are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (MIAA).  Fort Hays State finished their season 28-3 (19-3 MIAA) and winning the MIAA conference championship last weekend over Missouri Southern 48-42. The Tigers are led by head coach Tony Hobson, who is in his 14th season with the team. Under Hobson, Fort Hays State has qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament six times over the last seven years, including each of the last four. Fort Hays State has reached the Central Region championship game twice as well as three MIAA regular season titles and one MIAA Tournament Championship under Hobson. He is the winningest coach in program history posting a record of 282-105 (.729).

As a team this season, Fort Hays State has averaged 72.8 points per game in comparison to their opponents 58.5 per game and finished fourth in the MIAA in scoring offense and first in scoring margin with a plus-14.4 in that category. The Tigers averaged 36.7 rebounds per contest and dish out 16.4 assists per game.

Fort Hays State  is led by freshman guard Katie Wagner and senior guard/forward Whitney Randall, who have amassed 407 and 342 points and average 13.1 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Jaden Hobbs leads the Tigers in made three-pointers with 55 shoot 44.0% from beyond the arc. Hobbs sits eighth in the country in three-point field goal percentage. In addition, Hobbs has been the hot hand in feeding her teammates the ball as she has dished out 126 assists averaging 4.7 per game. Wagner leads the Fort Hays State on the glass this season as she has hauled in 252 rebounds averaging just over eight per game for the Tigers. 

Friday's game will mark the third time these teams have met. In the most recent outing, the Mavericks were defeated by the Tigers 74-57 March 13, 2015 during Minnesota State's last NCAA Tournament appearance.

Award Winners: Minnesota State saw three athletes garner NSIC awards. Joey Batt was named to the All-NSIC First Team for the second consecutive year. Senior Maddy Olson earned All-NSIC Second team recognition for her performance this year.   Destinee Bursch was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year by conference officials. This is the first time a Maverick has received this honor.

Stat Pack: As a team this season, Minnesota State averages 79.0 points per game, which is tops in the NSIC and 12th in the nation, in comparison to its opponents 67.3. Additionally, the Mavericks average 37.7 rebounds per game. The Mavericks have also dished out 15.3 assists per game. The Mavericks own a plus-10.4 turnover margin, which is first in the conference and fourth 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 778-648 (.545).

Picking Pockets: The Mavericks' full-court pressure has been both strong and successful throughout the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks 372 steals leads the NSIC and is fifth in the NCAA. The Mavericks average 14.6 steals per game. In comparison, the next closest team is Sioux Falls who has 266 steals with 9.50 per game. Joey Batt and Maddy Olson lead the team in steals with 64 and 58, respectively. Batt and Olson finished second and fourth in the NSIC. 

Turnover Generator: The Mavericks' potent pressure on the defensive side of the court has been outstanding during the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks boast an NSIC-best turnover margin with a plus-10.04 ratio and forced opponents into 648 turnovers compared to their 354. In addition to the turnover margin, the Mavericks have the seventh most forced turnovers in NCAA Division II. The Mavericks have converted the turnovers into 645 points on the other end.

Most-Offensive: The Mavericks have been driven by their No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the NSIC and 12th in the nation. The Mavericks have scored a total of 2,134 points with Augustana being the next closest with 1,718 points. The Mavericks have averaged  79.0 points per game. MSU also holds a plus-11.7 point-scoring margin, which is tied for first in the NSIC. The scoring has been spearheaded by sophomore guard Joey Batt, she leads the Mavericks and is eighth in the conference in scoring with 414 points and 15.3 points per game. Batt is also 15th in the nation in assist turnover ratio of 2.31.

Walking the Sidelines: Head Coach Emilee Thiesse is in her 10th season at the helm of the Mavericks. She has amassed a 169-105 (.616) overall record, including two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons. In NSIC games, she owns a 130-80 (.619) 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.

Looking Ahead: If the Mavericks defeat the Tigers Friday evening in the quarterfinal round, they will take on the winner of the Missouri Southern State and St. Cloud State matchup on Saturday March 12 with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m., inside the Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan.