BILLINGS, Mont. – Minnesota State women's basketball (1-1) fell to the 24th ranked Pioneers of Texas Woman's University (2-0), 76-71 Saturday at Alterowitz Gymnasium. There were 15 lead changes in the game, as well as 12 ties.
The Mavericks started the game shooting 4-16 from the field in the first quarter. However, Minnesota State was 10-12 from the free throw line in the first quarter, aiding a 20-17 advantage after 10 minutes. Hannah Herzig had five points and three steals in the first quarter.
The Pioneers bounced back and outscored Minnesota State in the second quarter 21-14. The Mavericks were outrebounded in the second quarter by 10 and the team shot 33-percent going into the half. Grace Mueller led the Mavericks in scoring with seven points, as well as two steals.
Minnesota State started out the second half strong and Herzig hit a three-point shot to tie the game at 39. With 3:29 left to go in the third quarter, Destinee Bursch downed a jumper to put the Mavericks ahead 47-46. The team rode that momentum the rest of the quarter, leading 56-54 after three quarters.
Minnesota State outscored TWU 22-16 in the third quarter. After three, sophomore Natalie Bremer had 11 points and Herzig had 10 with four steals.
After layups by Herzig and Emily Russo to put the Mavericks up by six, TWU stormed back, hitting two 3-pointers to tie the game at 62. The Pioneers extended their lead to five with 3:40 remaining in regulation.
Herzig and Bursch each hit jumpers to bring the score within one, and Russo got a layup to give Minnesota State the lead, 71-70. However, Texas Woman's University was able to get to the free throw line three times, resulting in six points, to put the game away 71-76.
The Mavericks ended with a 38.2-percent field goal percentage and shot 29.3-percent from three. After 12 free throw attempts in the first quarter, Minnesota State only shot seven free throws the rest of the game. The Mavericks bench posted 22 points and the team scored just as many points off turnovers.
Second chance points between the two teams were fairly even, as the Mavericks had 15 second chance points to the Pioneers' 16. Both teams shot 29.4% from long range but MSU shot nearly 42% from the field. The Pioneers made 21 of 27 from the free throws line.
Herzig led the Mavericks in scoring with 16. She shot 6-14 from the floor, including 1-3 from deep, with five steals and a block. Bursch assembled 13 points and three rebounds. Bremer had 12 points despite struggling from the field (3-12) but made six free throws and had five rebounds.
Mackenzie Schweim had nine points, shooting 2-3 from three-point range. Emily Herzberg led the team in rebounds and blocks with six and two, respectively. Russo also contributed three steals.
TWU was led by Ashley Ingram, who shot 12-15 from the field, brought in 11 rebounds and scored a game-high 29 points. Leila Patel and Jada Celsur also contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively. Celsur grabbed eight rebounds and Patel made seven free throws.
"We're proud of our team's fight today," said Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse. "This tournament provides a great opportunity to grow as a tam and we are doing that right now. We know we've got some areas that need to improve to reach our fullest potential, but the effort and energy continue to remain at the highest level. I love this team and am excited about the direction we're going!"
The Mavericks are back in action for their final game of the Montana State Billings Tournament, as they will take on the Texas A&M – Kingsville Javelinas (0-2) Sunday. Tipoff is 2 p.m. CST at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, Mont. Minnesota State's leading scorer Joey Batt remained out of the lineup Saturday.
