MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State women's basketball (4-4) defeated the Cougars of Sioux Falls (2-4) at home Friday night, 90-48. The Mavericks were led by Joey Batt, who finished with 19 points to lead all scorers. The win against Sioux Falls was the 200^th career win for Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse.

The first quarter was a tightly competitive period, as Minnesota State didn't extend its lead until Batt assisted on an Ava Stier jumper and made an and-one layup to put the Mavericks up 17-6. The Mavericks finished the quarter on a 17-3 run, capped off by a Batt layup. In that 17-3 run, Destinee Bursch had eight points and Mackenzie Schweim had five. Batt had 11 first quarter points for Minnesota State to lead all scorers, helping the Mavericks pave a 34-9 lead after the first ten minutes.

Minnesota State struggled to shoot the ball in the second quarter, allowing the Cougars to go on a quick 7-2 run, cutting the Maverick lead to 36-16. Batt made two threes and a layup to close out the half, as the Mavericks held a 46-22 lead heading into the locker room for halftime. Sioux Falls outscored Minnesota State 13-12 in the second quarter.

Batt had 19 first-half points on 7-9 shooting including 2-2 from beyond the arc and 3-3 from the free throw line. Batt also had three rebounds, two steals and an assist to round out her great first half. Bursch had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. Emily Russo and Stier also had four rebounds each in the first 20 minutes of play. Hannah Herzig had four steals in the first half.

For Sioux Falls, Danielle Minsaas, Kami Wadsworth and Kylie Wroblewski each had four points to lead the Cougars. Wadsworth had three rebounds, three assists and a block in the first half.

Minnesota State shot 42.5% from the field in the first half and shot 3-12 from three-point range. The Mavericks forced 20 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The Cougars shot 39% in the first half and made one of their first seven shots from behind the arc. Minnesota State outrebounded Sioux Falls 24-19 in the first half.

The Mavericks started the second half with a scorching hot 12-0 run to begin the third quarter. Natalie Bremer had six points in that stretch which put the Mavericks up 58-22. Sioux Falls would close out the quarter shooting 6-10 from the floor, but at the end of the third quarter the Cougars would find themselves down big, as Minnesota State held a 69-35 lead going into the final period.

Minnesota State caught fire again to start the fourth quarter, as the team had an 8-0 stretch in the first two minutes and fifteen seconds of the quarter. From there on out, it was an even battle, with both teams scoring 13 points in the final seven minutes. As time expired on the game clock, Minnesota State would hold onto its big lead to secure the win, 90-48.

Against the Cougars, Minnesota State ended with a 47.3% field goal percentage. The team shot 4-19 from three-point range and finished shooting 16-26 from the free throw line. Overall, the Mavericks forced 33 Sioux Falls turnovers which resulted in 36 points off turnovers for MSU.  The Mavericks got the majority of their scoring from the paint, scoring 52 points in that area. Minnesota State collected 17 offensive rebounds against Sioux Falls and had as many second chance points.

Batt finished as the game's leading scorer despite not scoring in the second half, ending with 19 points. The senior from New Ulm, Minn. also finished with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bursch ended with 15 points (6-13 FG), five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Bremer and Schweim each finished with 10 points. Bremer had two steals and Schweim ended with three. Herzig ended with four steals, six points and two assists off the bench. Herzberg grabbed a team-high six rebounds and also had six points of her own.

Sioux Falls had a tough shooting night, shooting 20-57 from the field (35.1%), 3-22 from three (13.6%) and made 5-11 from the free throw line. The Cougars were outrebounded, 46-40, and had two blocks. Ayla Brown, Brooklyn Harpe and Wroblewski all finished with eight points for the Cougars. Minsaas ended with seven points.

Minnesota State is back in the Taylor Center tomorrow evening to take on the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State (2-5) at 5:30 p.m. The Mavericks have won their last two games against SMSU and lead the all-time series 47-23.