MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State women's basketball travels to Winona, Minn. on Thursday, Dec. 14 to take on the Winona State Warriors (3-6) for its 12^th game of the 2023-24 season. The game will be played at McCown Gymnasium on the Winona State campus. The Mavericks have won five straight games, including two wins last weekend against Augustana and Wayne State.
 
About the Mavericks
 
Road Success: The Mavericks traveled to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on the Vikings of Augustana Friday, Dec. 8. Minnesota State pulled off a comeback win against Augustana, defeating the Vikings, 64-52. Joey Batt scored 21 points, three rebounds, three assists and twos teals, as the Mavericks held the Vikings to just 18 second half points.
Minnesota State then traveled to Wayne, Neb., where on Saturday night, the Mavericks had a record-breaking game. Against the Wildcats, Minnesota State recorded 31 steals, the most in an individual game in program history. Batt contributed 10 of those steals, the most a Minnesota State player has had since the 1997-98 season. She also scored a season-high 26 points on 11-14 shooting and had five assists. Minnesota State dominated the Wildcats, beating WSC by a final score of 106-64.
 
Where We Stand: Minnesota State is currently fourth in the NSIC, behind Minnesota Duluth, Concordia-St. Paul and Northern State. The Mavericks have won five straight games, the longest win streak in the conference.
 
Batt-ing 1.000: Mavericks star guard Batt has been excellent after missing the team's first five games. The New Ulm, Minn. native has averaged 18.8 points per game with a .539 field goal percentage, both of which are the highest of her career. She leads the team in assists and steals per game, dishing out 3.5 assists per contest and recording 4.2 steals per game. For her excellent performances against Augustana and Wayne State, Batt was named the NSIC Player of the Week.
 
Like Candy from a Baby: Minnesota State is currently leading the NSIC in steals, averaging 17.3 steals per game, with 190 total steals this season, scoring 30.5 points per game off turnovers. Hannah Herzig leads the team in steals with 33 (three steals per game). Batt has propelled herself into second on the team in steals, recording 25 through her first six games. Mackenzie Schweim has 21 steals in 2023-24 (1.9 per game). Natalie Bremer has 20 steals (1.8 per game). Emily Herzberg has 19 (1.7 per game). Overall, the Mavericks have nine players averaging over one steal per game.
 
Team Stats: The Mavericks are averaging 77.5 points per game, with a margin of victory of 14 points. MSU is shooting 41% as a team from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. The team is shooting 69.5% from the free throw line. The Mavericks grab 42.5 rebounds, dish out nearly 15 assists and turns the ball over 16.2 times per game. The team doesn't block many shots, averaging 1.6 blocks per game, second-to-last in the NSIC.
Category Leaders: Bremer is the Mavericks' points leader on the season, scoring 149 points (13.5 points per game) through 11 games. Destinee Bursch has scored 143 points so far this season, averaging 13 points per game. She is also the team's leading passer, dishing out 34 assists this season, averaging 3.1 per game. Herzberg is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. Batt's 54% field goal percentage leads the Mavericks. Schweim is shooting 27.5% from three-point range to lead the team.
 
Recent Milestones Reached: Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse reached the 200-win mark against Sioux Falls on Dec. 1. She is the second head coach in program history to reach this milestone. Coach Thiesse's teams have made the NCAA Tournament four times (2012-13, 2014-15, 2021-22 and 2022-23). She has a record of 151-84 against NSIC opponents.
During the game against Wayne State, Batt hopped two spots to become the fourth leading scorer in Minnesota State women's basketball history, with 1,539. She now sits behind Ali Wilkinson, who scored 1,634 points in her career.
 
Approaching Greatness: Reigning two-time NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Batt is just two steals away from breaking the Maverick all-time steals record, currently held by Rhonda House who had 290 steals between 1980-84. Bursch is 96 points away from scoring 1,000 points in her career.
 

About the Warriors
 
The Winona State Warriors have started the 2023-24 season with a 3-6 record. The Warriors also played Wayne State and Augustana last weekend, winning both games. Winona State is currently tied for sixth place in the NSIC with Southwest Minnesota State; the Warriors have a conference record of 3-2.
 
The Warriors, on average, score about 60 points per game on 40% shooting from the field and just under 30% from three-point range. Winona State shoots free throws at a rate of about 66%. The team grabs 35 rebounds per game and has around 10 assisted shots per game. The Warriors turn the ball over 13.6 times each contest, and average four steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
 
Both Emma Carpenter and Olivia Gamoke average about 10 points per game for the Warriors this season. Carpenter is the leading three-point shooter on the Warriors, shooting 35.6% from beyond the arc this season. Alex Dornfield is Winona State's leading rebounder, grabbing six per game.
 
Winona State is led by second-year head coach, Ana Wurtz. A former Warriors Hall of Fame athlete, Wurtz has accumulated a 14-23 record thus far in her career. The Mavericks lead the all-time series against the Warriors 45-23. Minnesota State has won each of the last four matchups and are 8-2 in the last 10 games against Winona State.