MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State women's basketball (5-4) is on the road this week to take on Augustana (1-4) and Wayne State (3-3). The Mavericks play the Vikings on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon and the Wildcats on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Rice Auditorium.
 
About the Mavericks
 
Back on Our Feet: The Minnesota State women's basketball team has now won three-straight games after a skid of three-straight losses. Each of the last three games for the Mavericks has been a double-digit victory, defeating UW-Parkside 98-68 and then Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State by scores of 90-48 and 78-50. Over the three wins, the Mavericks shot 44.7% from the field and averaged nearly 19 steals per game.
 
Finding a Seat at the Table: The Mavericks are currently tied for fifth in the NSIC with Minnesota Crookston, as both teams have begun conference play 2-1. Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth are tied for first place in the conference, starting 3-0 in conference play thus far.
 
Back in the Swing of Things: Senior guard Joey Batt has been excellent in her first four games of the 2023-24 season. After missing the first five games due to an injury, Batt has been the leading scorer for the Mavericks, averaging 16.5 points per game with a team leading .468 field goal percentage, while averaging 3.3 steals and 3.3 assists per game. Batt scored 21 points and had seven steals in the Minnesota State win over Southwest Minnesota State.
 
Like Candy from a Baby: Minnesota State is averaging 16.4 steals per game, with 148 total steals this season, scoring 29.2 points per game off turnovers. Hannah Herzig leads the team in steals with 27 (3.0 steals per game). Natalie Bremer and Mackenzie Schweim each have 18 steals (two per game). Emily Herzberg has 14 (1.6 per game). Despite not playing in the first five games, Batt leads the Mavericks in steals per game (3.3 per game) and already has 13 steals on the season. Overall, the Mavericks have nine players averaging over one steal per game.
 
Category Leaders: Bremer is the Mavericks leading scorer through the first nine games of the season, scoring 124 points and averaging 13.8 points per game. Batt leads the team in points per game, averaging 16.5. Destinee Bursch is averaging 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, three assists and 1.4 steals per game. Herzberg and Emily Russo are the Mavericks' leading rebounders. Herzberg averages 5.9 rebounds per game and Russo averages five. Schweim leads Minnesota State with 10 made three-pointers on the season.
 
A Milestone Worth Remembering: Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse, with Minnesota State's 90-48 win against Sioux Falls, reached the 200-win mark with the Mavericks. 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.
 
Approaching Greatness: Reigning two-time NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Batt is 14 steals away from breaking the Maverick all-time steals record, currently held by Rhonda House who had 290 steals between 1980-84. Batt is also 34 points away from becoming the seventh player in Minnesota State women's basketball history to score 1,500 points in a career. Bursch is 96 points away from scoring 1,000 points in her career.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana women's basketball has started its season with a 1-4 record, losing its last three matchups, including two losses to each of the two top teams in the NSIC, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth. The Vikings find themselves tied for seventh place in the NSIC, tied with four other teams with a 1-2 conference record so far this season.
 
The Vikings are averaging 66 points per game while shooting 38% from the floor. Augustana shoots 36% from beyond the three-point line and 71% from the charity stripe. The team grabs 36.5 rebounds per game and dishes out 13.2 assists per game. Augustana turns the ball over on average 12.6 times per game, while averaging 6.4 steals and 4.4 blocks per game.
 
Augustana is led offensively by Michaela Jewett, who averages over 20 points per game with a 43% field goal percentage and a 41% three-point percentage. Jewett also grabs 6.8 rebounds, dishes out 2.8 assists and averages 1.2 blocked shots per game. Lauren Sees is the Vikings' second leading scorer, averaging 14.2 points per game. Jennifer Aadland averages 10.2 points 7.8 rebounds and two blocks per game.
 
The Vikings are coached by Jillian Flores Bennett, who is in her first season as the Augustana head coach after former coach, Dave Krauth, retired after 34 seasons of coaching. The Vikings lead the all-time series with Minnesota State, 52-34, but the Mavericks have won five-straight against Augustana.
 
About the Wildcats
Wayne State has a 3-3 record to start the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats are currently on a two-game losing streak, also losing their last two games to Concordia and UMD. Wayne State currently sits in last place in the NSIC, losing all three conference matchups this season.
 
The Wildcats average 71 points per game, with a 42% field goal percentage. The team shoots around 29% from three-point range and 75% from the free throw line. Wayne State corrals 35 rebounds and passes out 13.3 assists per game. The Wildcats turn the basketball over 11.8 times per game, averaging 11.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game.
 
Britney Ho is the Wildcats' leading scorer, averaging 14 points per game while shooting nearly 50% from the floor. Ho also leads the team in rebounds, averaging 4.3 per game. Jordon Heckert and Maya Fitzpatrick are each averaging nine points per game. Fitzpatrick is averaging 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals a game. Despite only playing half of their games, Delaney Clark has averaged 11.3 points per game for the Wildcats in 2023-24.
 
Brent Pollari is the Wildcats' head coach. Heading into his sixth season as the Wayne State, Pollari has led the Wildcats to a 57-69 record. Minnesota State leads the trails the all-time series with Wayne State, 16-20. However, the Mavericks have won nine of the last 10 matchups with Wayne State, including the last five.