Mankato, Minn. --- #14 Minnesota State travels to Wayne, Neb., to face Wayne State Friday at 7:30 p.m., and to Sioux Falls, S.D., to take on Augustana Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Last Time Out:  The Mavericks went 2-0 at home last weekend as they topped University of Southwest Minnesota State 81-70 and Sioux Falls 71-61 to bring their home record to 10-1 this season.  

About Wayne State: The Wildcats are 11-11 (7-11 NSIC) and are coached by Brent Pollari, who is in his fifth season as head coach.

Wayne State is averaging 68.6 points and 34.2 rebounds per game this season, while shooting .385 from the field.

Lauren Zacharias is leading the Wildcats with 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Kassidy Pingel is averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Friday's game marks the 36th meeting between both teams. The last match up between the Mavericks and the Wildcats was December 10th, 2022 where Minnesota State prevailed at home, 98-59. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 20-15.  

About Augustana: The Vikings are 21-3 (15-3 NSIC) and are coached by Dave Krauth, who is in his 34th season as head coach.

Augustana is averaging 75.2 points and 39.3 rebounds per game this season, while shooting .447 from the field.

Aislin Duffy leads the Vikings with 16.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Lauren Sees is averaging 14.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Saturday's game marks the 86th meeting between both teams. The last match-up between the Mavericks and the Vikings was on December 9th, 2022 where Minnesota State prevailed at home 84-69. The Vikings lead the all-time series 52-33.  

Stat Pack: As a team Minnesota State is averaging 84.0 points, 40.6 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 2.2 blocks and 17.2 steals per game. Junior Joey Batt is averaging 17.0 points, sophomore Destinee Bursch is averaging 14.4 points per game and freshman Natalie Bremer is averaging 13.8 points a game.

Preseason Outlook: The Mavericks are picked to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll receiving a total of 216 points along with eight first-place votes.

1,000 Career Points: Minnesota State junior Joey Batt scored 31 points in MSU's 80-71 win over UW-Parkside. In doing so, Batt became the 23rd member of the Minnesota State 1,000 Point Club. Batt who ranks 11th on the all-time scoring list at Minnesota State with 1,296 points, trailing Aubrey Davis who has 1,326 points at the 10th spot.

Taking it Away: Minnesota State junior Joey Batt is ranked fifth with 243 steals in her career. She currently has 73 for this 22-23 season. She is trailing Joanne Noreeen and Pat Burns who are both placing third with 244 steals.

NSIC's Player of the Week: Freshman Natalie Bremer was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week (12/5/2022) for her performance in MSU's two wins over Winona State and Upper Iowa. Bremer averaged 20 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two Maverick wins. Bremer scored 21 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the field, including a 3-of-7 showing from the three-point line against Winona State. In her first start of the season, Bremer recorded 19 points, six rebounds and three steals against Upper Iowa.

Minnesota State junior Joey Batt was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week for her efforts against Augustana and Wayne State (12/12/22). Batt averaged 17.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds in MSU's two wins, while shooting 56.0% from the field. Batt notched 20 points and five assists against Augustana, before posting 15 points, five assists and five steals against Wayne State.

Minnesota State History: The 2022-23 season marks the 58th season in Minnesota State women's basketball program history, dating back to 1966. During that span, the Mavericks own a record of 798-654 (.549).

Walking the Sidelines: Head Coach Emilee Thiesse is in her 11th season at the helm of MSU Women's Basketball. She has amassed a 189-109 (.634) overall record, including three NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2012-13, 2014-15 and the 2021-22 seasons. In NSIC games, she owns a 139-82 (.628) career record.

Nationally Speaking: Statistically, the Mavericks rank in several national categories, including:


Rank Category Total
1st steals per game      17.2
1st turnover margin     12.55
4th scoring offense       84.0
16th winning percentage 86.4
19th assists per game      16.6
20th assist-turnover ratio 1.17
45th turnovers per game 14.2

 
Individually, the following Mavericks are ranked in the top-25 in the nation:

Rank Name Category              Total
20th Molly Ihle (assist-to-turnover ratio) 2.52
41st Taylor Theusch (assist-to-turnover ratio) 2.21
5th Joey Batt (steals per game)  3.32
6th Joey Batt (steals)    73

Home Sweet Home:   Over the last four years, the Mavericks have played to a 39-7 (.847) winning percentage inside the friendly confines of the Taylor Center.

Inside the polls: The Mavericks have been ranked in every WBCA poll this year, reaching a ranking as high as #4 on Dec. 13.

Coming up: Minnesota State finishes its last NSIC scheduled games at home on Thursday, February 16th at 7:30 p.m., and on the road Upper Iowa Saturday, February 18th in Fayette, Iowa at 4:00 p.m.