Mankato, Minn. --- #11 Minnesota State travels to Duluth, Minn., this Friday to compete in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The Mavericks will take on #10 Central Missouri at 7:30 p.m. 

Last Time Out:  The Mavericks went 2-1 last weekend in the NSIC Tournament as they lost in the finals against #9 Minnesota Duluth 80-74. They won in the second round against University of Mary 81-66, before topping Southwest Minnesota State 100-82 in the semifinals. 

Minnesota State NCAA Tournament History: Minnesota State is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament this season and fourth under head coach Emilee Thiesse. The Mavericks own a 9-6 record in NCAA Tournament games, including an NCAA Division Championship in 2009. 

The Mavericks last appearance in the NCAA Tournament came during the 2021-22 season when the MSU fell to Fort Hays State 66-61 in the first round of the tournament in Hays, Kan.  

About Central Missouri: The Jennies are 25-4 (19-3 MIAA) and are coached by Dave Slifer, who is in his 19th season as head coach. 

The Jennies advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship game last weekend. In its first two games of the MIAA Tournament, UMC defeated Central Oklahoma (82-60) and Fort Hays State (66-64 OT), before falling to Missouri Southern State 78-63 in the championship game. 

Central Missouri is averaging 75.1 points and 40.2 rebounds per game this season, while shooting .464 from the field. 

Brooke Littrell is leading the Jennies with 18.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Olivia Nelson is averaging 12.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. 

Stat Pack: As a team Minnesota State is averaging 84.2 points, 39.0 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 16.6 steals per game. Junior Joey Batt is averaging 16.6 points, freshman Natalie Bremer is averaging 15.0 points a game and, sophomore Destinee Bursch is averaging 14.7 points per game.

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 9th on the all-time scoring list at Minnesota State with 1,395 points, trailing Amy Swanson who has 1,399 points at the 9th spot. 

Taking it Away: Minnesota State junior Joey Batt is ranked third all-time in career steals at Minnesota State with 257. She has recorded 87 steals this season. Batt is trailing Anne Christopherson at the second spot with 286 steals of MSU's all-time steals-list. 

Grand Larceny: Minnesota State leads NCAA Division II in steals per game with 16.6 a game. In total the Mavericks have recorded 481 steals this season. 

NSIC's Player of the Week: Freshman Natalie Bremer was named twice 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. 

(2/13/2023) Bremer averaged 21.5 points, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 70.8% from the field. She notched a career-high 26 points against Wayne State as she connected on 10-of-12 shots from the field. Bremer followed up with a 16-point performance against Augustana that helped snap AU's 10-game winning streak. 

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 804-651 (.552). 

Walking the Sidelines: Head Coach Emilee Thiesse is in her 11th season at the helm of MSU Women's Basketball. She has amassed a 195-110 (.639) overall record, including four NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2012-13, 2014-15, 2021-22 and the 2022-23 seasons. In NSIC games, she owns a 145-83 (.635) career record. 

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

Rank Category Total 

1st steals per game 16.6 

1st turnover margin 12.24 

4th scoring offense    84.2 

15th winning percentage 86.2 

17th assists per game   16.4 

17th assist/turnover ratio 1.17 

41st turnovers per game 14.0 

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

Rank Name Category       Total 

17th Molly Ihle (assist-to-turnover ratio)      2.48 

23rd Taylor Theusch (assist-to-turnover ratio)    2.38 

9th Joey Batt (steals per game)         3.00 

7th Joey Batt (steals)       87 

Home Sweet Home:   Over the last four years, the Mavericks have played to a 40-7 (.851) 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: Should Minnesota defeat Central Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Central Regional Tournament, it will face the winner of the game between Southern Nazarene and Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday March 11th at 7:30 p.m., at Romano Gymnasium. 

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