BISMARCK, N.D. – Mavericks women's basketball (14-4, 11-1 NSIC) took down the Marauders (12-8, 8-4 NSIC) on their home court, 76-66 on Saturday. There were 11 ties and 13 lead changes in the game. Joey Batt scored 21 points, four rebounds and three steals for Minnesota State. Lexie Schneider finished with a double-double for UMary.

The Marauders would start the game up 5-1 after a three and a pair of free throws fell through the net. A tough Ava Stier layup tied the game at 7-7, followed by a steal-and-score for Hannah Herzig to give the Mavericks the advantage. The teams traded leads back and forth until the quarter ended in a tie, 17-17.

After a layup from Schneider opened scoring in the second quarter, Minnesota State would go on a quick 6-0 run, capped off by a two-point jumper made by Grace Mueller to put the Mavericks up 23-19. A pull-up jumper that Natalie Bremer sank extended the MSU lead, 27-21, with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Bremer would hit another short jumper to extend the Maverick lead to eight, but the Marauders responded immediately, driving back down the court and scoring a contested layup to score 31-25. An offensive rebound for Stier turned into easy points and put the Mavericks up 33-25 heading into halftime.

The Mavericks shot 11-32 from the floor in the first half and were 0-7 from three-point range. However, MSU made 11-12 from the charity stripe in the first half. Minnesota State forced 15 turnovers and had six steals in the first half.

Batt was the leading scorer at halftime with 14 points. She also had three rebounds and two steals in the first half. Stier had six points and four rebounds in the first half.

UMary shot 7-24 in the first half. After two first-quarter three-point makes, the Marauders wouldn't make another for the rest of the half, finishing 2-10 from beyond the arc. The team shot 9-14 from the free throw line in the first half. The Marauders outrebounded the Mavericks 22-17 in the first half. In the first half, Schneider and Zander had seven and six points, respectively.

UMary would open up the second half on a tear, going on a 10-2 run in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter, tying the game at 35-35. A layup from Moriku Hakim gave the Marauders a one-point lead, 38-37, with just under six minutes left in the quarter. The Mavericks would respond in a big way. Emily Herzberg made a three-pointer to take back the lead, sparking an 8-0 Minnesota State run, which put the Mavericks up 45-38. But the Marauders would claw their way back, with a jumper from Ryleigh Wacha tying the game back up at 47-47. The quarter ended with the score tied at 49-49 after Destinee Bursch sunk a jumper in response to a Schneider layup for UMary.

The Marauders would take a 52-50 lead early in the fourth after a diving save and an offensive rebound led to a Zander three-point make. Batt would tie the game, sinking a three-pointer assisted by Bursch. After a stop on the defensive end, Stier would receive the inbound pass, drive the baseline and score a reverse layup to put the Mavericks up 56-54. Bremer would intercept an errant pass and take off, driving and scoring a layup in transition to put MSU up four. After a pair of free throws made it a three-point game, Bremer would again drive and finish a contested layup to put the Mavericks back up by five, 62-57. Minnesota State got to the free throw line several times down the stretch, making the most of those opportunities; the Maverick went 12-15 from the charity stripe in the last three minutes, going on a 12-3 run solely off free throws. Minnesota State was able to close out the game, winning 76-66.

The Mavericks shot 39% from the field (22-56 FG) against UMary, making two of their 12 three-point attempts. MSU shot 30-40 from the free throw line against the Marauders. The Mavericks forced 29 turnovers and had 16 steals, scoring 30 points off turnovers. The team also dominated the paint, outscoring UMary 30-23 down low.

Batt led the Mavericks with 21 points, making 10-12 from the free throw line. She also finished with four rebounds and three steals. Bremer ended with 16 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist. Herzberg had 11 points against UMary and had four steals. Stier and Bursch each ended with nine points. Bursch and Herzig both had four steals against the Marauders.

UMary shot 38.5% (20-52) against MSU, making 6-21 from beyond the arc and 20-28 from the free throw line. The Marauders outrebounded the Mavericks 39-31 and had double the number of assists. Both teams combined for 53 personal fouls. Schneider finished with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. She also finished with two steals. Zander finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Mariah McKeever ended with 10 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Both Zander and McKeever had seven turnovers each.

"Our team showed great composure tonight," said Minnesota State head coach Emilee Thiesse. "We came out very aggressive defensively and picked up some fouls early on. We had to make some adjustments, but really settled in during the second quarter and executed our game plan throughout the remainder of the game. I'm really proud of the grit this team has shown through this road trip. We are definitely ready to be back home next weekend!" 

The Mavericks return home next weekend to take on St. Cloud State (10-6, 7-5 NSIC) and MSU Moorhead (6-11, 6-6 NSIC). Minnesota State plays the Huskies on Friday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. and the Dragons on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3:30 p.m. The Mavericks are 4-6 in the past 10 matchups against St. Cloud State and 6-4 against MSU Moorhead.