MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State women's basketball (9-4, 6-1) returns for its first game of 2024 to take on the Wolves of Northern State (9-3, 5-1) on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Taylor Center. Both teams are currently competing for the top spot in the NSIC. Neither team has played since Dec. 19.
 
About the Mavericks
 
Strong Finish: The Mavericks have won seven-straight games to close out 2023, capped by a definitive 72-61 win over Concordia-St. Paul to secure the top spot in the conference. Minnesota State attacked the Golden Bears with a balanced scoring attack: Joey Batt led all scorers and finished with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and six steals. Destinee Bursch and Hannah Herzig had 16 and 15 points, respectively. Herzig also had five steals.
 
Slim Lead: Minnesota State is sitting in first place in the NSIC heading into the new year, with a conference record of 6-1. After losing their first conference game to Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 21, the Mavericks have won six consecutive games against NSIC opponents. The Mavericks' seven-game win streak is the longest in the conference.
 
Now Up to Batt: Senior guard Batt has been a key leader in the Minnesota State game plan. The New Ulm, Minn. native is averaging 18 points per game with 53/35/81 shooting percentages, 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 steals per game in 2023-24. Batt has scored 14 or more points in each of the last six games, with a stretch of three straight 20-point performances. She is the Mavericks' team leader in points per game, steals per game, field goal, three-point percentage, assists per game, minutes, and steals per game. She is also fourth in the NSIC in scoring, and the conference leader in steals per game. Batt earned NSIC Player of the Week honors for her showing against Augustana and Wayne State.
 
Like Candy from a Baby: The Mavericks lead the NSIC in steals with a team total of 224. Minnesota State has stolen the ball 122 more times than the next highest in the conference, Wayne State. The team also ranks third in the country in steals, averaging 17.2 steals per game, third in turnover margin (11.5) and sixth in turnovers forced, forcing 27.6 turnovers per contest. Minnesota State scores 31.2 points per game off turnovers.
Herzig leads the team in steals, with 40 (3.1 per game). Batt, in eight games, has 35 steals, averaging over 4.4 per game. Natalie Bremer has 24 steals, Emily Herzberg has 23, and Mackenzie Schweim and Bursch each have 21. Overall, the Mavericks have eight players averaging one or more steal per game.
 
Team Stats: Minnesota State leads the NSIC in scoring and scoring margin, averaging 76.2 points per game on 41% shooting, while winning each game by an average margin of victory of 14.4 points. The Mavericks are shooting 24% from three-point range and 71% from the charity stripe in 2023-24. The team collects 41 rebounds per game and dishes out 14 assists on average. Both stats rank second in the NSIC.
 
Team Leaders: Bursch is the Mavericks' leading scorer so far this season. She has scored 181 points and averaged 13.9 points per game on 41% field goal shooting. She is also the leading passer for Minnesota State, assisting on 42 shots this season. Batt's 18.1 points per game leads the team. Herzberg is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 5.2 boards each game. Herzig leads the Mavericks in 3-point percentage, shooting 38% from three.
 
Recent Milestones Reached: Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse reached the 200-win plateau 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 152-84 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 1,570. She now sits behind Ali Wilkinson, who scored 1,634 points in her career. Batt also became the Mavericks' all-time steals leader against Winona State.
 
Approaching Greatness: Former NSIC Newcomer of the Year Bursch is currently 28 points away from scoring 1,000 points in her career.
 
About the Wolves
Northern State has had an excellent start to its 2023-24 campaign. The team began 9-2 before suffering a one-point loss to Minnesota Crookston on Dec. 16 to close out 2023. The Wolves sit right behind the Mavericks in second place in the NISC, with a 5-1 conference record.
 
The team averages 66 points per game on 42% field goal shooting. The Wolves shoot 29% from three-point range and 75% from the free throw line. Northern State grabs 38 rebounds and dishes out 13.9 assists per game. The Wolves average just under seven steals and four blocks per game and average 13 turnovers each contest.
 
Madelyn Bragg is NSU's leading scorer, rebounder and rim defender. She averages 19.8 points per game on 58.7% field goal shooting. Bragg grabs 6.9 rebounds and blocks two shots per game. She also is averaging 1.1 steals per game. Rianna Fillipi is the second-leading scorer and the leading passer for Northern State, averaging 12.3 points, 4.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 5.9 rebounds per game.
 
The Wolves are coached by Paula Krueger in her sixth season coaching at Northern State. Krueger was formerly the head coach at Colorado School of Mines, where she coached for 12 years. Northern State leads the all-time series against the Mavericks, 14-12, and has won eight of its last 10. In the last matchup, the Wolves came back and won 72-69.