MANAKATO, Minn. – #22 Mavericks women's basketball (17-4, 14-1) is on the road this weekend to take on the Southwest Minnesota State (13-7, 11-3 NSIC) and Sioux Falls (7-11, 5-9 NSIC) basketball teams. Minnesota State plays the Mustangs on Friday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m. and takes on the Cougars on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 3:30 p.m. MSU has won 15 straight games and sits in first place in the NSIC with a 14-1 conference record.
 
About the Mavericks
They're in the Dog House, Now: The Mavericks, with an 81-63 win over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Tuesday, extended a streak and ended a streak simultaneously; MSU continued its winning streak, now up to 15 games, the longest under head coach Emilee Thiesse, while also ending a nine-game losing streak to UMD that reached back to Jan. 2019. The Bulldogs defeated the Mavericks in Mankato back in November. That loss was the catalyst for the team's current winning streak.

Playing Host: Minnesota State hosted two games against St. Cloud State and MSU Moorhead last weekend. The Mavericks beat the Huskies on Friday evening, 71-47. MSU was able to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Huskies 29-4 in the third. The Mavericks beat the Dragons 80-57 on Saturday afternoon. Natalie Bremer tied her season-highs in both points and steals, finishing with 21 points and six steals.

Top Spot: Minnesota State enters the weekend still in sole possession of the top spot in the NSIC. The Mavericks have won 15 straight games and have accumulated a 14-1 conference record. Northern State and Southwest Minnesota State are 11-3, sitting behind MSU in second place.

Rising the Ranks: The Mavericks rose to #22 in the WBCA NCAA Division II Top-25 Coaches' Poll this week. MSU reentered the poll last week for the first time this regular season, entering at #25.

Leading Batt: Senior guard Joey Batt has been one of the best players in the conference this season. After sitting out the first five games of the season due to injury, Batt is averaging 15.1 points per game on 43/38/80 shooting splits. Batt is also a premier defender, averaging nearly four steals per game, which leads the team. Batt earned NSIC Player of the Week honors for her showing against Augustana and Wayne State. She averaged 23.5 points in those games, six steals and four assists while shooting 66% from the field. She leads the NSIC in steals and is 9th in the country.

Destinee Is Calling: Destinee Bursch is another star for this Mavericks basketball team. Bursch is averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Bursch was named the NSIC Player of the Week for her excellent performance against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. The junior guard had a 20-point double-double against Bemidji State and a 25-point game in a dominant win against Minnesota Crookston. In the game Against the Beavers, the Chaska, Minn. native crossed the 1,000-career-point threshold, becoming the 25th player in program history to do so.

Sophomore Stud: Sophomore guard Natalie Bremer has had the opposite of a "sophomore slump" in 2023-24. Bremer is averaging 14.1 points per game, shooting 46% from the field and 86% from the charity stripe. She grabs 3.7 rebounds and averages 2.4 steals per game. Bremer has been on a heater lately, scoring 15+ points in the last five games, including two 21-point performances, tying her season-high.
"She cannot be overlooked on any scouting report; You can't look past that kid," said Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse. "She is so deadly in so many areas for us. On defense, she can disrupt passing lanes, she makes plays for us on defense that don't always make the stat sheet and that is so valuable."

Like Candy From a Baby: The Mavericks lead the NSIC in steals with a team total of 358. Minnesota State has stolen the ball 196 more times than the next highest in the conference, Wayne State. The team also ranks second in the country in steals, averaging 17 per game, trailing only Glenville State (19.3). MSU is currently third in NSIC turnover margin (12.6) and turnovers forced (28). Minnesota State scores 31 points per game off turnovers. Batt, Bremer, Hannah Herzig, Emily Herzberg and Mackenzie Schweim are all in the top 10 in steals in the NSIC. Overall, the Mavericks have eight players averaging one or more steals per game and four players averaging over two steals.

Recent Milestones: 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 154-84 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 1,584. 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. Against Bemidji State, Bursch became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 points after scoring a layup in the second quarter.
 
 
About the Mustangs
The Mustangs have turned their season around in a big way. Southwest Minnesota State began the 2023-24 season 2-6, but after the tough start, the team went on a 10-game winning streak. SMSU is tied for second in the NSIC with Northern State, boasting an 11-3 conference record and a 13-7 overall record.

This Mustangs team is averaging 76.2 points per game, shooting 44% from the field, 35% from three and 76% from the free throw line. Southwest Minnesota State is the second-best offense in the conference, behind Minnesota State. They grab 37.5 rebounds per game and dish out an average of 13 assists per game. SMSU takes good care of the ball, only averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. The Mustangs grab eight steals and block about three shots per game.

Southwest Minnesota State has three players who all average more than 10 points per game. The Mustangs are led in scoring by Bri Stoltzman; she averages 17.6 points per game, shooting 45/32/77 splits. Stoltzman is also the team's leader in rebounds, assists and steals, averaging 6.6 boards, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game for SMSU. Sam Wall is averaging 12.8 points per game and leads the team in free throw percentage, shooting 84% from the charity stripe. Madison Gehloff scores 10.4 points per game, with 50/40/82 shooting splits. Gelhoff grabs five rebounds per game.

Tom Webb is the leader on the sidelines for the Mustangs. 2023-24 is Webb's eighth season as head coach for Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball. He has accumulated an overall record of 90-108. The Mavericks have won the last three matchups against the Mustangs, winning six of the last 10. Minnesota State leads the all-time series, 48-23.

 
About the Cougars
Sioux Falls women's basketball is currently tied for ninth in the NSIC with Minot State with a 5-9 conference record. The Cougars are currently on a two-game losing streak, falling to Northern State and UMary last weekend.

The Cougars score, on average, 56 points per game while shooting 37% from the floor, 28.5% from beyond the arc and just under 70% from the free throw line. The team averages 33 rebounds and 11 assists per game. Sioux Falls turns the ball over 14.6 times per game and averages 6.4 steals and just under three blocks per game.

Kami Wadsworth is the Cougars' leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game while shooting 41% from the field and 76% from the free throw line. Wadsworth also averages 3.6 rebounds per game. Ayla Brown is averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 points per game for Sioux Falls.

The Cougars are coached by Travis Traphagen. Traphagen, in his 17 seasons as head coach of Sioux Falls women's basketball, has accumulated a 282-167 overall record. While the Mavericks have won six-consecutive games against the Cougars, the all-time series is tied between MSU and Sioux Falls, 11-11.