WINONA, Minn. – No. 13 Minnesota State (11-2, 7-0 NSIC) won its final game of 2024 on the road against Winona State (7-6, 3-4 NSIC) 83-69 on Saturday afternoon. The Mavericks scored the first 14 points of the game and never looked back. Both Natalie Bremer and Ava Stier led the team in scoring Saturday with 15 points each. Bremer recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Stier's 15 points set a new career-high for the junior. She also had eight rebounds, two three-point shots and two steals in the win.
 
Destinee Bursch started the game with a jumper off a nice spin move in the post. Then, Bremer picked off a pass on defense and dribbled it to the elbow, where she pulled up and nailed a jumper of her own to put the Mavericks up 4-0 early. After the team got a stop on defense, Bursch hit a three to put the team up by seven. Bremer made a tough and-one layup to increase the MSU lead to double digits. After she got a steal on the defensive end, Stier hit a three from the wing to put the team up 14-0, before the Warriors eventually got on the board with a three-pointer. Winona State hit another three after an offensive rebound to cut the Minnesota State lead back to single digits. The home team got an easy look inside, but freshman Lucy Leininger scored her first bucket of the game on a nice drive through the lane. The Mavericks forced a shot clock violation out of a timeout, and Elisabeth Gadient scored on a jumper in the paint. On the next trip down the floor, Gadient hit another jump shot, this time from beyond the arc to put the team up 21-10. The Warriors went on a 6-0 run to cut it to a six-point deficit for WSU. The Mavericks led 21-16 after 10 minutes of action.
 
Mackenzie Schweim banked in a deep three to kick off the second quarter, which put Minnesota State up by eight. Leininger hit her second shot of the game to increase the Maverick lead back up to double digits, 28-18, and she made another layup to get the team to 30 points in the game with 7:45 in the half. The Warriors hit a three to beat the shot clock but Bremer muscled through two interior WSU defenders for a jumper on the other end to give her seven points on the day. Winona State broke the press and Hailey Markworth made a floater in the paint to make it 32-23. Adeline Kent made a fast break elbow shot after a steal, which forced a Winona State timeout. Bremer picked the pocket of a Warrior player and freshman post Mallory Czinano made a layup after she grabbed an offensive board to put the team up 36-24. Stier made her second layup of the game off a Bremer pass to put the Mavericks up 40-26. After Markworth made a layup for the home team, Bremer drove in the paint and made a pull-up jump shot to close out the quarter. Minnesota State led 42-28 at halftime.
 
Minnesota State shot 47.1% from the field in the first half and made four three-pointers in 13 attempts. The team shot 6-7 from the free throw line in the first two quarters. The Warriors committed 13 turnovers, and the Mavericks scored 20 points off those takeaways. Both teams ended the first half with 17 rebounds and six assists.
 
Bremer led the squad with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the first half. Bursch scored seven points on just two shots while she contributed two assists, also. Leininger had six points and both Gadient and Stier scored five each through 20 minutes.
 
To start the second half, Bursch drove to the rack after some swift dribble moves to make a layup while getting fouled. She made the free throw to complete the and-one play to put the Mavericks up 45-28. After Markworth scored on a layup, Stier hit her second three-pointer of the game, to put the team up 18. Bremer made a nice pass to Bursch after she grabbed her seventh rebound of the game; Bursch scored a layup to give herself 12 points on the day and put Minnesota State up 50-32. Winona State scored out of a timeout, but Gadient responded with a two of her own. After some made free throws from Minnesota State, the Warriors made a three and a layup to put the score at 55-39 with 4:26 left in the quarter. Leininger stole the ball from Winona State off an inbound on the sideline and drove in the lane for a bucket. After the Mavericks scored five more points from the charity stripe, Gadient made a turnaround jumper to put the team up 66-42. Schweim made a layup with 0:26 left on the clock, which gave Minnesota State a 68-45 lead headed into the final quarter.
 
Stier made a jumper 15 seconds into the fourth, but Olivia Gamoke hit her second three of the game to make the score 70-48. Stier made another layup on the other end, but Sadie Jarmolowicz made an and-one layup after a Warrior steal. After a nice Winona State layup, Kent made a two-point jumper to make the score 74-53. Bremer stole the ball on defense and turned the turnover into a fast break layup to put the Mavericks up by 21. Despite Winona State closing out the game on a 14-7 run, Minnesota State won 83-69.
 
In the win, the Mavericks shot 29-68 from the field (42.6% FG), 20-27 from the free throw line (74.1% FT) and made five three-pointers. The team ended up with 44 rebounds, 11 assists and 14 steals in the victory. Minnesota State scored 28 points from the Warriors' 22 turnovers.
 
Bremer and Stier led the way for Minnesota State against the Warriors. Bremer ended the game with her third double-double of the 2024-25 season, as she scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The junior also had three assists and four steals in the win. Stier also had 15 points and ended with eight rebounds, two steals and two made three-pointers. Her scoring output was the best of her career. Bursch finished the game with 14 points, two assists and three steals. The freshmen shined as Gadient ended with nine points, three boards and three assists, and Leininger scored eight points and had three rebounds, a steal and the sole Maverick block in the win.
 
Winona State shot 44.6% from the field (25-56 FG) in the game and matched the Mavericks in steals with 14. Markworth led the team with 14 points on 6-11 shooting and two steals.

"We have taken great strides as a team over the course of the past few weeks," said Minnesota State head coach Emilee Thiesse. "We're playing off one another very well and making great adjustments throughout the game. I was proud of how our team stayed focused on handling business and didn't go on break before this game. We guarded the ball well and really took control of the boards in the second half. We're excited to have some great momentum behind us at this stage of the season!"
 
The Mavericks have the rest of 2024 off. The team will be back in action for a couple of road NSIC games following New Year's. On Friday, January 3, 2025, Minnesota State will play the University of Mary (6-2, 3-2 NSIC) at 5:30 p.m. in the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, N.D. Then, on Saturday, January 4, the mavericks will take on the Beavers of Minot State (3-9, 2-3 NSIC) at 3:30 p.m.