MANKATO, Minn. – The 14th-ranked Minnesota State women's basketball team (21-4, 18-1 NSIC) plays just one game this week, traveling up to Aberdeen, S.D. to take on the Northern State Wolves (17-7, 13-5 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m. at Wachs Arena. While the Mavericks clinched the NSIC regular season title last weekend, the Wolves are battling for second in the conference.
 
About the Mavericks
 
Queue That One 'Queen' Song: Minnesota State won its 18^th conference game of the season against the Vikings, 97-75, and in doing so, solidified the third conference regular season title in program history. The previous two teams to win regular season conference championships were the 2008-09 National Championship team and the 1985-86 Mavericks team, who won the NCC. The Mavericks have the best offense in the conference, averaging 80 points per game and win by an average margin of 19.5 points per game.
 
Rampaging Records: The Mavericks defeated the Wayne State Wildcats 101-57, breaking the previous program record for consecutive wins. The win over WSC was the team's 18^th in a row, breaking the previous record, which was 17. MSU continued its winning ways over Augustana, extending the winning streak to 19 games. The winning streak is the longest current streak in NCAA DII women's hoops.
 
Rising the Ranks: MSU rose to number 14 in the WBCA DII Coaches' Poll after its historic weekend. The Mavericks climb to #14 after being ranked 17^th in the WBCA Poll last week.
 
Destinee Calling: Junior guard Destinee Bursch had an excellent homestand. She led the conference in scoring and shooting percentage last weekend, averaging 23 points per game on 77% field goal shooting. She also averaged 4.5 assists, three rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. For her efforts against Wayne State and Augustana, Bursch earned her second NSIC Player of the Week of the season. The Chaska, Minn. native is averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Bursch is currently sixth in the NSIC in points and assists and 12^th in steals per game. Earlier this season, against Bemidji State, Bursch crossed the 1,000-career-point threshold, becoming the 25th player in program history to do so.
 
Batt-er Up: Joey Batt is one of the best guards ever to suit up for Minnesota State. This season, Batt is averaging 14.6 points, three rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.6 steals per game. She's shooting 45% from the field, 35% from three and 77% from the charity stripe in 2023-24. Batt had her best game of the new year against Augustana last Saturday, finishing with 22 points (7-8 FG, 2-2 3pt), three rebounds, two assists and four steals. The New Ulm, Minn. native is one of the best pickpockets in the nation, ranking seventh in total steals and fourth in steals per game. She ranks first in the NSIC in both categories and is tenth in points per game. Batt earned NSIC Player of the Week honors for her showing on the road against Augustana and Wayne State back in early Dec. 2023. She averaged 23.5 points in those games, six steals and four assists while shooting 66% from the field. Batt became the second-highest scorer in program history, passing Rhonda House with 1,717 points.
 
Rising Star: Sophomore Natalie Bremer has arguably been the Mavericks best player in the second half of the season. Bremer leads the team in total scoring and is averaging 14.9 points per game. She had four-straight 20-point games against MSU Moorhead, UMD, Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. Bremer ranks seventh in points per game in the NSIC. The Lake City, Minn. native is also second in the conference in steals and free throw percentage and is third in steals per game.
 
Like Candy from a Baby: Minnesota State has the best defense in the NSIC. The Mavericks lead the NSIC in steals with a team total of 427. Minnesota State has stolen the ball 228 more times than the next highest in the conference, St. Cloud State. The team also ranks second in the country in steals, averaging 17.1 per game, trailing only Glenville State (18.5). MSU is currently second in the country turnover margin (12.9) and third in turnovers forced (27.8). Minnesota State scores 31.5 points per game off turnovers. Batt, Bremer, Bursch, Hannah Herzig, Emily Herzberg and Mackenzie Schweim are all in the top 12 in steals in the NSIC. Overall, the Mavericks have nine players averaging one or more steals per game and four players averaging over two steals.
 
Crashed Glass: The Mavericks are also dominant on the offensive glass, grabbing nearly 17 offensive rebounds per game. Minnesota State ranks first in the NSIC in offensive boards and fifth in the nation. Forwards Emily Russo and Ava Stier both rank in the top five in offensive rebounds in the NSIC.
 
Legend on the Sidelines: 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 167-84 against NSIC opponents and an all-time record of 217-115.
 
About the Wolves
Northern State has had a solid season, holding a 17-7 record. The Wolves have a 13-5 NSIC record, ranking second in the conference behind the Mavericks.

NSU is averaging 67 points per game, shooting 42.5% from the field, 31% from three and 74% from the free throw line. The team averaging 39 rebounds and 14.5 assists per game. The Wolves turn the ball over 14 times per game, on average. Northern State generated seven steals and four blocks per game.

Madelyn Bragg is the Wolves' leading scorer and ranks second in the conference in points per game and field goal percentage. Bragg is averaging 18.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Rianna Fillipi is averaging 12.4 points, 6.7 boards, just under five steals and 2.6 steals per contest.

The Wolves are led by head coach Paula Krueger. Krueger is in her sixth season at the helm of the Wolves' sideline and has 15 years of coaching experience at Colorado Mines, where she coached from 2003-12. Krueger has accumulated a record of 210-203.

Northern State has the one-game edge over the Mavericks in the all-time series between the two teams, 14-13. The Wolves have won seven of the last 10 games against MSU, but the Mavericks beat Northern State at home on Jan. 5, 2024, 69-48.