MANKATO, Minn. – The #21 ranked Minnesota State women's basketball team (23-5, 20-2 NSIC) is set to take on the MSU Moorhead Dragons (record) on Saturday, March 2 at 4:30 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Mavericks are 14-14 all-time in the NSIC Tournament.
 
About the Mavericks

Heading Into the Tournament: Minnesota State enters the NSIC Tournament as the #1 seed. As such, the team received a first-round bye. The Mavericks posted a conference record of 20-2 this season. MSU was ranked #21 in the WBCA NCAA DII Top 25 Poll this week.

NSIC Conference Awards: The Mavericks took home a haul of NSIC Awards in 2023-24. Joey Batt, Destinee Bursch, and Natalie Bremer were each named to the NSIC All-Conference First Team. This is Batt's fourth time making the All-Conference First Team. Both Bursch and Bremer were named to the All-Conference Second Team last season. Batt also earned her third NSIC Defensive Player of the Year award. Mavericks head coach Emilee Thiesse also won her first NSIC Coach of the Year after leading her team to a 23-5 record, including a program-best 19-game winning streak.

Batt-er Up: Batt is one of the best players in Minnesota State women's basketball history. This season, Batt is averaging 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.8 steals per game. She's shooting 45.6% from the field, 36.5% from three and 77.9% from the charity stripe in 2023-24. Batt had the best scoring performance of her career against Northern State, scoring 33 points (11-20 FG, 3-5 3pt, 8-8 FT) and finishing with five rebounds, two assists and four steals. The New Ulm, Minn. native is one of the best pickpockets in the nation, ranking sixth in total steals and fourth in steals per game. She ranks first in the NSIC in both categories and is sixth 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 1,779 points. She is also the all-time steals leader in program history with 351.

It's Destinee: Bursch, too, has had an excellent season. She is also averaging 15.3 points (.458/.232/.714 shooting splits), 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She is seventh in the NSIC in scoring, sixth in assists and ninth in steals. The Chaska, Minn. native was named NSIC Player of the Week twice this season for her stellar performances against Bemidji State, Minnesota Crookston, Wayne State and Augustana. Bursch was named to the All-Conference Second Team last season and was named NSIC Freshman of the Year her rookie year as a Maverick. Bursch is the 25^th player in program history to surpass 1,000 points, which she did in the game against Bemidji State on Jan. 12.

Rising Star: Bremer has had a great sophomore season. She averaged 15.2 points, (.465/.197/.876 shooting splits), 4.3 rebounds, one assist and 2.6 steals per game in the regular season. Bremer is the eighth leading scorer in the NSIC and ranks second in both steals per game and free throw percentage. The Lake City, Minn. native scored 20 points in four-straight games against MSU Moorhead, UMD, SMSU and Sioux Falls. While she didn't earn NSIC Player of the Week honors, Bremer was named to the NSIC Shining Five three times this season.

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 493. Minnesota State has stolen the ball 257 more times than the next highest in the conference, St. Cloud State. The team also ranks second in the country in steals, averaging 17.6 per game, trailing only Glenville State (18). MSU is currently first in the country turnover margin (13.29) and second in turnovers forced (28.3). Minnesota State scores 32 points per game off turnovers. Batt, Bremer, Bursch, Hannah Herzig, Emily Herzberg and Mackenzie Schweim are all in the top 12 in the conference in steals. Overall, the Mavericks have eight 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 17.1 offensive rebounds per game. Minnesota State ranks first in the NSIC in offensive boards and sixth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game. Forwards Emily Russo and Ava Stier both rank in the top four in offensive rebounds in the NSIC.

Scoring Leaders: The Mavericks also have the highest scoring offense in the NSIC, averaging 82.3 points per game and outscoring their opponents by an average of 20.5 points. Part of the reason for this is the sheer quantity of shots put up by the team. This season, the Mavericks have shot 521 more shots than their opponents. Minnesota State's three B's (Batt, Bremer, Bursch) are all in the top 10 in scoring in the NSIC.

Legend on the Sidelines: Head Coach Thiesse reached the 200-win mark 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 is the second head coach in program history to win conference Coach of the Year honors. The Mavericks went on a program-record 19-game winning streak between Nov. 25 and Feb. 10., winning each game by an average of over 25 points per contest. The previous win-streak record was set by the National Championship winning 2008-09 squad, who won 17 consecutive games. This is Coach Thiesse's sixth 20-win season and the first team under Thiesse to win 20 conference games. Minnesota State also broke the program record for steals in a game, with 31 against Wayne State, as well as the single-game points record, scoring 123 points in a win over Minnesota Crookston last Friday.
 
About the Dragons

MSU Moorhead defeated Winona State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament on Wednesday night, 72-67. The Dragons are 13-15 in 2023-24 with a 12-10 conference record. The team averages 62.5 points per game on .383/.294/.683 shooting splits. The Dragons average 42 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 14 turnovers, six steals and two blocks per game.

Natalie Jens is the Dragons' best player. She is averaging 14.8 points per game (.362/.245/.715 shooting splits), 4.3 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game. Jens is also a member of the NSIC All-Conference First Team. Terryn Johnson was named to the NSIC All-Conference Second Team this season after averaging just under 10 points (.487/.692 shooting splits), 8.1 rebounds, one assist and half a steal per game.

The Dragons are coached by Karla Nelson, who is in her 24^th season as head coach of MSUM. She is a four-time NSIC Coach of the Year winner. The Mavericks have a three-game winning streak over the Dragons and lead the all-time series 29-18.