MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State women's basketball (26-5) travels to Bethany, Okla. to compete in the NCAA DII Central Region Tournament. The Mavericks will play Missouri Western State (25-5) on Friday, March 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the Sawyer Center.

About the Mavericks

Tickets, please: The Mavericks punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the NSIC Tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, Minnesota State defeated the Dragons 101-74, in the second round. The team had four players score 17+ points against MSU Moorhead. In the semifinals, the Mavericks took down the Mustangs of SMSU, 88-72, to return to the tournament championship game for the second consecutive year. Minnesota State would go on to win its first ever conference tournament championship against the #2 seed UMary in the title game, 89-74. The Mavericks held NSIC Player of the Year Lexie Schneider to just 15 points and seven turnovers while five MSU players reached double digits.

Tournament standings: Minnesota State was named the #7 seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament, set to take on the #2 Griffons. The tournament will be hosted in Bethany, Okla., after Southern Nazarene earned the #1 seed in the region. This is the third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the Mavericks.

Regular season: MSU began the 2023-24 regular season shakier than expected upon arrival. The team started the season 2-4, including losses to #24 Texas Woman's, Southern Nazarene, Fort Hays State and conference rival #25 Minnesota Duluth. However, the loss to the Bulldogs at home in late November sparked a miraculous 19-game winning streak, as the team bulldozed over a record set by the National Championship 2008-09 team. Minnesota State eventually lost to Northern State in Aberdeen, before closing out the regular season and conference tournament with five consecutive wins.

We need to have a conversation: Minnesota State guard Joey Batt is one of the best players in the program's history and one of the most valuable players in the nation. The senior from New Ulm, Minn. is averaging 15.8 points while shooting 47% from the field, 35% from three and 80% from the free throw line. Batt is also averaging 2.8 rebounds, three assists and 3.6 steals per game, ranking fourth in Division II. She ranks sixth in country in total steals with 93, which shattered the previous NSIC record. Batt was named the NSIC's Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in her career, the NSIC All-Conference First Team and was awarded with NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year honors. For her excellent performances in the NSIC Tournament, she was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In her final season as a Maverick, Batt won a regular season title, a conference tournament and became the program leader in steals and moved into second in program history in scoring with 1,854 points.

You might call it…: Destinee Bursch had a fantastic junior campaign in 2023-24. The former NSIC Freshman of the Year winner averaged 15.7 points per game while shooting at 46% from the field, 25% from three and 74.5% from the charity stripe. The Chaska, Minn. native also averaged 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She scored 20+ points in 10 games this season and five or more assists in nine games. She scored a season-high 25 points twice, both times against Minnesota Crookston. The guard had a 20-point-10-rebound double-double against Bemidji State in mid-January. She became the 25^th player in program history to reach 1,000 points in the game against Bemidji State. Bursch was the second player from Minnesota State to be named to the All-Conference First Team. She averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during the NSIC Tournament Championship run for the Mavericks.

Sophomore stud: Natalie Bremer was the third Maverick to earn first team all-conference honors this season. The sophomore from Lake City, Minn. averaged 15.1 points per game while shooting 46.5% from the field, 20% from deep and shooting an excellent 88% from the charity stripe, which was the best in the NSIC and ranks 14^th in the country. Bremer is also averaging 4.1 rebounds, one assist and 2.5 steals per game. She also has seven blocks this season. She scored 20+ points in four consecutive games against MSU Moorhead, Minnesota Duluth, Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. She scored a season-high 22 points with nine rebounds, two assists and two steals against the Mustangs in early February. Like Batt and Bursch, Bremer also was named to the All-Conference First Team for her performance in 2023-24. She currently sits at 930 career points, 70 shy of 1,000.

Like candy from a baby: Minnesota State's full-court press defense has terrorized opposing offenses all season. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the MSU press grants the Mavericks easy scoring opportunities and creates large amounts of pressure to ball-handlers. The team ranks second in the country in both steals and turnovers forced per game. The Mavericks average 17.5 steals per game as a team, with 541 in total, and 28.1 turnovers forced per game. MSU is also the nation's leader in turnover margin, forcing 13.5 more turnovers than they commit per game. The Mavericks had five players finish in the top 10 in the NSIC in steals. Along with Batt, Bremer and Bursch, MSU also has Hannah Herzig and Emily Herzberg both averaging over two steals per game. The Mavericks have eight players averaging at least one steal per game.

Superior scoring: The Mavericks' aggressive defensive mindset leads to more scoring opportunities for the team. Minnesota State has shot well over 500 more shots than its opponents this season. Due to the large sum of shots taken in the game, the Mavericks have the fourth-best scoring offense in the country, averaging 83.3 points per game. The team wins its games by an average of 20.4 points per game, also ranking fourth in Division II. The team shoots 43% from the field, 28.5% from three and 73.2% from the free throw line.

Crashed glass: Another vital aspect to the success of this Mavericks team is the ability to create second-chance opportunities. Minnesota State ranks seventh in the country in offensive rebounds, grabbing 16.5 offensive boards per game. The Mavericks' tandem forwards, Emily Russo and Ava Stier, both average over two offensive rebounds per game.

Coaching legend: Head Coach Emilee 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 now made the NCAA Tournament five times (2012-13, 2014-15, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24). She is the second head coach in program history to win conference Coach of the Year honors, winning the award for the second time this season. 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. 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 in the team's final homestand.

NCAA Tournament history: Under Coach Thiesse, the Mavericks are 2-4 in NCAA Tournament play. Last season, Minnesota State defeated Central Missouri in the first round of the Central Region Tournament, 83-81, before falling to UMD in the second round. The year prior, MSU lost in the first round of the tournament to Fort Hays State, 74-57.

History against Griffons: Minnesota State is 1-2 in games against Missouri Western. The Griffons won 85-61 in the first matchup back in 2001-02. In 2015-16, the Griffons once again bested the Mavericks, 89-52. However, MSU had the last laugh, winning 65-54 in 2016-17.
 
About the Griffons

Missouri Western State enters the NCAA Tournament as the second seed in the Central Region. The Griffons, who hail from St. Joseph, Mo., have amassed a 25-5 record in 2023-24. MWSU went 19-3 in conference play. The team went on a 15-game win streak which included consecutive highlight wins over #16 Central Missouri and Fort Hays State. Missouri Western eventually lost its footing against Pittsburg State in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals, 75-55.

The team is averaging about 75 points per game while winning its games by over 18 points per game. MWSU shoots an excellent 45% from the field, making 33% of its threes while sinking just under 70% of its free throws. They grab about 39 rebounds and dish out 16.5 assists per game. Missouri Western takes good care of the ball, turning the ball over just 13 times per game, forcing 18 opponent turnovers per game. The Griffons average 11 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.

The Griffons rank fifth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio and seventh in bench points per game, generating nearly 33 points per game from their reserves. The team ranks 14^th in both field goal percentage and field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 35% from the field. Missouri Western is seventh in scoring margin in the country.

Connie Clarke is the Griffons' leading scorer in 2023-24. Clarke is averaging 12.2 points, shooting 52% from the field, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 assists per game. The senior forward was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and made the All-Conference First Team. She scored a season-high 25 points against Concordia-St. Paul back in November.

Brionna Budgetts is the second leading scorer for Missouri Western. She averaged 11 points per game, making 34% of her three-pointers and averaged 1.4 steals per game. Budgetts was named to the MIAA All-Conference Second Team in her senior season.

As a whole, Missouri Western has six players averaging over five points per game. Junior Alyssa Bonilla leads Division II women's basketball in assist/turnover ratio, with a 3.5 mark. Bonilla is averaging four points, 2.4 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

Missouri Western is coached by Candi Whitaker, who is in the midst of her fifth season as the head coach of the Griffons. She has led her teams to the NCAA Tournament four out of her first five seasons as the coach, including an Elite Eight run back in 2021-22. Whitaker was the head coach of Texas Tech before moving to St. Joseph from 2013-18.