MANKATO, Minn. – After a four-game homestand that resulted in four wins for the No. 6 Minnesota State women's basketball team (17-2, 13-0 NSIC), the Mavericks are on the road again for a single conference matchup this week. The team travels to Aberdeen, S.D. for a matchup against the Northern State Wolves (11-7, 8-4 NSIC) on Friday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
Streaky: Minnesota State has won each of its last 13 games and has not dropped a game since its road trip to Colo. in November 2024. The Mavericks sit atop the NSIC standings without a single loss in conference play.
 
Weekend Recap: The Mavericks closed out their homestand with two wins in the Taylor Center last weekend. On Friday, MSU defeated MSU Moorhead 94-66. Six Maverick athletes ended the game in double figures, including Natalie Bremer, who led all scorers with 17 points. She also tallied five steals in the win and shot 7-11 from the field. On Saturday, Minnesota State held off a powerful comeback from St. Cloud State in a 96-87 win. Bremer was the leading scorer yet again, as she dropped 27 points on 11-18 shooting. She finished the game with three boards, two assists, a blocked shot and two steals in the win. Once again, six MSU players scored double-digits. Destinee Bursch also contributed 21 points and five assists against the Huskies.
 
WBCA Poll: MSU moved up four spots in the WBCA DII Coaches' Poll this week from No. 10 to No. 6. This is the highest the Mavericks have been in the Top 25 since the Week One poll.
 
Team Stats: Minnesota State boasts the best scoring offense in Division II, as the team has averaged 89.5 points per game while shooting the third-highest field goal percentage in the nation at 47%. MSU also ranks 15^th in the country in scoring margin, defeating teams by an average of 16.2 points per game. The Mavericks are frequenters of the charity stripe, with the team ranking fourth amongst all DII teams in both free throw attempts and free throws made per contest. Rebounds are an important part of winning basketball games, and Minnesota State grabs the second-most boards in the NSIC. The team is 25^th in the nation in rebounds per game and, equally as important, 15^th in offensive rebounds, which results in more second chances for the Mavericks. Defensively, MSU is sixth in the country in steals per game, ninth in turnovers forced per game and eighth in turnover margin.
 
Star Power: Minnesota State's veteran guards, Natalie Bremer and Destinee Bursch, are both having excellent seasons and are cornerstones of the Maverick offensive attack. Bremer ranks ninth amongst active Division II players in points per game, as the junior from Lake City, Minn. is averaging 20.8 points per game on 50.7% field goal shooting. She ranks second in the NSIC in scoring and third in field goal percentage. Bremer has reached 20 points 11 times this season and 30 points twice. Her 27-point performance against St. Cloud State is her third-best scoring output of the season. Bursch, too, is having the best season of her illustrious Maverick career. The senior from Chaska, Minn. averages 16.8 points per game on 54.9% field goal shooting, both career highs. Bursch, with her 21-point game against the Huskies, passed Rhonda House to rank third in all-time points in MSU women's basketball history. She is 267 points away from passing her former teammate, Joey Batt. Bursch is averaging the fourth-most points in the NSIC and holds the second-best shooting percentage in the league.
 
Newcomer Updates: Maverick freshman Elisabeth Gadient is having a great freshman campaign. She has started the last eight games for Minnesota State and has scored in double figures in the last three games. She tied her career-high with 17 points and four steals against Minnesota Crookston. Junior guard Adeline Kent has been a great spark for the team off the bench. Kent has scored 11 points in three of the Mavericks' previous four games and has also averaged two steals per game in those games.
 
Like Candy From a Baby: Minnesota State's intense full-court pressure speeds up the game and forces lots of mistakes from opposing teams. The Mavericks average the eighth-most steals per game and the 11^th-most forced turnovers per game amongst Division II teams. Minnesota State has 305 steals as a team this season, 128 more than any other team in the NSIC. The team has five players on-roster who rank in the top 11 in steals in the conference. Natalie Bremer leads the team and the NSIC with a 3.1 steal-per-game average and has 56 takeaways on defense this season. Elisabeth Gadient is second on the team with 35, averaging 2.1 per game. Nine Minnesota State players are averaging at least one steal per game.
 
Closing In On a Record: Minnesota State head coach Emilee Thiesse is closing in on the program record for wins. In 13 seasons, Thiesse holds an all-time record of 245-118 and an NSIC record of 182-85. Minnesota State has won 76 percent of its games in the Taylor Center under Coach Thiesse. She has led the Mavericks to six 20-win seasons and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, Thiesse was named NSIC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. With a win over Northern State, Thiesse would tie Mary Willerscheidt for all-time wins in program history with 246.
 
History Against Wolves: The Mavericks are 13-15 all-time against Northern State. Minnesota State hasn't defeated the Wolves in Aberdeen since December 2008. Last season, NSU handed the Mavericks their last loss of the season in Wachs Arena, 92-87, before MSU went on to win the National Championship. The Mavericks are 2-9 on the road against the Wolves and are 3-7 in the last 10 matchups against them.
 
 
About the Wolves
The Wolves have had an up-and-down season thus far. The team is 8-4 in conference play this season and is fourth in the NSIC rankings. Last weekend, NSU lost 82-72 to No. 23 SMSU and defeated Sioux Falls 81-70 on the road.
 
The team is averaging 72 points per game on 43.8% field goal shooting as a squad. The Wolves shoot 29.1% from beyond the arc and 72.8% from the free-throw line. Northern State grabs 41.1 rebounds per contest and dishes out 16 assists per game. NSU averages 13.8 turnovers per game.
 
Northern State's best player is junior post play Madelyn Bragg. Bragg has averaged 15 points, 7.2 rebounds and one block per game in 2024-25. Recently, the Aberdeen native recorded a 24-point-10-rebound performance against Sioux Falls.
 
The team also has two players averaging 11 points per game. Graduate student Rianna Fillipi is averaging 11.7 points and 5.4 assists per game for the Wolves. Fellow graduate student Michaela Jewett is averaging 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
 
Northern State is coached by Paula Krueger, who has been with the program for 16 years in total and seven years as the head coach. Last season the Wolves had the best season under Krueger with a 20-9 record as the team finished fourth in the NSIC.