MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State women's basketball team (13-2, 9-0 NSIC) kicks off a four-game homestand against conference opponents this weekend. The Mavericks play Bemidji State (4-8, 2-6 NSIC) and Minnesota Crookston (5-9, 3-5 NSIC) for its first two home games of 2025.
 
About the Mavericks
New Year, Same Team: Minnesota State went 34-3 in 2024 and is undefeated in 2025 after two road wins last weekend to kick off the New Year. The team has now won nine straight games. Last Friday, the Mavericks beat UMary 69-63 in come-back fashion, as Minnesota State shot 90% from the field in the fourth quarter. Destinee Bursch contributed 12 points in the fourth, including a step-back three that cemented the Maverick lead until the clock hit zeroes. She ended the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. The following afternoon, MSU beat Minot State after a 60-point second half. Natalie Bremer ended the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and three takeaways on defense. Three Mavericks ended the 95-78 win over the Beavers with career-highs in scoring.
 
WBCA Rankings: The team dropped one spot in the WBCA DII Top 25 Coaches Poll to No. 11. Concordia-St. Paul dropped eight spots to No. 24 and Southwest Minnesota State stays at No. 25.
 
Team Stats: The Mavericks score more points per game than any other team at the Division II level, averaging 87.9 points per game. The team has the 15^th-best shooting percentage in the country, shooting 45.8% from the field. MSU also makes more free throws than any other team in the nation, with 18.3 free throws made at the charity stripe per contest. Minnesota State is also a top-20 rebounding team in the country, grabbing 43 misses a game, including 16.8 offensive boards. The defense forces a lot of turnovers, too; the Mavericks rank 11^th in turnover margin (7.73), 12^th in turnovers forced per game (25.13/game) and seventh in steals per game (15.7/game).
 
Star Power: Minnesota State has two of the best scorers in the country on its roster. Natalie Bremer ranks sixth amongst all Division II student-athletes in points, as the junior is averaging 20.9 points per game while shooting 49.8%. Bremer has reached 20 points in nine games and has scored 30 in two. She also has three double doubles this season. The Lake City, Minn. native is also the NSIC leader in steals and steals per game and ranks second in the league in scoring. Destinee Bursch has had a great start to her senior season. The Chaska, Minn. native is averaging 17.3 points per game on the NSIC's highest field goal percentage at 56.1% field goal shooting. Bursch has five 20-point performances this season, including Friday's game against the Marauders.
 
Rounding Out the Lineup: Mackenzie Schweim leads the Mavericks in minutes played and made three-pointers. The junior guard is crucial to the team's success, especially in the press, as Schweim is averaging eight points and 1.3 steals per game. While she sat the last few games, Hannah Herzig is a key player that will be returning soon. The fellow junior, in 11 games, is averaging 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and three steals per contest. She is second on the team in steals. Minnesota State's starting post, Ava Stier, is having a solid season for the team. Stier leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. She set a new personal best with 12 rebounds in the win against UMary. Stier is also averaging 7.8 points per game and is fourth on the team in minutes played. A player who has rotated in and out of the starting lineup for the Mavericks is freshman Elisabeth Gadient. She ranks third on the team with an 8.8 points-per-game average and a 1.8 steals-per-game average. The freshman has reached double figures four times this season. Fellow newcomer Adeline Kent just had one of the best games of her Maverick career against Minot State; she ended the game with 10 points, three rebounds and a steal while she shot 4-5 from the field. Kent is a key player that sets the tone off the bench. Freshman Lucy Leininger has improved exponentially since NSIC play started. Since the team's game against Wayne State, Leininger is averaging 8.6 points and 2.1 steals per game. The freshman from Germantown, Wis. has improved her points per game average by 2.2 points since December 6.
 
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 seventh-most steals per game and the 12^th-most forced turnovers per game amongst Division II teams. The team has three players on-roster who rank in the top 10 in steals in the NSIC. Natalie Bremer leads the team with a 3.3 steal-per-game average and has 46 this season. Hannah Herzig is second on the team with 33, averaging three per game. Eight Mavericks 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 has an all-time record of 241-118 and an NSIC record of 178-85. 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. She is currently six wins away from passing Mary Willerscheidt in career wins and becoming the winningest coach in program history.
 
 
About the Beavers
Since Bemidji State began conference play, the team has lost six of eight, including heartbreaking overtime losses to Minnesota Crookston and Wayne State. The Beavers are 4-8 heading into Friday's game.
 
BSU is averaging 60.9 points, 33.8 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game in 2024-25. The team has shot 38.3% from the field and 73.6% from the free throw line. Bemidji State turns the ball over 15.5 times a game, on average, blocks 3.3 shots and has 5.8 steals per contest.
 
Sophomore guard Tieryn Plasch is the Beaver's best player. She is averaging 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and just under a steal per game this season while shooting 44.1% from the field and 44.6% from deep.
 
Ninth-year head coach Chelsea Stoltenberg is at the helm of the Bemidji State women's basketball program. Stoltenberg has led the Beavers to a 65-140 record in her time in Bemidji.
 
Friday's game will be the 55^th matchup between Minnesota State and Bemidji State. The Mavericks are 39-15 against the Beavers and have won four consecutive games against them. MSU is 22-2 against BSU at home.
 
About the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston is 3-5 in NSIC play and 5-9 overall. The team has lost five of its last six but is 4-3 in road games in 2024-25.
 
The Golden Eagles are averaging 67.6 points, 35.9 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.8 blocks per game this season. The team shoots at a 39.5% clip from the field and 76.5% from the free throw line.
 
UMC has the best scorer in the NSIC in Emma Miller. The junior is averaging 21.6 points and 1.4 steals per game and has reached 20 points six times and 30 points twice. Miller is shooting 41% from the field and has made 34 three-pointers.
 
Riley Jenkins is another player to look out for Minnesota Crookston. She is averaging 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. Jenkins scored 18 in the team's win over Bemidji State in December.
 
Natalie Moynihan joins the Minnesota Crookston program for her second season at the helm of the program. The Moynihan-led Golden Eagles went 9-19 last season.
 
In 30 matchups with the Golden Eagles, Minnesota State is 23-7 against UMC. The Mavericks have won eight straight, including a program-record-breaking 123-61 win last February.