MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State women's basketball team (19-5, 15-3 NSIC) closes out its 2024-25 home schedule with a pair of games this weekend. On Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m., the Mavericks host Minot State (8-17, 7-11 NSIC) in the Taylor Center. Then, the following day, February 15, the team plays UMary (13-9, 10-8 NSIC) at 5:30 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
Weekend Recap: Minnesota State went 1-1 last week. First, the team dominated Wayne State at home with a 40-point win, 96-56. Natalie Bremer and Destinee Bursch combined for 43 points in the dominant win. The Mavericks outrebounded the Wildcats 60-30. Then, on Saturday, the team dropped its third consecutive road game to Sioux Falls, 89-76. MSU was outscored 24-5 in the second quarter which put the game out of reach. The Cougars made 13 three-pointers and made 59.1% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Despite the loss, Bursch led all scorers with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals in the game against USF.
 
Team Stats: The Mavericks have the best scoring offense in Division II averaging 88.1 points per game while shooting the 11th-highest field goal percentage, making 45.7% of their shot attempts. MSU ranks top-30 in the country in assists, as 16 of its makes per game come from the pass. The team is first in the NSIC in rebounds per game (42.8 RPG) and is ninth in the nation in offensive rebounds per contest (16.7 ORPG). Minnesota State on defense is fifth in DII in steals per game (16.2 SPG) and turnover margin (9.14) and seventh in turnovers forced per game (25.9). The team averages 28 points per game off those takeaways. Nine Maverick players are averaging at least one steal per game.
 
Star Power: Minnesota State has two All-American caliber players on its roster. For starters, senior guard Destinee Bursch is having the best season of her illustrious career at MSU. She is averaging 17.4 points per game on 53.3% field goal shooting, both of which are the best marks of her career. Her field goal percentage ranks second in the conference. She is also the leading passer on the team, averaging 4.1 assists per game and is third in rebounds with a 4.2-per-game average. Bursch passed Rhonda House for the third-most points in Maverick history in the team's win against St. Cloud State, with 1,768 career points. The team's leading scorer, junior guard Natalie Bremer, is also having a fantastic season. She is averaging 19.8 points while making 48.3% of her shot attempts, good for the second-best and fourth-best in the NSIC. Bremer also leads the conference in steals, averaging 2.8 takeaways per contest. She has 12 20-point games and two 30-point games this season. Bremer ranks ninth in all-time career points with 1,488.
 
The Greatest: With the win over Wayne State, Minnesota State head coach Emilee Thiesse became the all-time winningest coach in program history. In 13 seasons, Thiesse holds an all-time record of 247-121 and an NSIC record of 184-88. Minnesota State has won 78.5 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. The Mavericks are one win away from Thiesse's seventh season with 20 or more wins. Last season, Thiesse was named NSIC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career.
 
History vs Minot State: The Mavericks have won 11 of the 13 games they have played against the Beavers. Earlier this season, Minnesota State defeated Minot State 95-78 in the Minot State Dome for the team's third-straight win against the Beavers. Minot State has never defeated MSU in the Taylor Center.
 
History vs UMary: Minnesota State is on an eight-game win streak against UMary dating back to the 2019-20 season. The Mavericks escaped Bismarck, N.D. with a 69-63 victory over the Marauders back on January 3, the first game of the new calendar year. MSU is 19-4 against UMary in the all-time series.
 
 
About the Beavers
Minot State is 8-17 in 2024-25 with a 7-11 record against conference opponents. The Beavers lost five of seven to start the new year, but the team went on a three-game win streak before dropping its last two games to MSU Moorhead and St. Cloud State. The Beavers are currently in 11^th in the NSIC.
 
Minot State is averaging 61.3 points per game on 39% field goal shooting. The team is also shooting 30.7% from deep and 69.8% from the free throw line. The Beavers average 33.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 6.4 steals and two blocked shots per game. The team turns it over 16 times per contest.
 
Sophomore guard Maya Aguilar is the team's leading scorer, averaging 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Aguilar scored 25 points in the Beaver's loss to USF. Next up for Minot State is senior Emma Mogen. She is averaging 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.
 
Beavers head coach Ryan Clark is in his first season at the helm of the Minot State women's basketball program. He spent two years as an assistant coach for the team between 2019-21.
 
About the Marauders
UMary holds the fifth-place spot in the NSIC with a 13-9 overall record and a 10-8 mark against conference opponents. Before dropping its last game to MSU Moorhead, the team had won four of its previous five games.
 
The Marauders are averaging 67 points per game on 37.7% field goal shooting while making 31.4% of their three-point attempts and 70% of their free throws. The team averages 39.5 rebounds, 14 assists, nine steals and four blocks per contest. UMary turns the ball over 14.7 times per game on average.
 
Sophomore guard Bergan Kinnebrew is the team's best player. She is averaging 15 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal per game while shooting 35.3% from three and 82.2% from the charity stripe. Kinnebrew scored 26 points in the Marauders' 71-59 win over Minnesota Duluth at home.
 
Head coach Rick Neumann is in the midst of his eighth season with the UMary women's basketball program. He has an overall record of 196-165 in Bismarck and has two 20-win seasons. Last year the Marauders made it to the NSIC Tournament Championship game where they eventually fell to the Mavericks, 89-74.