MANKATO, Minn. – The No. 25 Minnesota State women's basketball team (21-5, 17-3 NSIC) heads into the final week of the 2024-25 regular season in third place in the NSIC. With a pair of wins on the road against St. Cloud State (13-12, 10-10 NSIC) and MSU Moorhead (12-14, 10-10 NSIC), the Mavericks could improve their position in the NSIC Tournament. The team takes on the Huskies at 7:30 p.m. on the evening of Friday, February 21. Then, on Saturday, February 22, the Mavericks play the Dragons at 5:30 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
Weekend Recap: The Mavericks closed out its home schedule for the season last weekend with a pair of dominant wins over Minot State and UMary. Junior guard Natalie Bremer was spectacular in the two victories, as she averaged 20.5 points per game while shooting 63% from the field and averaging 3.5 steals per game on defense. She went 9-11 from the field against the Marauders, as Bremer went 4-4 from three-point range in the 23-point outing. Minnesota State set a new program record in that game with 46 forced turnovers.
 
WBCA Poll: The Mavericks stuck at No. 25 in the WBCA DII Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the second consecutive week. Minnesota State has been ranked in the poll all 13 weeks of the season.
 
Team Stats: The Mavericks have the best scoring offense in Division II averaging 88.4 points per game while shooting the 10th-highest field goal percentage, making 45.8% of their shot attempts. MSU ranks 22^nd in the country in assists, as 16.3 of its makes per game come from the pass. The team is first in the NSIC in rebounds per game (42.7 RPG) and is ninth in the nation in offensive rebounds per contest (16.9 ORPG). Minnesota State on defense is third in DII in steals per game (17.3 SPG), fourth in turnover margin (10) and fifth in turnovers forced per game (27.2). The team averages 29.2 points per game off those takeaways. Nine Maverick players are averaging at least one steal per game.
 
Star Power: Minnesota State is blessed with two All-American-caliber athletes on its roster. Senior guard Destinee Bursch is having the best season of her Maverick career, averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals while shooting 52.9% from the field, all of which are career-highs. She ranks fifth in the NSIC in scoring, second in field goal percentage, fourth in assists and fifth in the league in steals. Bursch is third in all-time scoring in MSU history with 1,798 points scored. Bremer, a junior guard from Lake City, Minn., is also having a spectacular season. She is averaging 19.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game while shooting 49.3% from the field, 39.4% from deep and 84.5% from the charity stripe. She is third in the conference in points, fourth in field goal shooting, second in free throw shooting and first in the conference in steals. Bremer became the ninth Maverick to reach 1,500 career points against Minot State and moved up into sixth in all-time scoring with 1,529 points here at MSU.
 
The Greatest: With a 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 249-121 and an NSIC record of 186-88. Minnesota State has won 78.5 percent of its games in the Taylor Center under Coach Thiesse. She has led the Mavericks to seven 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.
 
History vs St. Cloud State: Despite three-straight victories over the Huskies, Minnesota State holds a 46-65 record against St. Cloud State. The Mavericks haven't won in St. Cloud since 2010 when the team picked up a three-point win on the road. MSU took home a victory against the Huskies back in January despite a second-half surge from SCSU.
 
History vs MSU Moorhead: With five-straight wins, the Mavericks hold a 31-18 record against MSU Moorhead. The team has won six of the last seven games against the Dragons and 13 of the last 17 matchups against MSUM. The Mavericks defeated the Dragons 94-66 back in January.
 
 
About the Huskies
St. Cloud State is 13-12 on the season and an even 10-10 in NSIC play. The Huskies have had their fair share of peaks and valleys this season. The team's loss to the Mavericks earlier this season kicked off a six-game losing streak, but now, SCSU is on a three-game win streak as the team toppled Minot State, Wayne State and Augustana.
 
St. Cloud State is averaging 66.5 points per game on 40.7% team field goal shooting. The team shoots 33.2% from three and makes 72.5% of its free throw attempts. The Huskies average 38.4 rebounds, 16.2 assists and 15.7 turnovers per game. Defensively, SCSU averages 8.3 steals and 3.4 blocks per game.
 
The Huskies' leading scorer is junior guard Jada Eggebrecht. She is averaging 13 points, 3.3 rebounds and two assists per game. She had 21 points in the win against the Vikings. Alana Zarneke is the team's other main offensive weapon. The sophomore is averaging 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 38.9% from deep. She scored 20 points in the team's last outing against Augustana.
 
The Huskies are coached by 17^th-year head coach Lori Fish. She has led the St. Cloud State program to a 262-173 record in her years and has 324 wins as a collegiate coach.
 
 
About the Dragons
MSU Moorhead is 12-14 this season, also with a 10-10 record against conference opponents. The Dragons have been incredibly streaky. A six-game win streak quickly swung into a seven-game loss streak after a three-point loss to Minot State in overtime at home. MSUM has lost back-to-back games, now, against Minnesota Duluth and Concordia-St. Paul.
 
The Dragons are averaging 62 points per game on 36.6% field goal shooting, 27.5% three-point shooting and 71% free throw shooting. The team averages 39.5 rebounds, 11.9 assists and 15.5 turnovers per game. On defense, MSU Moorhead averages 7.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest.
 
Natalie Jens is one of the Dragons' best players. The senior guard is averaging 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Sophomore wing Abby Berge is also having a solid season, averaging 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steal per contest on 44.9% field goal shooting. Terryn Johnson is another standout for MSUM. She is averaging 10.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting the ball at an efficient 55% in 2024-25.
 
The Dragons are led by Karla Nelson, 25-year head coach, from the home bench in Moorhead. Nelson has led MSUM to 21 straight winning seasons and is a four-time NSIC Coach of the Year. She has accumulated a career record of 412-257.