MANKATO, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team is on the road for their final regular-season game of 2021-22 as they play at Minnesota State today, Feb. 19 with a start time of 1:30 p.m.
The Mavericks clinched the NSIC South title on Friday with a 91-67 win over Upper Iowa, while Winona State fell to Concordia - St. Paul in a tightly contested game, 50-47.
Within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) postseason picture, the Warriors are currently sixth in the NSIC South and are on pace to compete in the NSIC Tournament which begins next week.
Read on for more regarding the Winona State - Minnesota State match-up, which will tip-off at 1:30 p.m. in the Taylor Center.
Who: Winona State vs. Minnesota State
What: The Warriors (12-13, 9-12 NSIC) will travel to the Mavericks (19-5, 15-5 NSIC)
When: Saturday, February 19 with a 1:30pm tip-off.
Where: Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State, Mankato.
Winona State - MSU Notables
Heading into the Warrior weekend:
Kieck cracks the club... Emily Kieck cracked into the Winona State women's basketball 1,000 point club on Thursday vs. CSP, knocking down a three pointer to reach the 1,000 point plateau and finishing the game with a team-high 14 points.
It's the final countdown... The Warriors close out the regular season with a home game versus CSP on Thursday, Feb. 17, and an away game at Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 19. WSU is 5-6 at home and 6-6 in away games throughout the season.
Last time around ... Winona State traveled to Concordia-St. Paul on Dec. 2 earlier this season, where they suffered a 42-83 defeat. Taylor Hustad led the Warriors with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Warriors - Mavericks rematch... WSU hosted Minnesota State on Dec. 4 this season, and fell 67-76. A 24-10 third quarter propelled the Mavericks to the nine-point victory. Caitlin Riley paced the Warriors with 16 points.
Playoff contingencies... Winona State is currently sixth in the NSIC South and are on pace to participate in the NSIC Tournament. The first round games will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 23 on campus sites (top two seeds in each division receive first round byes).
Milestone markers ahead... Taylor Hustad has scored 985 points in her career to date, while head coach Scott Ballard needs two more victories to earn his 300th win as the Warriors head coach.
Winona State notables:
The Warriors are currently 12-13 overall and 9-12 in the NSIC. Last weekend, WSU split contests at home against Sioux Falls (52-53) and Southwest Minnesota State (55-52).
Winona State is averaging 63.8 points/game on the offensive end, and has the fifth-best defense in the NSIC allowing just 64.2 points/game to their opponents.
Taylor Hustad leads WSU with 13.2 points/game. Emily Kieck (11.3 ppg) and Emma Fee (10.3 ppg) are averaging double-digit scoring as well.
Hustad grabs a team-leading 7.3 boards a game, while Fee brings in 6.4 of her own each game. Both marks are top-15 in the NSIC.
Caitlin Riley is averaging 2.2 makes from downtown per contest on the season, which is the fourth most in the conference.
Hustad is leading the NSIC in field goal percentage as she has connected on 54.4% of her shots this season.
Alex Dornfeld turned in a career-high scoring output in the Warriors win over SMSU. She went 6-9 from the field, including 2-3 from deep, and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to help WSU earn the victory.
Taylor Hustad is on the brink of reaching the 1000-point milestone. Hustad needs 15 points to reach 1000 career points, while Kieck hit the 1,000 point mark on Thursday at home vs. Concordia, St. Paul.
Minnesota State notables:
The Mavericks are 19-5 overall and are atop the NSIC South with a 15-5 conference record. With their win on Thursday over UIU, MSU clinched the NSIC South title.
Minnesota State has the highest-powered offense in the NSIC, where they score an average 78.7 points/game. On defense, MSU gives up an average of 67.9 points each game for scoring margin of 10.8.
MSU has scored over 80 points in 13 games, including four games of more than 90, and a season-high 107 points versus Bethany Lutheran to open the season.
The Mavericks turn their opponents over 24.1 times a game and hold the league's largest turnover margin with an average of 10.0 each game.
Joey Batt paces MSU with 15.3 points/game, a mark that is top-10 in the NSIC. Batt also leads the league in assist/turnover ratio at 2.2, and is second in steals (2.7/game).
Desitnee Bursch is the only other Maverick to average double figures, as she puts up 11.9 each game. Five other players average at least seven points/game for MSU.
The Mavericks have clinched a first-round bye in NSIC Tournament and will open their postseason run at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals.
For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
