Maverick women’s basketball ends win drought

The Mavericks were in North Dakota this last weekend for games against the Minot State Beavers and the University of Mary Marauders.

The Mavericks ended their dry-spell by defeating Minot State by a score of 72-54 on Friday. The victory snaps MSU’s four-game losing streak and is their first win since Dec. 19.

Much like the hit song from the Beatles, the milestone victory for a coach is a long and winding road. In order to secure this victory over Minot State, the Lady Mavs had to lose four consecutive games. In the end, it makes the team that much stronger and more resilient.

The reason I eluded to the hit song from the Beatles is because this victory against Minot State marked the 100th career victory for head coach Emilee Thiesse. In her six seasons in charge of the Minnesota State Women’s program, Thiesse has amassed an overall record of 100-62, including a record of 75-45 in NSIC play. The Mavericks team has also made two NCAA Tournament appearances under Thiesse in the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons.

Taylor Klug had a monster game for the Mavs against the Beavers. Klug led all scorers with 27 points. Claire Ziegler had a great performance all-around, pulling down seven rebounds and scoring 12 points of her own.

The Beavers struggled offensively in this game. Only two players on the Minot State team scored more than 10 points, and both of those players came off the bench for the Beavers.

The Mavericks put up a great performance following the victory over Minot State, but ultimately fell to the University of Mary in overtime by a score of 84-90.

The Lady Mavs fought their way back from a seven-point deficit at halftime to force the overtime period. Minnesota State outscored the Marauders 40-33 in the second half.

The University of Mary were able to take a 70-68 lead with nine seconds to play in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks were resilient and answered with a bucket of their own, a layup by Mackenzie Dahl that left three seconds left in regulation. The Marauders had a chance to win the game as time expired, but Claire Ziegler made an important defensive play to block the shot attempt as time expired.

The Lady Mavs were led by Claire Jordan, who scored 16 points, include a perfect seven-for-seven from the free-throw line. Claire Ziegler filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks, that included the final shot to force overtime.

The story of the game has to be the play off the bench for the Mavericks. In 29 minutes of play, Kirstin Klitzke scored 22 points for the Mavs’ bench. Klitzke was dominant from the field, shooting 9-10 on field-goals, including 2-3 from three-point range.

Taylor Klug came off the bench against the University of Mary, having played a game-high 31 total minutes the night before against Minot State. Although she came off the bench, Klug’s confidence was unwavering. She would finish the game with 16 points.

The Marauder’s starters played a great game. All five starters for the University of Mary scored double-digit points, including two players who had double-doubles.

Cassie Askvig had a game-high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Lauren Rotunda added 15 points and 10 rebounds of her own, also for her fifth double-double of the season. Both players played a game-high 41 minutes.

The Mavericks have a record of 5-12 overall after the weekend, including 3-8 in conference.

The Lady Mavs return home this weekend to face Sioux Falls on Friday, January 19th, and Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Jan. 20.