Lady Mavs pick up momentum over break

The Minnesota State Women’s basketball team has turned their season around since the end of the first semester. The Mavericks picked up some key wins over the holiday break.

The Mavericks started out the break with a pair of road games against the Winona State Warriors and the Upper Iowa Peacocks.

The Mavericks suffered a loss in Winona on Dec. 8 against the Warriors by a final score of 52-80.

Allie Pickrain had a game-high 15 points that game for the Warriors. Hannah McGlone also had a big game, finishing the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. McGlone’s double-double against Minnesota State was her fourth double-double this season. McGlone went on to have a double-double in three of Winona State’s last four games of 2017.

The Mavericks had a tough time scoring against Winona State. Kirstin Klitzke had a team-high 9 points from the Mavericks, while coming off the bench.

The Lady Mavs were able to turn the tables the next night against the Upper Iowa Peacocks. On Dec. 9, the Mavericks snapped their three-game losing streak with a 75-62 victory. Blair Klostermann’s 21 points were not enough to bolster the Peacocks past the Mavericks.

Claire Jordan and Taylor Drost scored 14 points each for the Mavs. Drost also added 8 rebounds to lead the charge. Kirstin Klitzke had another impressive performance from the bench, scoring 10 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes of play.

One of the challenges for the Lady Mavs this season has been winning multiple games in a row. The Mavericks opened the season with a win against St. Olaf, but lost the next game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Mavericks picked up a victory on Nov. 23 in Hawaii against Chaminade University, but were unable to capitalize on that momentum and ended up being defeated in their next game by Wayne State.

When Minnesota State hosted the Concordia-St. Paul Bears on Dec. 15, the Mavericks were trying to do what they had not yet done this season: win multiple games in a row. This time, the Mavericks came out on top on the back end of a win, as they defeated the Bears by a score of 70-45. The Mavericks were on a two-game winning streak for the first time this season.

Claire Ziegler led the way for the Mavericks with 11 points and 9 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

The players from the bench played well for the Mavericks. Kirstin Klitzke had another great game off the bench, totaling a game-high 15 points in 20 minutes. Taylor Klug added 12 points in 17 minutes, while Brooke Tonsfeldt grabbed 8 rebounds.

The Lady Mavs continued their winning streak on Dec. 19 when they defeated the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish by a final score of 69-52. The victory is the third in a row for Minnesota State.

The Sailfish have played only two games outside the state of Florida this season. Palm Beach Atlantic played in St. Paul against Concordia-St. Paul on December 18th, prior to making the trip to Mankato to play the Mavs. The Sailfish also played against Minnesota-Crookston this season Miami Shores, Florida. The Sailfish came away with a 69-66 win against UM-Crookston.

Monica Muth had a great game for the Mavs. Muth ended the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds, her first double-double this season.

Logan Anderson also added a game-high 15 points for MSU. Taylor Klug gave the Mavs a spark off the bench by scoring 12 points.

Unfortunately, the Mavericks winning streak would end at three as they would be defeated in their next game against Minnesota State-Moorhead. The Dragons came away with a 64-81 against the Mavs.

Monica Muth’s double-double was not enough to get the Maverick win. Muth finished the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Claire Ziegler was the leading scorer for the Lady Mavs with 15 points.

The Dragons were led by Jacky Volkert, who had a game-high of 24 points and 9 assists. Drew Sannes and Monica Muth had identical games. Both players had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

On New Year’s Eve, the Mavericks hosted No. 19 Northern State. The Mavs would be defeated by a score of 49-73.

The Mavericks were led in scoring by Logan Anderson with 12 points. A notable statistic in this game was that every player who entered the game for Minnesota State ended up scoring at least one point.

The Wolves were led in scoring by Jill Conrad and Jessi Marti, who scored 16 points each.

The Mavericks enter 2018 with an overall record of 4-9, including an in-conference record of 2-5. The Mavericks will certainly look to improve their play to get more wins in the new year.

The Mavericks traveled to Sioux Falls for a game against No. 12 Augustana on January 5th. Unfortunately, the Mavericks suffered another loss to start their two-week road trip. The Vikings defeated the Mavericks by a score of 79-60.

The Mavericks played well for most of the game against the Vikings. Claire Ziegler led the Mavericks with 12 points. Monica Muth continued her stretch of good games, recording 11 points and 7 rebounds. Taylor Klug also added 12 points from the bench.

The Vikings were led by the O’Farrell sisters, Logan and Presley. Logan finished the game with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Presley finished the game with 17 points and 4 steals. Abby Hora came gave the Vikings a spark off the bench by scoring a game-high 18 points.

The Lady Mavs were tied with Augustana at 34 points a piece at halftime, but were unable to keep the momentum going in the third quarter. The Mavericks only scored eight points in the third quarter, which allowed the Vikings to gain a comfortable lead.

The Mavericks traveled next to Nebraska on January 6th when they match-up against Wayne State. Unfortunately, the hits just keep on coming for the Lady Mavs. Minnesota State was defeated by the Wildcats by a score of 73-92.

Claire Ziegler enjoys matching up against the Wildcats. In the previous match-up in Mankato, Ziegler finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Ziegler’s other double-double of the season also came against Wayne State when she scored 16 points and pulled-down 11 rebounds.

Paige Ballinger scored a game-high 21 points for the Wildcats.

The biggest strength that Wayne State had over the Mavericks in this game was the scoring off the bench. Not only did Ballinger have 21 points for the Wildcats, but Andrea Larson also came off the Wayne State benched and added 21 points of her own. Haley Vessey could not miss for Wayne State. Vessey, who also came off the bench, scored 11 points for the Wildcats. Vessey finished the game 3-3 on field goals, including 2-2 on three-point attempts and 3-3 from the free-throw line.

The Mavericks have had a mixed winter break. Minnesota State has gotten some big wins over the break after starting the season 2-7. The Mavericks have gotten three wins since the semester ended, and have gone 3-5 in that same span. The Lady Mavs have an overall record of 4-11, including an in-conference record of 2-7.

The Lady Mavs hope to turn things around on their next road trip in North Dakota. On Friday, the Mavericks travel to Minot to play the Minot State Beavers. The Beavers are currently on a two-game losing streak of their own, suffering losses to Minnesota State-Moorhead and Northern State.

On Saturday, the Mavericks will make the trip to Bismarck to play the University of Mary Marauders. The Lady Marauders are on a three-game losing streak of their own, suffering recent losses to St. Cloud State, Northern State, and Minnesota State-Moorhead. The Marauders will face-off against Concordia-St. Paul on Friday, a team that the Mavericks beat handedly.