THE OPENING TIP
The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team (28-3 overall, 22-1 NSIC) looks to extend its NCAA Tournament Regional homestand with a contest against Minnesota State in Romano on Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Thus far, being at home while on tournament time has treated the Bulldogs pretty well.
UMD's First Round opponent was No. 8 Southern Nazarene, the winner of its Great American Conference (GAC) in both the regular season and postseason. It was a tight contest to start, the Storm actually leading after 10 minutes by a score of 14-13. That's when UMD really started to surge. A second quarter effort that saw the Bulldogs outscore SNU 17-11 was eventually parlayed into a 24-12 mark in the third quarter, allowing UMD to walk into the final frame with a substantial 54-37 lead. It's one the Bulldogs were able to hold on to, walking into Round Two with a 66-50 victory. It was UMD's first March Madness win since a 76-70 opening round victory against Emporia State back in the 2020-21 season.
GAME STATS DEBRIEF
UMD
SNU
CATCHING UP WITH MINNESOTA STATE
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Saturday will be far from the first rodeo between UMD and MSU.
The first meeting between these clubs came in the form of a Top 25 showdown between then the No. 23 Bulldogs and then No. 5 Mavericks in Mankato back on Jan. 7. A huge 27-16 scoring performance from UMD in the second half allowed them to walk into halftime up almost double figures at 45-37. This was further cushioned by a 23-17 third frame that left the Bulldogs up 68-54. But there's a reason they play four- MSU put on a strong comeback effort in the last 10 minutes. The Mavericks even regained the lead at one point, going up 71-70. UMD was able to maintain composure, though, ultimately winning 78-75.
GAME STATS DEBRIEF
UMD
MSU
The stakes were even higher the second time around- try the NSIC Tournament Championship. Different circumstances, but the script ended up playing out someone similarly. UMD was absolutely dominant in the early goings, leading by as many as 20 at a score of 26-6 in just the first quarter. But the Mavericks climbed back into a competitive position once again. By the fourth quarter, MSU had even evened the score at 63-63. That's when UMD had a late-game surge, closing on a 17-11 run to take the game 80-74 and its third straight NSIC Tournament Title.
GAME STATS DEBRIEF:
UMD
-
Olson: 36 points, 13-21 shooting, five rebounds
-
Gilbertson: 13 points, 5-7
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Thiesen: 11 points, five rebounds, seven assists
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Team: 55.1% shooting
MSU
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Bursch: 25 points, 7-12 shooting
-
Batts: 12 points, four assists
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Things ended up working out okay for MSU in the end. Come Selection Sunday, the Mavericks were slotted at No. 5 in the Central Region for the NCAA Tournament.
THE ROAD SO FAR
Landing at the five spot meant that the Mavericks drew No. 4 Central Missouri as their first NCAA postseason opponent. The matchup certainly lived up to the billing typical of these 4-5 battles. For a while, though, it looked like the Jennies might run away with it. Central Missouri held a 16 point lead at a score of 60-44 with just 4:56 to go in the third. But that's when MSU stormed back in this one, gradually cutting into the lead. This set the stage for a fourth quarter where the score was tied a total of seven times. Ultimately, it was a Bursch layup with 2.9 seconds left that broke the tie trend for the final time, helping the Mavericks secure an 83-81 win.
GAME STATS DEBRIEF
-
Batts: 25 points
-
Bursch: 20 points, 9-16 shooting
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Emily Herzberg: 11 points, five reb
SCORING LEADERS…
Batts is often at the forefront of offensive production for this Mavericks team, leading the way with a points per game mark of 16.6. The junior guard is also tops on the team in average assists with 3.8 a game. Up next in the scoring race behind Batts is Bursch, who scores 14.9 a night. Last on the list of double-digit scorers is Bremar, who's potting 14.7 points per game.
…ON A SPECIAL OFFENSE
As a unit, MSU holds the fourth-highest scoring offense in the entire nation, averaging 84.2 points a night. It's the core piece of a typical scoring margin of 18.9 that's sixth in the country. And the Mavericks do all of this work pretty efficiently, too, their team field goal percentage of 43.8% landing them at 30th nationally. A key to this operation has been MSU's ability to distribute the ball. The Mavericks are 17th in the country in average assists with 16.4 a contest.
DON'T FORGET DEFENSE
Supplementing this offensive force is a defensive trait that pairs pretty well: an affinity for steals. MSU holds an average steals mark of 16.6 that's first not only in the NSIC but in the entirety of DII women's basketball. Leading the charge in that operation is Batts, who averages 3.07 takeaways a game (ninth in the country).
ALL EYES ON THIESSE
At the helm of the operation for MSU is 11th-year coach Emilee Thiesse. Thiesse has now guided the Mavericks to two-straight 20-win seasons, this 2022-23 campaign being her fifth year of 20 or more victories overall while at MSU. Thiesse's overall mark as a Maverick is 196-110.
TOURNEY HISTORY DEBRIEF
UMD walks into this contest with a 9-13 overall record across what is now 15 NCAA Tournament appearances. It's the Mavericks' eighth time going dancing, their cumulative record being 10-6. MSU won the NCAA Championship back in 2009.
Despite all of their encounters elsewhere, the Bulldogs and the Mavericks have never faced each other in an NCAA Tournament setting.
THE BROADCAST
Can't make it to Romano? Catch all of the NCAA Tournament action live through the NSIC Network by clicking the link below:
vs Minnesota State (Saturday, March 11 @ 7:00 p.m.):
bit.ly/3YE3KbY
