BETHANY, OKLA. — When the basketball goes up for the opening tip, the Minnesota State women’s basketball team has been ready to play.
Through two games at the NCAA II tournament, against higher seeded teams, the Mavericks have yet to trail.
“Our mentality is always to set the tone early,” senior guard Joey Batt said. “We want to make sure we play our style. Our defensive pressure is what makes our offense flow.”
Minnesota State (28-5), the seventh seed, faces No. 1 Southern Nazarene in the region championship game at 7 p.m. Monday at Bethany, Oklahoma. The Mavericks have already knocked off No. 2 seed Missouri Western State and No. 3 Fort Hays State on the way to the region final.
“At first, I think we felt a little (disrespected),” Batt said. “But we changed our perspective pretty quick. You have to beat every team; it doesn’t matter where they’re seeded. We’re the only team here from the (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference), and we want to represent the conference well.”
This is the Mavericks’ fourth trip to the region final, having lost in 1986 and 2008 and won in 2009 at Bresnan Arena on the way to a national championship.
The Mavericks lost to Southern Nazarene 73-56 on Nov. 10 while playing in the Region Crossover Challenge, playing without Batt. The game featured ten ties and 11 lead changes and was tied starting the fourth quarter, despite several of the Mavericks being limited by foul trouble.
“The first time, they didn’t see the true Mavericks yet,” junior guard Destinee Bursch said. “We’re playing well together right now. I don’t think they know what’s coming.”
Through two games at the region tournament, the Mavericks are shooting just 41.6% from the field, including 28.6% on 3-pointers. They’ve also committed 49 turnovers.
Yet, they haven’t trailed. The Mavericks led 26-6 to start the victory over Missouri Western and 15-5 against Fort Hays State.
“We always talk about playing a complete game,” Bursch said. “We come out as hard as we can and keep going the rest of the game.”
The Mavericks have won with defense, causing 60 turnovers in two games with 29 steals.
“I feel like we’re playing our best basketball,” Batt said. “We’re clicking on all cylinders, and everybody on the team is making an impact on the game. Since we started the conference tournament, we’ve been on a roll. It’s been a great experience, and we’re having fun.”
Bursch had led the team with 19 points in each game, and Natalie Bremer had averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds. Batt has scored 27 points with seven steals, becoming only the third player in team history to record 100 steals in a season.
Bursch and Bremer have each scored more than 500 points this season, joining a group of 17 in team history to accomplish that.
“This is the best time of the year,” Bursch said. “We all have to perform at our best, and that’s what we’ve been doing. I’m just trying to do my job the best that I can.”
Please follow Chad Courrier on X @ChadCourrier.