ST. JOSEPH, MO. — If opponents learned anything about playing against the Minnesota State women’s basketball team in this NCAA tournament, you can’t afford to fall behind early.
“We wanted to punch them in the face early,” Minnesota State coach Emilee Thiesse said. “We wanted to set the tone early, and we do that with defense.”
The Mavericks jumped ahead by 13 points in the first quarter and rolled past Texas Woman’s University 89-73 in the championship game of the NCAA II women’s basketball tournament Friday. It’s the second national championship for the program, which also won the tournament in 2009.
It was reminiscent of the first three games of the NCAA tournament, where the Mavericks outscored opponents 74-30 in the first quarter. Things were much tougher at the Elite Eight as the Mavericks were down 1 with 1:24 to play but rallied to defeat Georgia Southwestern in the quarterfinals and needed a buzzer-beating layup by Emily Herzberg to defeat Cal State-San Marcos in the semifinals.
The only drama in Friday’s championship game was waiting for the final horn so the confetti would fall from the ceiling.
“This was so amazing,” senior Joey Batt said. “It was one of the best experiences, but I don’t think it’s hit me yet and it might not hit me for a few days. The growth that this team showed this season is insane. These guys are like my second family, and I’ll always be a Maverick.”
Like so many games in this postseason, the Mavericks got off to a quick start, making three 3-pointers to build a 17-5 lead. Mackenzie Schweim hit her second 3-pointer late in the opening quarter as the Mavericks led 26-13.
The lead grew to 37-21 on consecutive baskets and a 3-pointer by Natalie Bremer, who had 16 points and three steals in the opening half. Texas Woman’s was able to make up some ground at the free-throw line by the end of the second quarter, but Ava Stier had a couple of post baskets as Minnesota State was up 46-32 at the break.
Emily Herzberg hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter that made it 59-38, and Stier, who started in place of injured starter Emily Russo, scored inside as the Mavericks took a 70-48 lead into the fourth quarter.
Texas Woman’s outscored the Mavericks 25-17 in the fourth quarter and got as close as 10 with two minutes to play, but Minnesota State scored eight straight, capped by Hannah Herzig’s 3-pointer in the final seconds.
“This is such a special moment for this team,” Bremer said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”
Bremer finished with 27 points, giving her 56 points in the final two games and earning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Batt, who was named to the all-tournament team, had a very Joey-Batt-like game with 10 points, 6 assists and 7 steals in her career finale, and fellow senior Herzberg, who hit the game-winner at the buzzer in the semifinals, had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
“I’ve been shooting the ball pretty well, and my teammates were getting me the ball in places where I’m comfortable,” Bremer said. “It means so much that my teammates and coaches have that confidence in me.”
The Mavericks forced 30 turnovers and made 21 steals.
“This has just been incredible,” Thiesse said. “When you go back to Joey’s freshman year, and to watch this program grow with Joey at the helm has been amazing. It’s not just this team; it’s a lot of other teams that have helped us build this culture. But this team is extra special.”
Please follow Chad Courrier on X @ChadCourrier.