by Tom Froemming
Issue date: 11/28/06
Section: Womens Sports
The Minnesota State women's basketball team was dismantled and rebuilt in the course of a week.
After gaining momentum with a 2-0 start, the Mavericks ran into Minnesota State-Moorhead Wednesday. The Dragons, who won 24 games and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference two seasons ago, crushed the Mavs 77-55. The Dragons controlled most of the game, holding a 42-23 lead at the half.
"I couldn't wait to play again because I needed to get that bad taste out of my mouth," said MSU head coach Lori Fish.
The Mavericks then traveled to Omaha, Neb., for the Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic where they picked up wins against the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers Saturday and the Caldwell College Cougars Sunday.
The Mavericks were plagued by poor shooting against Moorhead, connecting on just over 30 percent of their shots including a 5:44 stretch in the first half in which they didn't make a basket. Only junior Anna Voltmer (10 points) scored in double figures for the Mavs.
MSU shot slightly better against CSM, 32.2 percent, but held on to win 61-55 in a game the Mavericks had to earn. CSM's Sara Eickelman missed a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left that would've put the Orediggers down one, and the Mavs took care of business at the free throw line to seal the victory.
"We didn't get into the running game we like, so I think it was good for us to have to figure out another way to win," Fish said.
Voltmer came off the bench strong again, scoring 10 points - all in the first half. Sophomores Heather Johnson and Alex Andrews scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
MSU fixed its problems the next night, shooting over 44 percent in its 73-62 win against the Cougars. The Mavs led by as many as 31 points in the second half as Teresa Parker, Liz Trauger and Andrews were tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 points.
The balanced scoring attack was nothing new for the Mavs, as six players have led or tied for the team lead in scoring in a game for MSU. While no Maverick player is averaging 10 points or more, six are averaging at least seven points per game.
After the 2-1 week, MSU sits at 4-1 and is off to its best start since 2003-04. That team started 4-0 but lost its next five games and finished 9-19.
When Parker transferred from Southern Illinois, she brought with her a skill the Mavericks haven't had for years: Shot blocking. Through five games, Parker has swatted 11 shots and is on pace to block somewhere around 60 shots, depending on how many postseason games MSU plays. MSU's leading shot blocker last season was Arin Andrews with just 15. The MSU single-season block record is 47 set in 1980-81 by Kathy Erickson.
To put Parker's blistering pace into perspective, only six players in MSU history blocked more than 60 shots in their careers, let alone one season.
"For the team, when she swats one into the front row, it gets them excited," Fish said. "There's no doubt that's a great presence to have inside."
Last year, two teams stood out as above and beyond the best in the North Central Region - North Dakota and St. Cloud State.
No. 1 UND lost its home opener Tuesday to Northern State 71-65. Saturday, No. 4 SCSU lost 79-69 to Bemidji State, who the Mavericks beat at the Pepsi Tip-Off. Last season, UND went undefeated in the regular season and SCSU won its first 17 games. The two powerhouses gave little hope for other teams in the region to advance deep in the North Central Regional, as the they met in the regional championship with SCSU upsetting UND.
"I definitely think there's a lot of parody," Fish said. "This is some competitive basketball going around, especially in [the NCC] and the NSIC. I think the women's game has really come a long way."
MSU travels to Pueblo, Colo., for the Chuck Stephens Memorial Classic this week. The Mavs play Colorado State-Pueblo at 6 p.m. Friday and New Mexico Highlands at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Tom Froemming is the Reporter Editor in Chief
