Mavericks overpower Warriors in exhibition
By Aaron Schneider
MANKATO, Minn. – The Waldorf College women’s basketball team was handed a 91-45 loss by Minnesota State University in Wednesday’s exhibition game.
The Mavericks (0-0), who are receiving votes in the NCAA Division II preseason poll, have six players on their roster who are at least six feet tall. They used their size advantage down low to outscore the Warriors (0-2) in the paint by a 46-12 margin.
“Obviously, we played a team that was longer, bigger and more athletic than us,” Waldorf coach Katie Schutjer said. “One we got used to the physicality of their play, I thought we did some things well.”
Minnesota State established control of the game, starting with a 23-9 advantage through the first quarter. The Warriors trailed 40-22 at halftime and were outscored 51-23 during the second half.
Senior Mackenzie Gott led Waldorf with 10 points, shooting 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) from the field. Juniors Jamerka Martin, Molly Greenfield and freshman Samantha Birkes provided six points apiece. Martin also collected a team-high six rebounds.
“Jamerka came off the bench and had a great game,” Schutjer said.
Freshman Taylor Fricke tallied five points for the Warriors while juniors Miriah Carruth, Jenna Quina, sophomore Jessica Denholm, freshmen Kassidy Bunger, Taylor Kurtz and Ameh Ogbemudia rounded out the scoring effort with two points apiece.
Defensively, Ogbemudia contributed three steals while Carruth and Quina came away with two steals each.
Sammie Delzotto powered the Mavericks with a game-high 17 points while shooting 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from the floor. Also scoring in double figures for Minnesota State was Taylor Paulsrud with 12 points, Britney Scherber with 11 points and Madison Lee with 10 points.
Scherber dished out four assists and added three steals. Lee handed out four assists. Claire Ziegler ripped down 10 rebounds and Karina Schroeder grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Mavericks to a 44-35 advantage on the boards.
During the course of the game, Minnesota State posted a 55.1 percent field-goal percentage converting on 38-of-69 attempts from the field and 8-of-21 (38.1 percent) shots from 3-point range. The Warriors shot 28.3 percent, going 17-of-60 from the floor and 6-of-25 (24 percent) from behind the arc.
The Mavericks went 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the free-throw line while Waldorf was 5-of-10 (50 percent) at the stripe.
Turnovers also aided Minnesota State. The Warriors committed 28 turnovers, which led to 34 points for the Mavericks. Minnesota State owned a 16-0 advantage in fast-break points. The Mavericks turned the ball over 18 times and Waldorf scored 12 points off turnovers.
Minnesota State’s bench outscored Waldorf’s reserves, 37-16.
After facing a tough test against a quality NCAA Division II opponent, the Warriors now shift their focus to next week as they host William Penn University (0-2) in Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. home opener at Hanson Fieldhouse.
“I hope the kids enjoyed the experience of playing this level and can realize things we need to get better at,” Schutjer said. “We will work hard the rest of this week to get better and prepare for our home opener.”