MANKATO, Minn. — Some college athletic programs seem to be spoiled with success.
Minnesota State University in Mankato sure fits the bill this spring. Both the women's and men's basketball Mavericks have hooped to the top of the NCAA Division II tournament field, scrapping their way to the Final Four.
The men, top-seeded in their regional bracket, take on West Texas A&M Thursday at 3:30 p.m. after laying a whipping on Ferris State 98-70. The Mavericks — now 33-2 — are an offensive juggernaut, setting program records for scoring (2,974 points), three pointers (318) and field goals made (1,095).
Malik and Kyreese Willingham lead the club in scoring at 18.9 and 14.8 points per game respectively. Dylan Peters is the rebounding king with 229 on the year.
The Maverick women advance to the Final Four for the second time in program history, sitting at 30-5 on the season heading into their Wednesday semifinal against Cal State San Marcos.
To make the semis, the Mavericks had to hold off Georgia Southwestern in the NCAA Quarterfinals 93-88. The game included seven ties and 14 lead changes as Georgia Southwestern shot the lights out in the first half, but MSU held the Lady Hurricanes to fewer than 20 points in the third and fourth quarters.
Mavericks guard Joey Batt led all scorers with 21, chipping in six assists as well. She is a newly minted All-American who averages 16.3 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 37% from 3-point land. Batt also averages 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.6 steals per game.
While it seems like a huge deal, this year it was not uncommon to have both women's and men's programs advance at the D-II level. Gannon and Ferris State also saw both programs advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
What: NCAA Division II Women's semifinal featuring Minnesota State University - Mankato vs. Cal State San Marcos, Wed. March 27, 7:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.
What: NCAA Division I Men's semifinal featuring Minnesota State University - Mankato vs. West Texas A&M, Thursday, March 28, 2:30 p.m. in Evansville, Ind.
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