Women's Basketball 11/23/2016 1:32:00 PM By Abigail Siekmann, BHSU Sports Information

WBB: Yellow Jackets Make Home Debut Friday Against Minnesota State

THE GAME - Minnesota State

Friday will be the second meeting between the two teams on the hardwood, with a tipoff at 5 p.m. MST. The two teams played back in 2012 in Aberdeen, South Dakota at the Northern State Tournament where MSU won 91-60. BHSU trails in the series 0-1.
Minnesota State was picked to finish fourth in the South Division but sixth overall in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference as picked by the coaches' finishing at 9-18 overall and 8-14 in conference.
Britney Scherber is one of the top two retuners for the Mavericks. Averaged 14-points per game and had a team high 54 assists. She was named to the second team All-NSIC after the season.
Claire Ziegler is the other top returner for the Mavericks. She averaged 14 points a game as well and had a team high 22 blocks.
MSU has faced eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents in the last 15 years. MSU Denver, N.M. Highlands and Colorado School of Mines are the only three RMAC opponents to beat MSU while the other five teams have not.
The head coach Emilee Theisse returns to her home roots of Spearfish to face the Yellow Jackets for the second time in her coaching career. Her sister Amy is the head coach of the University of South Dakota women's basketball team.

THE COACHES

Black Hills State University head coach Mark Nore owns a 253-160 record over 15 seasons with the Yellow Jackets. He is the all-time wins leader for Yellow Jacket basketball.
Emilee Thiesse, native of Spearfish, S.D., enters her fifth season as the Mavericks head coach. She has the second most wins in program history during her inaugural campaign advancing to the second round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. She owns a 79-40 record over four seasons.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Black Hills State is looking for its first win on the season and if they win, the series against Minnesota State will be tied.

NOTABLE PLAYERS

Sierra Toms had a career-high games against Cal Poly Pomona and Northern State at MSU-Billings. Toms notched 14 points twice for a career high. In her career-high 31 minutes of play, she went 6-of-14 from the field with three steals against Cal Poly Pomona. Against Northern State, Toms went 2-of-6 from the three-point range setting a career-high for made and attempts. Due to her efforts at the MSU-Billings Yellowjacket Classic, she was named to the All-Tournament Team.

PRESEASON ALL-RMAC

Taylor Trohkimoinen was named to Preseason All-RMAC Team as well as First Team All-RMAC. Trohkimoinen averaged 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season. She scored in the double digits on 11 occasions and scored a season-high 19 points twice. Brittany Hernandez of UCCS was named the Preseason Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

MOST WINS IN NCAA ERA

Black Hills State tallied its most wins in the NCAA era in the 2015-16 season with 21 victories. The Green and Gold also notched its first NCAA Tournament appearance where they advanced to the second round. The 21 wins eclipsed the 14 wins in the 2011-12 season, and 17 conference victories last year topped the previous best of 13 wins.

Players Mentioned