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Mavericks thrash Golden Eagles 98-67 to stay unbeaten

Minnesota State routs Minnesota-Crookston to propel Mavericks to their first 5-0 start since 1997

Five games into the season and Minnesota State Mankato women's basketball are yet to be stopped. MSU easily defeated Minnesota-Crookston with a score of 98-67 Tuesday. This fifth straight victory for the team marks an impressive start not seen since the 1997-98 season.

It may have appeared at the beginning of the game that MSU and UMC were evenly matched but MSU quickly proved to be superior skills-wise. The Mavericks took the lead in the first half and the Golden Eagles were unable to take it back from them for the remainder of the game.

"We were able to maintain the lead because we really stayed focused, which wasn't easy after a long trip," said junior forward Alex Andrews.

UMC was sloppy on the court: 21 turnovers during the first half in comparison to MSU's nine, and MSU quickly learned how to capitalize on their opponent's errors. This was evident in the 35 rebounds and 17 steals the Mavericks boasted by game's end.

Junior guard Heather Johnson contributed 20 points to the game and has reached double figures in every game so far this season. The team's leading scorer so far, junior guard Jo Noreen, added 18 points to the victory.

But individual performances aren't the only way the team continues to stand out this season. Breaking records seems to be a trend for the team this year. MSU surpassed the previous record for most points scored in a game when they blew by Ohio Valley with 122 points during the Eckerd College Classic last weekend. In that same game the team nearly topped the margin of victory record by ending with 50 points between themselves and OVU. Tuesday night the team was at it again. The Mavericks have scored at least 90 points in four out of their five games so far this season. The last time MSU scored at least 90 points in four games during an entire season was in 2002-2003 against Mount Mercy (104 points), Winona State (97 points), Northland (94) and UNO (100).

The Mavericks head to Omaha , Neb., this weekend for the Nebraska-Omaha Classic. MSU will play Metro State 5 p.m. Friday then finish the weekend with Central Missouri 5 p.m. Saturday.

Nia Jonesz is a Reporter staff writer