BOX SCORE
CROOKSTON, Minn. - Southwest Minnesota State was held scoreless in the last 2:50 in overtime as the Mustangs were edged by Minnesota, Crookston 76-72 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday.

Rebekah Rolling hit a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime but the Mustangs came up short down the stretch.

The loss was the eighth straight overtime loss that SMSU has suffered dating back to the 2004-05 season. The loss dropped the Mustangs to 10-21 all-time in overtime games.

SMSU (3-18, 2-14 NSIC) recovered from a poor first half shooting performance (31.3%) to finish 27 of 67 (40.3%) from the floor. SMSU finished with a season-high 72 points and tied a season high in field goals made (27) and field goals attempted (67). The Mustangs were a perfect 13 of 13 from the charity stripe but were just 5 of 17 (29.4%) from behind the arc.

Minnesota, Crookston (7-13, 3-13 NSIC) took a seven point lead into halftime thanks in large part to a 59.1 percent (13 of 22) shooting percentage. SMSU shot the ball 10 more times than UMC did in the first half but could only find the bottom of the net 10 times as the Mustangs shot 31.3 percent from the floor (10-32).

The Golden Eagles started hot as they scored the first eight points of the game and extended its largest lead of the half to 11 just four minutes into the game when Ashley Martell's jumper made it 13-2. The Mustangs would retaliate with a big 13-2 run to tie the game at 15-15 with 9:14 remaining when Rebekah Rolling connected on her lone bucket of the half. UMC's Alexa Theilman hit a 3-pointer to put the Golden Eagles ahead by seven with 2:13 remaining; Theilman's 3-pointer was the last points scored of the half by either squad.

The Mustangs started the second half just as they did in the first half, slowly. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 13 with 14:56 remaining - their largest lead of the game. The Mustangs would fight back and work the lead back down to two with 6:54 remaining as Ellen Degler connected on a jumper. The points would be Degler's last as she fouled out minutes later and finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Down six with 35 seconds remaining, SMSU turned to Rebekah Rolling who made back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 63 and send it into overtime. UMC missed four free throws in the last 35 seconds to allow the Mustang comeback.

In overtime, Annessa Rosch scored six of her nine points as she hit a 3-pointer and finished an old fashion 3-point play off a layup and a foul. Mikayla Saathoff hit a 3-pointer with 2:50 remaining in overtime to give SMSU a 72-70 lead but the Mustangs would fail to score the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles, unlike at the end of regulation, connected on free throws late in overtime to secure the 76-72 victory.

Alison Nagel matched a career-high with her 19 points, Ellen Degler had 12 and Rebekah Rolling rounded out double-figure scoring for the Mustangs as she finished with 10. Hope Bonlander had a nice game as she finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

SMSU returns to the R/A Facility for a mid-week game versus South Dakota Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m.