>Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team came back from an 11-point deficit to earn its first win of the season over Augustana College,  77-71, Saturday night in the R/A Facility. Tonight's game was sponsored by the Minnesota Army National Guard. 
SMSU (1-11, 1-7 NSIC) finished shooting 50 percent from the floor led by Annessa Rosch as she scored a career-high 23 points with five three-pointers. Three other Mustangs tallied double digit points as Amaun Frazier recorded 14 while Whitney Miller and Ellen Degler had 10. Frazier also led with four assists 

Augustana (9-6, 3-5 NSIC) was held to just 34 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three. Shaunteva Ashley led the Vikings with 29 points while Logan O'Farrell contributed 13. 

The Mustangs held an advantage in rebounds as they grabbed 45 to the Vikings 36. Hedlund led SMSU with 10 boards while Degler grabbed nine.

SMSU started the game with the lead and held it for most of the half until a three-pointer by Allie Koehn put the Vikings up by two and gave them their first lead of the game with 9:57 left in the half.

Augustana would continue to push its lead for the rest of the half and led as many as 11 with 1:10 left in the first half and went into half leading, 37-28. Ashley led the Vikings with 13 points and three assists in the half.

The Mustangs shot 66 percent from behind the arc in the first half led by Rosch shooting 2-of-3.Both teams were tied with 20 rebounds each as Emilee Duske led the Mustangs with five.

In the second half the Mustang defense was charged as they battled back to tie the game up at 55-55 with 9:34 left to play, but they it didn't stop there. SMSU held Augustana at 55 for nearly seven minutes and without at field goal for nine minutes. The Mustangs continued to increase its lead to eight points with 3:30 left to play.

SMSU went on to hold off Augustana and earn its first victory of the season.

Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball will return head to Upper Iowa next Friday before playing Winona State on Saturday.