Box Score

ST. PAUL — The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team trailed by four points with 2:15 left to play, but came up short as it fell to Concordia-St. Paul, 68-59 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Friday night.
 
SMSU (5-22, 3-18) finished shooting 44 percent (23 of 52) and 46 percent (5 of 11) from behind the arc. CSP (13-14, 9-12) shot 49 percent (29 of 59) from the floor and 31 percent (4 of 13) from 3-point range.
 
Annessa Rosch led the Mustangs with 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. Sarah Buysse and Lauren Hedlund both added nine points apiece. Hedlund paced the SMSU defense with seven boards, while Rosch and Taylor Holicky pulled down six each.
 
CSP started the game jumping out to a 5-0 lead and continued to build a seven-point lead with 3:41 left in the first quarter. The Golden Bears maintained control and led by nine before starting a run midway through the second quarter. CSP put together a 12-2 run with 7:35 left to play in the half to build a 16-point lead—largest of the game—with 3:34 left in the half. SMSU finished the half on a 9-6 run to trail 38-25 at the break.
 
The Golden Bears kept its double-digit lead through the third quarter as they lead 50-39 after the frame. SMSU cut the lead to single-digits to start the final quarter following a layup by Rosch, which keyed a 16-9 run that would last over the next seven and half minutes. SMSU trailed by four following the run with 2:15 left to play. CSP would not falter, as it hit a daggering 3-pointer on the following possession to lead by nine. Abby Connell would respond with a 3-pointer for SMSU and Hedlund scored a free throw to help SMSU trail by five with 39 seconds left. But that is all the closer CSP would let it get, as it went on to win 68-59.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will close the regular season at Minnesota State tomorrow starting at 4 p.m.