Box Score
MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State held just its second halftime lead of the season over No. 16 Augustana, but SMSU was unable to match an efficient second-half Vikings' offense as Augustana won, 91-77 on Saturday afternoon in the R/A Facility.
 
SMSU finished the game 23 of 54 (43 percent) shooting from the field with 10 made three point attempts but Augustana went 50 percent from the floor including 9 of 21 (43 percent) from deep.
 
Erin Baxter led SMSU with 16 points while Sadie Stelter knocked down five three's and finished with 15 points. Meleah Reinhart went 10 of 12 from the free throw line in finished with 15 points as well.
 
The Mustangs suffered from 25 turnovers in the game as Augustana held a 30-14 advantage in points off of turnovers for the game.
 
Southwest Minnesota State, which entered the game with a minus 65 scoring differential in the opening quarter of games, struggled again to start as Augustana held SMSU to just 4 of 16 (25 percent) shooting in the first.
 
The Mustangs went just 2 of 10 on three point attempts to start the game while the Vikings held a 14-4 advantage in points in the paint, edging out a 12 point lead late in the opening quarter.
 
SMSU still trailed by 12 midway through the second frame, when Sarah Buysse assisted on a Sadie Stelter trey from the left wing that sparked an 8-0 run from the Mustangs to get back into the game.
 
Following pair of Vikings buckets', the Mustangs then went on a 14-5 run over a three and a half minute stretch and took their first lead since the game's early moments when Taylor Holicky hit a layup to put SMSU ahead, 37-36.
 
Southwest Minnesota State finished the half going 5 of 7 from deep and 9 of 11 overall in the final 6:45 which was capped off by buzzer beating three pointer from Stelter to give SMSU a 42-40 halftime lead.
 
The Mustangs carried their second halftime lead of the season into the break despite 14 turnovers as the Vikings held a 17-7 advantage in points off of turnovers in the first twenty minutes.
 
Augustana came out strong offensively in the second half as a 24-12 third quarter advantage was enough to hold off SMSU on the road.
 
The Mustangs will now host Wayne State on Sunday afternoon in the R/A Facility beginning at 2 p.m.