Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – Ending the regular season on a 4-0 winning streak at home, Southwest Minnesota State (16-11, 11-11 NSIC) clinched the first winning season since the 2009-10 season with a 72-65 victory over Augustana (16-10, 12-10 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at the R/A Facility. 
 
After sweeping the weekend, the Mustangs surpassed the most wins since the 2009-10 season when they finished 15-12 and earned the last 16-game wins in a season since the 2004-05 season when they ended with 19 victories. 
 
Sadie Stelter led the Mustangs with 19 points, going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, while Jenna Borchers added 17, also pouring in five 3-pointers. Meleah Reinhart was the third and final Mustang to finished in double-figures with 14 points after 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Abuk AKoi grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while teammate, Sara Teske, grabbed seven. 
 
The Mustangs recorded 43 percent shooting from the field (24-of-56) and 45 percent from the 3-point line (13-of-29), and restricted the Vikings to 38 percent shooting from the field (26-of-69) and 29 percent from the 3-point line (6-of-21). 
 
The Vikings were led by Hannah Mitby who ended the night with 13 points, while Augie's Janelle Shiffler ended with 11 and McKenzee Zilverberg finished with 10. 
 
The Mustangs took so much as a five-point deficit in the first quarter before a 3-pointer from Stelter, who scored 11 of her 19 points in the first going 3-of-3 from the 3-point line, would put the Mustangs down only two. With the help of a last second break to the basket from Akoi, the Mustangs ended the first quarter locked at 15-15. 
 
The Vikings took control in the second with a 23-point quarter going 60 percent from the field (9-of-15), and finished the half with a 38-33 lead. 
 
The Mustangs would battle back after trailing 10 points in the third, with the help of five 3-pointers, four of them dealt by Borchers alone, to score a 22-point quarter and went into the fourth with a three-point lead at 55-52. 
 
Although the Vikings made a move to take the lead, trailing by one-point twice during the final 10 minutes, the Mustangs never relinquished the lead and kept on to secure the victory. 
 
SMSU earned the sixth seed in the NSIC South Division and will travel to the third-seeded in the North Division, UMary, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. The Mustangs earned a 91-85 road victory over the Marauders in overtime on Jan. 18.