MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team used hot shooting and defensive domination to defeat No. 24-ranked Augustana 94-60 on Thursday night inside the R/A Facility. The 34-point victory was the largest by SMSU in the 51-game history between the two teams.
 
The Mustangs shot a blistering 55.2 percent (32 of 58) from the field and a season-best 56 percent (14 of 25) from behind the arc while holding the Vikings to 37.1 percent (23 of 62) and 27.8 percent (5 of 18), respectively. SMSU also outscored Augie 23-2 off turnovers.
 
Jenna Borchers led the Mustangs with 19 points and four assists, shooting 5 of 8 from the field, 2 of 3 from the three point line, and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Her second three of the game was her 200^th career make, breaking the program record of 199, previously held by Sadie Stelter.
 
Hannah Parsley was solid for SMSU, tallying 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a career-high four steals. Payton Blandin reached a career-high 15 points, while Maddie Thorfinnson produced a career-high of her own with 10 points. Sam Wall tied for the team lead with six rebounds, while Bri Stoltzman scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds of her own.
 
SMSU opened the game as the aggressors, taking a 7-2 lead with 7:41 to go in the first quarter after going 3 of 4 from the field. The Vikings charged back, going on a 12-4 run to take a 14-11 lead, but a 14-5 counter by the Mustangs before an Augie bucket in the final five seconds gave SMSU a 25-21 lead after the first quarter.
 
The Mustangs continued its hot shooting in the second quarter, sandwiching a Viking layup with a pair of three pointers to start a 15-7 run , putting the Mustangs ahead 40-28 with 6:04 to go in the first half.
 
SMSU continued a steady attack though the half, outscoring Augie 16-13 to close the half with a 56-41 lead.
 
The Mustangs closed the half shooting 52.9 percent (18 of 34) from the field and 50 percent (8 of 16) from deep, outscoring the Vikings 10-0 off turnovers and only committing one turnover of their own.
 
SMSU opened the second half with three-pointers from Parsley and the record breaker from Borchers, growing its lead to 21 at 62-41.
 
The teams see-sawed, scoring 13 points apiece to bring the score to 75-54 with two minutes to go in the third quarter, and after an Augie jumper, SMSU scored the final eight points of the quarter to grow its lead to 83-56 into the fourth quarter.
 
The Mustangs elected to run clock in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Vikings 11-4 in the final frame to bring the game to its final score.
 
The Mustangs conclude their week on Saturday, hitting the road to take on Wayne State at 3:30 p.m., inside the Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb.