MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team used hot three-point shooting and a career day from Sam Wall to defeat previously undefeated and No. 4-ranked Minnesota State 88-85 on Saturday afternoon inside the R/A Facility.
 
It was the Mustangs' second ranked victory of the season, and first win over a Top-5 opponent since defeating No. 4 Northern State on Jan. 16, 2015. 
 
The Mustangs, now 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC, shot 50.9 percent (29 of 57) from the field and 46.4 percent (13 of 28) from three, while Minnesota State, 10-1 and 5-2, shot 46.3 percent (31 of 67) from the field and 43.8 percent (7 of 16) from three. 
 
Wall scored a career-high 25 points, going 7 of 10 from the field, 4 of 7 from deep, and 7 of 8 from the free throw line, adding four rebounds. 
 
Bri Stoltzman was steady for the Mustangs, tallying 16 points, nine boards, and three assists, and Hannah Parsley nearly matched her with 15 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Peyton Blandin was efficient off the bench for the Mustangs, scoring 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. 
 
Madison Gehloff brought energy from the tip, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds, and Jenna Borchers added eight points, five assists, and three rebounds. 
 
The Mavericks shot out of a cannon to open the game, scoring the first seven points on 3 of 4 shooting in less than two minutes. SMSU sandwiched an MSU free throw with three-pointers by Stoltzman and Wall to close the gap to 8-6 in favor of MSU.
 
Nine of the next 14 points went in favor of the Mavericks, but the Mustangs countered with a 9-5 run of their own before each team knocked down a three pointer, bringing the game to a 25-23 MSU lead after a quarter. 
 
Wall opened the scoring in the second quarter, knocking down three free-throws to give SMSU a 26-25 lead with 9:43 to go in the half. 
 
The teams traded leads three times before a 6-0 MSU run gave them a 36-30 lead with 6:06 left before the break. 
 
SMSU tied the game three times before a Madison Gehloff and-one at the 3:01 mark gave the Mustangs a 43-42 lead. 
 
Each team closed the half scoring four points, bringing the halftime score to 47-46 Mustangs. Wall closed the half with 20 points, while the Mustangs shot 59.3 percent (16 of 27) from the field. 
 
MSU went on to even the score at the 7:26 mark of the third quarter, but a Borchers free throw and Gehloff three pointer at the 6:00 mark put the Mustangs ahead four at 57-53. 
 
Three-pointers by Parsley, Wall, and Blandin helped extend the lead to nine at 66-57, and after a Maverick and-one, Gehloff drilled a three with three seconds to go to take a 69-60 lead into the fourth quarter. 
 
After an MSU three-pointer to bring them within eight at 74-66 with 7:20 left in the game, The Mustangs pounced, scoring seven of the next nine points to give them a game-high 13-point lead at 81-68 with 4:50 to go in the game. 
 
The Mavericks refused to go away, coming out on the media timeout scoring 10 straight points to close the SMSU lead to three at 81-78 with 1:28 to go. 
 
Both teams traded turnovers, and with 48 seconds left, Parsley finished a layup to go up five at 83-78. 
 
MSU nailed a three-pointer with 36 seconds to go, closing the lead to 83-81, but made a free throw, forced a turnover and made a pair of free throws to lead 86-81 with 21 seconds left. 
 
The Mavericks got within two at 87-85, but a Jenna Borchers free throw with two seconds left was enough to put the game on ice and bring us to the final score. 
 
The Mustangs have one more game before the schedule changes to 2023, hitting the road to take on Sioux Falls at 1 p.m., on New Years Eve.