MANKATO, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team fell to the No. 17-ranked Minnesota State Mavericks 81-70 on Friday night inside the Taylor Center. 
 
The Mavericks move to 18-3 overall and 14-3 in NSIC play, while SMSU drops to 13-9 overall and 10-7 in the NSIC. 
 
SMSU closed the night shooting 46.9 percent (23 of 49) from the field, 36.4 percent (8 of 22) from three, and 80.0 percent (16 of 20) from the free throw line, while the Mavericks finished shooting 54.1 percent (33-61) from the field, 30.8 percent (4 of 13) from three, and 52.4 percent (11 of 21) from the free throw line. 
 
The Mustangs turned the ball over 30 times while forcing MSU into 25 turnovers of their own. The Mavericks turned that into a 29-16 advantage in points off turnovers, while owning the paint to the tune of a 48-30 advantage. 
 
Madison Gehloff scored a team-high 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting, adding four steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Bri Stoltzman added 12 points, five steals, four rebounds, and three assists, and Jenna Borchers scored 10 points and dished a team-high five assists. 
 
A fast-paced first quarter saw nine SMSU turnovers, allowing MSU to lead for nearly the entire quarter, swarming around defensively and making life difficult for the Mustangs. SMSU was able to shoot themselves out of a ton of jams, though, shooting 8 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 from three to trail 26-22 after a quarter of play. 
 
 
The teams cooled off in the second quarter, with the teams splitting 12 points in the first four minutes, bringing the score to 32-28 in favor of the Mavericks. 
 
MSU went on to grow its lead to eight at 36-28 into the second quarter media timeout, but six Mustang free throws in just over a minute of action cut the SMSU deficit to 36-34 with 3:28 remaining in the half. 
 
The Mavericks went on a 5-0 run in the final minutes, but a Stoltzman jumper with 22 seconds left brought the game to a 41-36 score at half, in favor of MSU. 
 
The Mustangs shot 52.4 percent (11 of 21) from the field, while the Mavericks shot 51.4 percent (18 of 35) in the first half. The teams combined for 27 turnovers, but the Mavericks held a five-point first half lead thanks to a 10-2 advantage on the offensive glass. 
 
SMSU opened the second half with fire, outscoring MSU 8-3 early, including a pair of threes from Wall, to tie the game at 44-44 with 6:42 left in the third quarter. 
 
The Mavericks answered the call with an 8-3 run of their own, but a Maddie Thorfinnson three-pointer with 4:47 left in the quarter brought SMSU back within one at 50-49. 
 
MSU again made a run, this time a 10-3 run, to lead 60-52 with 2:13 left in the third, but a 7-0 Mustang run to close the quarter canceled it out, bringing the game to a 50-49 lead in favor of the Mavericks into the fourth quarter.
 
MSU wasted little time offensively to open the final frame, scoring eight straight points in the first 1:06 to lead 68-59. The Mustangs charged back, hovering between a four and six point deficit for most of the final quarter, but a 7-0 Maverick run brought the game to its final score. 
 
 
The Mustangs close a four-game road stretch on Saturday night, matching up with Concordia-St. Paul at 5:30 p.m., in St. Paul.