SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team poured in a season-high 13 3-pointers to earn an 82-60 non-conference road win over Black Hills State (S.D.) in women's college basketball on Friday night inside the Donald E. Young Center.

SMSU improves to 5-0 to start the year for the first time since the shortened 2020-21 COVID season. The last time SMSU won its first five games during a full season occurred in 2004-05 when the squad won its first seven games.

BHSU, a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, drops to 4-3 on the season.

Six Mustangs scored in double figures for the first time since the 97-31 win over Crown College in the 2021-22 season.

Audrey Swanson led the Mustang offense with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting with a team-high 11 rebounds for the second double-double of her career. Bri Stoltzman followed with 15 points on 5 of 13 shooting and eight rebounds while dishing a team-high six assists. Stoltzman also recorded a pair of steals. Nicole Maenke added 14 points on 4 of 5 shooting including a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. 

Peyton Blandin chipped in 13 points and five rebounds while Maddie Thorfinnson and Natalie Nielsen pitched in 10 points apiece. Thorfinnson drained three 3-pointers and Nielsen grabbed seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Mustangs finished the game shooting 45 percent (29 of 64) from the field including 52 percent (13 of 25) from downtown and 61 percent (11 of 18) from the free throw line.  

SMSU started hot to reach a 13-4 lead using four 3-pointers in four minutes leading into the first media timeout. The Mustangs went a perfect 3 of 3 from the field after the timeout to extend the lead to 11 points with 2:58 left to play in the first quarter. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, with SMSU holding the 11-point lead heading into the second frame.

The Yellow Jackets scored the first four points to open the second quarter before the Mustangs pursued an 11-2 run featuring a pair of layups from Blandin to lead by 16 at the next media timeout. SMSU would be held scoreless for the following minute and a half until Nielsen got a layup to go at 2:55. Kalla Bertram made a jump shot for BHSU the following possession at 2:39, which would be the last Yellow Jacket basket for nearly eight minutes. 

SMSU kept the pressure on throughout the remainder of the half to increase its margin to 23 points at the intermission.

The Mustangs picked up right where they left off, holding BHSU scoreless for the first four minutes of the third quarter in building a 33-point lead. BHSU used a layup at 6:00 to kick off a 7-2 scoring run that lasted 2:11 and was capped off by a 3-pointer from Emily Cooper. The next 22 points would be traded evenly between the teams heading into the fourth quarter.

The Yellow Jackets outpaced SMSU 17-10 in the final frame but were unable to get any real momentum going.

UP NEXT 
SMSU opens conference play with a home game on Tuesday, Nov. 26, versus Wayne State (2-1), with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.