MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team earned its eighth consecutive win to tie its best start in program history with an 82-56 victory over Minnesota Duluth in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Friday evening.

The last and only time SMSU started its season 8-0 was in 1974-75.

SMSU (8-0, 2-0 NSIC) finished the night shooting 30 of 69 (43.5 percent) from the field while connecting on nine 3-pointers and finishing 13 of 14 from the free-throw line. 

The Bulldogs, who shot 23 of 66 (35 percent) from the field, drop to 2-5 to start the season and 0-2 in NSIC play.

The Mustangs put five players in double-figure scoring for the first time since the win over Black Hills State on Nov. 22. Bri Stoltzman led the Mustangs in scoring for the fourth time this season, pouring in 17 points on 7 of 15 (47 percent) with four rebounds. Audrey Swanson followed with 15 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Natalie Nielsen and Peyton Blandin chipped in 14 points apiece.

Nielsen led SMSU with three steals while Blandin grabbed six rebounds. Nicole Maenke rounded out the top scorers with 10 points, three assists, and three rebounds.

SMSU opened the game on fire, making three of its first five field goals to take a 7-0 lead with just under two minutes gone. UMD would connect on a 3-pointer to shrink the margin but would be held to just one point over the following four minutes as the Mustangs used an 11-1 run to build a 14-point advantage with three minutes left in the first quarter. 

The Bulldogs' Myra Moorjani would get a jumper to go with just under three minutes and the game would go quiet, with neither team scoring until SMSU connected on a 3-pointer to give SMSU a 21-6 lead after one quarter.

Stoltzman and Blandin kept the Mustangs going in the second frame by combining for 10 points on a 12-7 run that chewed up the first three minutes of the quarter. Shortly after, Johanna Miller would get a layup to go and sparked a 9-5 run that kept the Bulldogs within 20 points.

Blandin sank a pair of free throws to end the half with a 42-25 SMSU advantage.

SMSU shot 17 of 37 (46 percent) from the field in the first half and drained four 3-pointers.

UMD would get the margin to shrink to as little as 15 points with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter before SMSU poured in nine straight points to take a 25-point lead with just over five minutes to play in the third. 

SMSU would close the third quarter up 62-42 and didn't let up, opening the final quarter with a 17-7 run to completely put the game out of reach with a 30-point lead. 

SMSU is back in action tomorrow against the No. 19-ranked team in the country, Concordia-St. Paul (8-0, 2-0), in a battle of the final two undefeated NSIC teams with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m.