WINONA, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team (5-5, 3-2 NSIC) was defeated Sunday evening by the Winona State Warriors (7-4, 4-1 NSIC) 84-78.
Kylan Gerads led the Mustangs with 23 points, a career high, shooting 7-18 from the field, 2-5 from 3-point range, and 7-8 on free throws.
Natalie Nielsen added 17 points and led the team in rebounds with eight.
Audrey Swanson and
Nicole Maenke put up 14 and 13 points respectively, with the former leading the team in both assists (4) and steals (2).
As a team the Mustangs shot 42 percent from the field (28-66), 36 percent on 3-pointers (9-25), and 93 percent from the charity stripe (13-14). SMSU was outrebounded by the Warriors 38-27, with points in the paint favoring WSU 48-34. The Warriors, led by Hailey Markworth with 27 points, shot 52 percent from the field (28-54), 31 percent from 3-point range (3-8), and 80 percent from the free throw line (25-31).
In a slow paced defensive first quarter
Kylan Gerads began her career-day with eight points, leading all scorers. Neither team shot over 45 percent from the field in the opening 10 minutes, with the Warriors outrebounding the Mustangs 10-7, leaving the game tied at 15 at the end of the period.
While the Mustangs held a 27-26 lead midway through the second quarter, WSU opened the floodgates with a 16-6 run in the final 4:30 in the half. In the run WSU shot 6-6 from the field giving the Warriors a seven-point lead at the half, 42-35.
The Mustangs came out in the second half determined to get back into the game, shooting 8-16 from the field, including 3-6 from downtown, and making all five free throw attempts. The third quarter marked the only period when the Mustangs outrebounded the Warriors and closed the gap to one point heading into the final 10 minutes.
SMSU could not capitalize on the positive momentum from the third quarter, however, with the Warriors beginning the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run and using that lead to their advantage the rest of the way. WSU outrebounded the Mustangs 14-6 and made 14 free throws, giving the Warriors a 84-78 victory.
The Mustangs return to Marshall next weekend, facing No. 2 ranked Minnesota State on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m., and St. Cloud State on the following Saturday at 4 p.m. Both games will be streaming live on the NSIC Network. More information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-basketball.
