MARSHALL, Minn. - Bri Stoltzman brought the heat dropping 30-points to help the No. 19/22 Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team to a 76-54 victory over Winona State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday night inside the R/A Facility.
With the win tonight, the Mustangs have clinched a first-round bye in the NSIC tournament, as well as the second longest win streak in program history at 14.
SMSU, (22-2, 16-2 NSIC) finished the night shooting 29 of 59 (49 percent) from the field including 38 percent (8 of 21) from downtown and perfect shooting (10 of 10) from the charity stripe.
Winona State, which drops to 9-15 on the year and 5-13 in conference play, closed the game shooting 37 percent (21 of 57) from the field including 4 of 12 (33 percent) from beyond the arc.
Bri Stoltzman led the SMSU offense with 30 points on 55 percent (11 of 20) shooting with six rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Natalie Nielsen poured in 14 points with seven rebounds and two assists. Peyton Blandin tallied 11 points with five assists and two rebounds. Audrey Swanson recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds to secure her 11th double-double of the season.
The Mustangs got into a groove early with an 8-0 run leaving the Warriors scoreless for nearly three minutes. WSU's offense got into a rhythm late in the first quarter using a 10-0 run to take the lead 12-10 but a Mustang layup would tie it 12-12 going into the second quarter.
SMSU opened the second quarter with a pair of layups before WSU would use an 8-0 run to retake the lead 20-16 with 4:16 left in the half. Back-to-back Peyton Blandin 3-pointers cut the Mustangs deficit to one point. The Warriors used a jumper and 3-pointer to build their lead to six points, but the Mustangs would rally back to tie the game 28 apiece but the Warriors would drain a 3-pointer at the buzzer to maintain their lead going into halftime.
The Mustangs drained a 3-pointer to kick off the third quarter, but the Warriors did not back down, countering with a 9-0 run leaving the Mustangs scoreless for almost five minutes. Toward the end of the third quarter, the Mustangs would use a pair of jumpers, layup, and a clutch 3-pointer to give the Mustangs the lead going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was all SMSU, who held WSU to just two points during the first four minutes of the quarter building its lead to 11 points. The Warriors would attempt to cut into the deficit, but the Mustangs never looked back going on an 11-0 run to create a 20-point advantage over the Warriors.
SMSU returns to action with a road game against Wayne State on Tuesday, Feb. 11, before returning home for Senior Night on Saturday against Minnesota Crookston.
