MARSHALL, Minn. – In a pivotal contest for a chance at a first-round bye in the NSIC Tournament, the Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team (14-11, 12-8 NSIC) fell victims to the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (19-6, 15-5 NSIC) 57-51 Saturday afternoon.
Audrey Swanson led the Mustangs with 25 points on 9 of 16 shooting, as well as leading the team with 13 rebounds, for her fifth double double of the season.
Natalie Nielsen was the other Mustang in double figures scoring, adding 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Mustangs shot 35 percent from the floor as a team (19 of 55) and 12 percent from deep (3 of 25). The Mustangs outrebounded CSP 45-36, however SMSU led 24-14 in the turnover margin. CSP was led by Lydia Haack with 11 points, and shot 29 percent from the floor (18 of 61).
In an opening 10 minutes that both teams struggled to shoot the ball effectively, the Golden Bears prevailed shooting just 20 percent from the field. CSP's Ava Thompson made the only 3-pointer of the first quarter, as Coach Webb's team was held to their lowest point total in a quarter this season, shooting 15 percent from the floor (2 of 13) and 0 of 7 from deep.
The Mustangs in the second quarter shot 50 percent from the floor (5 of 10), however the team was yet to make a 3-pointer by the end of the first half. CSP did not shoot particularly well in the second, shooting 29 percent from the field, but made 7 of 9 attempts from the charity stripe.
Natalie Nielsen and
Nicole Maenke both ended the half with six points for SMSU, with the Golden Bears ahead 23-17.
In the third quarter SMSU were the more aggressive team offensively, making 42 percent of their shots as compared to 37 percent by the Golden Bears. 14 of the 23 points by SMSU in the period were made by
Audrey Swanson, who had 19 and 10 rebounds entering the fourth quarter with the score tied at 40.
Points were at a premium in the fourth quarter, with neither team shooting over 35 percent from the floor. 3-point shooting for the Golden Bears proved to be the difference, making 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, while the Mustangs failed to convert any of their seven attempts. SMSU led by three in the fourth with five minutes to play, before an 11-2 CSP run gave the Golden Bears a six-point lead with less than one minute to play, effectively killing the game off for SMSU, dropping the game 57-51.
The Mustangs return to the R/A Facility on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 5:30 p.m. hosting the Augustana Vikings for Senior Night.
