SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team's (17-12) bid to the NSIC Tournament semifinals came short on Sunday afternoon, dropping the quarterfinal game against the UMary Marauders (23-9) 82-78.
Audrey Swanson carried the load for SMSU scoring 26 points (21 in the first half), on 11 of 16 shooting from the field, and grabbing six boards.
Kylan Gerads scored 21 points, and
Nicole Maenke added 16 points, shooting 3 of 4 from downtown.
Kennadi Buchholz grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, her season-high.
The Mustangs shot 48 percent from the field (30 of 63) and 35 percent from 3-point range (6 of 17). UMary outrebounded SMSU 35-30, and both teams had 19 turnovers in the game. Bergen Kinnebrew led UMary with 37 points, shooting 17 of 20 from the free throw line. UMary made 31 of 39 attempts from the charity stripe, with the Mustangs making 12 of 16.
The Mustangs began the contest with a pair of 3-pointers by
Kylan Gerads and
Audrey Swanson, taking a 6-2 lead in the opening three minutes. Swanson then added five more points of her own to force a UMary timeout after just 3:32 played in the game, with SMSU leading 11-2. The Marauders closed the door to close out the quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 17-12 in the final 6:30. SMSU closed the opening 10 minutes shooting 60 percent from the field, and outrebounding UMary 9-5, leading 23-19.
SMSU again started fast out of the gates in the second, scoring seven straight points in the opening 1:05, forcing another early UMary timeout. The Mustangs continued the explosion on offense, eventually leading 41-27 with 4:40 left in the half. SMSU led 52-40 before
Nicole Maenke banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, making the score 55-40, the most points Coach Webb's team has scored in a half all season. SMSU shot 69 percent (22 of 32) from the floor.
The strong SMSU first half did not deter the Marauders in the third quarter, and began the opening six minutes on an 13-3 run. The Mustangs shot just 3 of 16 from the field in the period, but
Kylan Gerads responded with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Mustangs a 65-61 lead entering the final 10 minutes.
The Marauders again had a strong start in the fourth quarter, beginning on a 10-3 run, and continuing into the quarter leading by as many as seven (75-68). The Mustangs began the charge back on an 8-3 run heading to a crucial final possession, with UMary leading 78-76 and 25 seconds remaining.
Audrey Swanson went to the rack on a layup and tied the game with 12 seconds, before Bergen Kinnebrew scored her 10
th field goal of the game giving the Marauders an 80-78 lead. Swanson missed a contested jumper to tie the game, and with two extra free throws for UMary, sealed the win 82-78. The Marauders made 9 of 25 baskets from the field in the second half, shooting 22 of 25 from the free throw line, as compared to SMSU's 8 of 31 from the field and 5 of 8 from the charity stripe.
