TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 6 seed Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball team rallied from 15-point halftime deficit to stun No. 3 seed and defending national champion, the University of Arizona, by a score of 66-57 in the quarterfinals of the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament played Thursday afternoon inside the McKale Center.
 
The victory pushes SMSU to the Final Four for the second straight season. The Mustangs will play No. 2 seed Auburn University in the semifinals on Friday with game time set for 5 p.m. CDT. The other semifinal has No. 1 seed Alabama facing No. 5 seed Illinois at 3 p.m. CDT.
 
Arizona, playing in front of its home crowd, held SMSU scoreless for the first six minutes of the game in building a 12-0 lead. The Wildcats would later lead 27-11 in the second quarter and eventually hold a 34-19 advantage at halftime.
 
SMSU (13-9) would turn things around big time in the third quarter with outstanding defense and clutch shooting. The Mustangs scored the first 11 points of the second half and finally took its first lead of the game at 39-38 with 2:44 left in the third following a three-point play by Fermin Wingerter.
 
SMSU, which held a 45-40 advantage after three quarters, would never trail again in defeating Arizona for the second time in five meetings this season.
 
SMSU and Auburn will meet for the third time this season with the Tigers winning both matchups, 73-67 on Jan. 30 in Columbia, Mo., and 72-60 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
 
SMSU defeated Auburn in last year's quarterfinals before losing to Arizona in the semifinals. SMSU earned third-place last season defeating Alabama.