MARSHALL, Minn. – The WSU Women's Basketball team was unable to take down the SMSU Mustangs on the road.
The Winona State women's basketball team fell behind the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs early, down 44-31 at halftime. SMSU was able to control the rest of the game, winning 81-66.
How It Happened:
To start the first quarter, SMSU's Audrey Swanson would nail a three-point shot and set the tone for the start of the game. After a response on the next possession from
Vivica Bretton, the Warriors would find themselves in the hole 10-4 at the 7:33 mark.
Sadie Jarmolowicz would hit a three of her own to shorten the Mustangs lead, but Southwest Minnesota State was on fire from behind the arc, hitting two more aggressive three-point shots. The Mustangs would go on a 10-0 run to end the quarter and take a 24-14 lead going into the second.
In the second quarter, Mustang's Kylan Gerards would hit the first shot but would be countered by a layup by the Warrior's own
Natalie Meaux on the other side. Bretton and
Megan Schuman would both show their skills at the charity stripe scoring four straight points off free throws to make the score 29-20 in favor of SMSU at the 6:20 minute mark. It seemed with every response from WSU, Southwest Minnesota State had the answer. Including a three-point jumper to end the half with a score of 44-31, Mustangs.
To start the second half, Jarmolowicz would start off with a three-pointer but just like the first half, the Mustangs found two three-point shots of their own making the score 50-34 at the 7:56 point. The Warriors struggled to find their footing later in the quarter and after another three-point jumper from Nicole Maenke, the Mustangs extended their lead to 66-47 going into the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter of play, SMSU was able to maintain their lead and squabble any Warrior attempts to make a comeback. WSU was able to find themselves on the positive side of a 9-0 run to make the score 78-61 at the 1:15 minute mark. The game would end on a
Breah Golden jumper to make the score 81-66, Mustangs.
Statistical Comparison:
- Winona State knocked down four three pointers in the game, shooting a .267 from deep and .421 from the field.
- Southwest Minnesota State shot a respectable .367 from three-point land on 11-of-30 shooting.
- Markworth led all Winona State scorers with 15 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field while also securing three boards.
- Bretton added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting and Jarmolowicz went 2-of-5 from deep to add 10 as well.
- The Warriors and Mustangs tied in rebounds with 33 each.
- Audrey Swanson led SMSU with 23 points and Natalie Nielsen added 18 for the Mustangs.
The Warriors (15-10, 12-7 NSIC) hit the road next for a contest against Sioux Falls on Saturday, February 14th at 3:00pm.
