Marshall, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball took down Southwest Minnesota State, 88-77, on Friday night in Marshall, Minn., as the Mavericks pulled away late from the Mustangs to take the game.

MSU was clinging on to just a three-point, 76-73, lead over SMSU with a little over four minutes to play in the game. The Mavericks defense turned up the pressure the last four minutes of the ball game as they held the Mustangs to just four more points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field and forced five turnovers to close out the game.

In the beginning of the game, MSU made four three-pointers to help give the Mavericks a 21-17 lead after the first quarter of play over SMSU. The momentum continued in the start of the second quarter, as the Mavericks began the period on a 7-2 run to give them a 28-19 lead with 7:40 left before halftime. 

However, the Mustangs chipped their way back into the Mavericks lead as they went on a 20-10 run for the next five minutes of play that gave SMSU a 39-38 lead with 2:00 minutes left before the break. After a MSU timeout, the Mavericks finished the second quarter on a little 4-0 run to give them the lead once again at 42-38.

In the first half MSU shot 41% from the field, while SMSU shot slightly better with 44%.  It was a very stark contrast on how the teams scored their points, as MSU nailed 6-of-15 of its shots from beyond the arc, while SMSU scored 28 of its 38 points in the paint.

Junior point guard Britney Scherber [Bloomington, Minn.] led the way for MSU in the first half as she connected on three 3-pointers to give her a team-high nine points at the break. Sophomore forward Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] added eight points and five rebounds in the first half.

In the third quarter it was back and forth from both teams as MSU outscored SMSU, 26-21 in the quarter, to give the Mavericks a 68-60 lead heading into the final quarter. Scherber added seven more points to her statline in the quarter, while freshman Taylor Paulsrud [Rogers, Minn.] tallied six points in the third.

To start the fourth quarter MSU took its first double-digit lead of the game, 70-60, after a layup from Ziegler but the double-digit lead did not last long. The Mustangs again fought back to chip into the Mavericks lead as they went on 13-6 lead to cut MSU's lead to, 76-73, with four minutes and change left to play. As mentioned before though, the Mavericks relied on its defense to close the door on the Mustangs in the final minutes of the game which helped give MSU a 88-77 win. 

The Mavericks finished the game shooting 45% from the field, including seven made three-pointers, while the Mustangs ended the game connecting 40% of their shots and converting on just three 3-pointers. SMSU did most of its damage in the paint all game, as it outscored MSU in the paint, 52-40. The Mustangs also outrebounded the Mavericks, 48-43 on the boards, but MSU was able to outscore SMSU in second chance points, 21-9.

The bench for the Mavericks had another strong showing as they scored almost half of MSU's points, as it finished with 43 points, while SMSU's bench was held to just 11 points. 

Scherber led MSU with 18 points and finished 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Ziegler racked up her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Off the bench, junior Karina Schroeder [Lake Crystal, Minn.] scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Schroeder also missed just one shot on the night as she finished perfect from the field, 4-of-4, and shot 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Paulsrud recorded her third straight game of notching 12 points, while freshman forward Ashley Reed [Whitefish Bay, Wis.] tallied her first career points as a Maverick with four points and three rebounds.

With the win, MSU improves its overall record to 6-11 overall and 5-8 in NSIC play.

The Mavericks will conclude its weekend with a matchup against Sioux Falls. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.