MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team (5-9, 2-8 NSIC) lost to Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (7-8, 4-6 NSIC) 88-73 Saturday afternoon at Taylor Center.
In the opening minutes of the game it was clear the Mustangs were going to rely on a full court press defense to attempt slow down the Mavericks. This worked early on forcing a couple of turnovers and rushed offensive sets which allowed the Mustangs to gain a 25-14 edge after the first quarter.
In the second quarter the Maverick offense consistently broke the press causing the Mustangs to call it off and went on an early 8-0 run to tighten the contest. In the final minutes of the first half Minnesota State drilled a couple of transition three-point shots to narrow the Mustangs lead to 43-38 at the half.
Kristi Fett came off the bench to lead the Mavericks in scoring with eight points, capitalizing on a pair of offensive boards and put-backs. Minnesota State held an 18-16 advantage in rebounds and made 8-10 free throws in the half.
The second half started with the Mustangs once again looking to press on defense which forced several costly turnovers for the Mavericks as Southwest Minnesota State built their lead up to 68- 56 going into the fourth quarter.
Despite several strong possessions from several freshman including
Fett,
Rylee Menster, and
Mikayla Nachazel, as well as sophomore forward
Tayla Stuttley, Minnesota State was unable to cut into the lead and fell 88-73
Fett finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds adding a block.
Stuttley finished the game with 16 points and five boards, while
Nachazel scored 11 points.
Menster was able to get the shooters involved, leading the team with seven assists.
As a team the Mavericks shot 52.9% rom the field and outrebounded the Mustangs 35-29. But turnovers were the difference maker as the Mustangs forced 24 compared to the 16 they gave up.
The Mavericks will continue their four game homestand next weekend as they host Minnesota Duluth Friday night at 5:30 p.m., before facing off with St. Cloud State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game Saturday will also feature the ten-year anniversary of the Minnesota State Women's Basketball National Championship team.
