Box Score Wayne State 78 Southwest Minnesota State 70

            Wayne State used a 22-13 scoring advantage in the third quarter to gain momentum and overturn a halftime deficit as the Wildcats rallied for a 78-70 Northern Sun Conference women's basketball win over pesky Southwest Minnesota State Saturday evening at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.  The Wildcats improve to 10-3 and 5-3 in the NSIC while the Mustangs drop to 1-11 and 1-7 in league play.
            After trailing 6-2 early in the game, WSC came back and took a 13-10 lead after the first quarter.
            SMSU used stellar free throw shooting in the second quarter, getting WSC into foul trouble to take the lead at halftime.
            With WSC leading 19-16, Wildcat head coach Chris Kielsmeier was called for a technical foul that ignited a Mustang scoring surge of 10-1 giving the Mustangs a 26-20 lead midway through the second period.
            SMSU pushed the lead to seven at 29-22, but WSC got within one at 31-30 following a Paige Ballinger layup before the Mustangs finished the first half with a 38-34 lead.
            The Wildcats forged a 40-40 tie early in the third quarter on a Maggie Schulte jumper and took the lead for good at 43-41 following a Haley Moore 3-pointer.  A three-point play by Schulte at the 5:33 mark put the 'Cats in front 46-41.  WSC pushed the lead to six at 56-50 on a pair of Andrea Larson free throws before finishing the third quarter with a 56-51 lead.
            WSC took its biggest lead of the night at 66-55 on a pair of Larson free throws with 7:35 to play.  SMSU would not go away and within five twice with the final one coming at 66-61 with 6:07 to play.
            The Wildcats sealed the win by going 6 for 6 at the line in the final 90 seconds to preserve the 78-70 hard-fought win.
            Wayne State shot 53.1 percent for the game making 26 of 49 shots.  The 'Cats were 6 of 10 behind the arc and 20 for 23 (87 percent) at the charity stripe.
            Schulte led five Wildcat players in double figures with 21 points, going 7 of 10 from the field and 6 for 7 at the stripe.  Paige Ballinger and Andrea Larson scored 16 and 15 respectively while Haley Moore produced a season-high 12 points and Kacie O'Connor scored 11.
            SMSU shot 51 percent from the field making 24 of 47 shots, going 4 of 10 from the 3-point line and 18 for 23 at the free throw line.
            Caleigh Rodning poured in a team-high 19 points for the Mustangs with Lauren Hedlund scoring 15.  Taylor Holicky had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Abby Connell also scored 14 points.
            SMSU held a 27-24 advantage in rebounding with Holicky grabbing 10 for the Mustangs while O'Connor hauled in eight boards for the Wildcats.  WSC forced 21 turnovers on the Mustangs and held a 24-10 advantage on points off turnovers. 
            The Wildcats will be on the road next weekend, playing at Concordia-St. Paul Friday night at 6 p.m. and Minnesota State Saturday in a 4 p.m. contest.