Southwest Minnesota State took a 10-point lead in the first five minutes and Wayne State could never recover as the visiting Mustangs defeated the Wildcats 75-68 Tuesday evening in the Northern Sun Conference women's basketball opener for both teams at Rice Auditorium.  WSC is now 2-1 and 0-1 in the league while SMSU is 1-4 and 1-0 in the NSIC.
            Wayne State never led in the contest.  After tied 2-2, SMSU scored seven straight points for a 9-2 lead and the Mustangs built a 17-6 lead with 4:46 to play in the first quarter.  SMSU closed the high-scoring first quarter with a 29-18 lead thanks to 55 percent shooting (10-18).
            The second quarter saw the Wildcats close within five at 35-30, but the Mustangs pushed the lead back to 11 several times and closed the first half with a 44-33 lead despite Wayne State making 6 of 12 shots in the quarter.
            Southwest Minnesota State held a double-digit lead much of the third quarter as WSC rallied to within seven at 54-47.  Again, SMSU responded and took a 14-point lead before finishing the third quarter with a 64-51 lead.
            The Mustangs held a double figure lead for nearly the entire fourth quarter until a pair of Carsyn Boswell free throws and a Jordon Heckert jumper in the final minute made the final score 75-68.
            Wayne State shot 50 percent for the game making 25 of 50 shots.  The 'Cats were 3 of 10 from the 3-point line and 15 for 18 at the foul line.
            Graduate transfer Britney Ho scored 19 points to lead Wayne State followed by Jordon Heckert with 11.
            Southwest Minnesota State shot 43.5 percent for the game on 27 of 62 shots and hit 8 of 20 behind the arc.  The Mustangs made 13 of 20 free throws.
            Bri Stoltzman scored 19 points for SMSU while Sam Wall (18) and Hannah Parsley (15) also hit double figures.
            The Mustangs held a 36-30 advantage in rebounds with 16 offensive boards, resulting in a 15-7 second chance point advantage.  Maya Fitzpatrick and Boswell each grabbed six boards for the Wildcats.
            Abby Kopecky had four assists and three blocked shots while Tate Norblade was credited with four steals. 
            The Wildcats return to non-conference play Saturday evening hosting Emporia State in a 5:30 p.m. contest at Rice Auditorium.