LAST TIME OUT
- The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team (5-5, 3-2 NSIC) was defeated Sunday evening by the Winona State Warriors (7-4, 4-1 NSIC) 84-78.
- Kylan Gerads led the Mustangs with a career-high 23 points, shooting 7-18 from the field, 2-5 from 3-point range, and 7-8 on free throws.
- Natalie Nielsen added 17 points and led the team in rebounds with eight.
- Audrey Swanson and Nicole Maenke put up 14 and 13 points respectively, with the former leading the team in both assists (4) and steals (2).
- As a team the Mustangs shot 42 percent from the field (28-66), 36 percent on 3-pointers (9-25), and 93 percent from the charity stripe (13-14). SMSU was outrebounded by the Warriors 38-27, with points in the paint favoring WSU 48-34. The Warriors, led by Hailey Markworth with 27 points, shot 52 percent from the field (28-54), 31 percent from 3-point range (3-8), and 80 percent from the free throw line (25-31).
HEAD COACH TOM WEBB
- Tom Webb is in his 10th season as head coach at SMSU with a 129-124 record, including 94-97 in NSIC play.
- Webb is 220-247 overall in his 18th season as head coach at the Division II level after compiling a record of 91-123 in eight seasons (2008-16) as head coach at Cameron University (Okla.).
- In 2024-25, SMSU advanced to the NSIC championship, and the NCAA Central Region Championship, the first time for Coach Webb at SMSU.
- The team finished with 28 victories a season ago, the most in a single season in program history.
- SMSU also recorded a second place finish in the NSIC last season posting a 19-3 league mark, the programs most conference wins in a season
MORE ON MINNESOTA STATE
- 2025-26 Record: 11-0 overall, 5-0 NSIC (AS OF DEC. 16)
- Head Coach: Emilee Thiesse, 14th season (264-124)
- Senior guard Natalie Bremer, the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year, leads the Mavericks averaging 21 ppg and grabbing 4.5 rpg while shooting 52 percent from the floor.
- Senior guard Mackenzie Schweim is averaging 20 mpg and 9.8 ppg, shooting 45 percent from the floor and averaging 1.6 steals per game.
- Minnesota State was picked to finish first in both the South Division and Overall NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- The Mavericks finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-8 record, losing to Concordia-St. Paul in the NSIC Tournament Championship, and Pittsburg State (Kan.) in the second round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament .
MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
- SMSU has four players averaging double figures in scoring this season, with Audrey Swanson and Nicole Maenke leading the team, both averaging 16 ppg.
- Kylan Gerads is averaging 14 ppg after her career-high 23 point game against Winona State.
- Natalie Nielsen leads the team in rebounds per game with 9, and also averages 11.3 ppg.
- Brynn Busse is tied with Nielsen for the most steals on the team with nine, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc.
- The Mustangs are shooting 42 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point shots, 77 percent from the free throw line and are plus-3.5 in the rebound margin. SMSU is averaging 72 ppg while opponents are averaging 67 ppg.
SMSU INSIDE THE R/A FACILITY
- The 2025-26 season marks the 30th year the R/A Facility has served as the home arena for SMSU women’s basketball.
- SMSU has an all-time record of 205-172 (.544) in 377 games with 16 winning seasons.
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