Independent file photo SMSU’s Meleah Reinhart puts up a shot during their Jan. 11 game against MSU Mankato. The Mustangs will face the University of Mary today in the NSIC Tournament.

MARSHALL — The Southwest Minnesota State University women’s basketball team (16-11) earned the sixth seed in the NSIC South Division to open the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Tournament at third-seeded, UMary (21-10), today with a 6 p.m. tip-off.

•If SMSU wins today, the Mustangs would advance to the tournament quarter finals at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Sunday, March 1, at 2:30 p.m. The semifinals take place on Monday, March 2, with the championship set for Tuesday, March 3.

•SMSU is set for post-season play, coming off a weekend sweep, to end the regular season. SMSU has won six of its last seven games and have clinched its first winning season since 2009-10.

•SMSU defeated UMary, 91-85, on Jan. 18 in Bismarck, N.D., with a victory in overtime on Jan. 18.

Broadcast info

•Today’s game will be broadcast on 94.7 FM KKCK with Anthony Rohlik providing play-by-play.

•Live stats, radio broadcast and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.

SMSU all-time in the NSIC Tournament

•Since the NSIC Tournament started in 2000, SMSU is 8-15 all-time with one championship title in 2002.

•SMSU has lost its last 13 NSIC Tournament games with its last victory coming in the quarterfinals of the 2003 tournament.

•SMSU has advanced to the semifinals four times and played in the first three championship games (2000, 2001, 2002).

•The Mustangs are 4-1 at home, 0-11 on the road and 4-3 in neutral site tournament games.

SMSU quick hits

•With last weekend’s sweep, SMSU has reached 16 victories for the first time since the 2004-05 team finished with 19 wins.

•SMSU also finished the regular season just one conference victory shy of tying the highest win total in the NSIC since the 2002-03 season when the squad finished 12-6 in the NSIC and 21-10 overall.

•Sophomore guard Jenna Borchers enters today’s game just two 3-pointers shy of tying the SMSU single-season record. Borchers has amassed 71 3-point field goals and trails Michelle Bruns, who poured in 73 during the 2002-03 season.

Mustangs in the

SMSU record book

•Senior Caleigh Rodning ranks second in free throws made with 386 and is 23 from tying Andrea Schreier (1997-2001) for the all-time record of 409. She also ranks fourth in free throw pct. (83.2) and sixth in free throws attempts (464). Rodning is also five rebounds shy of becoming the 11th in player in team history to record 600 rebounds.

•Junior Abuk Akoi moved to third in team history with 140 blocked shots. She is two blocks behind Shelly Honermann (1997-01) who ranks second at 142. Akoi also ranks 11th in field goal pct. (47.4).

•Junior Meleah Reinhart ranks sixth in free throw pct. (79.6), 15th in free-throws made (219), and 13th in 3-point field goals made (98).

•Junior Erin Baxter ranks sixth in free-throw percentage (79.6).

•Sophomore Jenna Borchers ranks third in three-point percentage (41.9)) and 11th in three-pointers (114).

•Junior Sadie Stelter ranks seventh in 3-point field goals made with 139. Stelter is just one-shy of moving into sixth and tying Bree Holleman (Smith). Stelter also ranks 12th in free-throw percentage at 77.1.

Series history

vs. UMary

•This is the 18th meeting in series history, dating back to 2006.

•UMary leads the all-time series 11-6 and holds a 5-3 advantage in games played in Bismarck.

•SMSU has won the last three games, including a 91-85 overtime victory on Jan. 18, which snapped a 14-game losing streak for SMSU in overtime games.

•SMSU has never defeated UMary four consecutive times.

•SMSU head coach Tom Webb is 2-2 all-time versus UMary.

Scouting UMary

•UMary is 21-10 overall and finished 15-7 in the NSIC, after sweeping last weekend versus Northern State and MSU Moorhead.

•Senior forward Cassie Askvig leads the team in scoring at 21.0 ppg and touts a 49.9 pct. from the field.

•Junior guard Lauren Rotunda leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 rpg and has a team-high 18 blocks.

•Junior guard Coral Gillette has a team-high 79 3-pointers.

•Rick Neumann is in his eighth season as head coach with a 127-107 overall record.

•UMary is shooting 46 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line.

•UMary is averaging 74 points per game, while opponents average 66 points per game. UMary has a plus-2.9 rebounding margin.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications