Jenna Borchers (11) dribbles the ball up the court in the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs’ 86-74 home win over Northern Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Borchers is now the Mustangs’ all-time leader in 3-pointers made.

With time ticking down on the clock, Southwest Minnesota State trailed No. 13 Augustana in the final minute of regulation. Coming out of the timeout, the Mustangs inbounded the ball to Abuk Akoi in the high post, but she didn’t have the space to go up with the shot. Instead, she found freshman Jenna Borchers in the corner.

Borchers, who said she had no expectation of receiving the pass, chucked the ball up, off the glass, and in. Her teammates swarmed around her after the go-ahead shot. Once the crowd subsided, she stepped up to the free-throw line and knocked down the and-one to give the Mustangs a 3-point lead with two seconds remaining to secure a huge win for the Mustangs over a ranked opponent.

“It was mostly just shock and excitement at the same time. I couldn’t really believe it, but we were super excited to beat a high-ranked team,” Borchers said.

Five years later, Borchers led the team with 19 points in a blowout win over Augustana. She also hit her 198th career 3-pointer to give her the SMSU career record.

To date, Borchers has connected on 206 shots from behind the arc. She’s shot over 34% from range in four of her five seasons with the team, including 44% from behind the arc on career-high volume in her sophomore year, showing that she’s more than just a volume shooter.

“When she shoots the ball, we think it’s going in every time,” SMSU head coach Tom Webb said. “She’s earned it. She works really hard, and she got that record because of her work.”

Borchers was obsessed with the UConn women’s basketball team as a kid. She grew up idolizing Maya Moore, who went on to be a six-time All-Star and 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player with the Minnesota Lynx.

The inspiration shows on the court. Like Moore, Borchers’ deep range creates opportunities for her team beyond just 3-pointers.

“I think she’s a big piece to a good puzzle… She just has the ability to stretch the floor, which makes her hard to guard because then she can put it on the floor a little bit, which creates even more space,” Webb said. “It also creates space for other offensive kids to drive too because they have to guard her so far from the hoop.”

Being able to have that limitless range doesn’t come overnight. Borchers first started playing basketball when she was in elementary school. She started with a recreational league when she was in fifth grade until her dad, Stacy Borchers, started a travel team.

Rather than just playing locally once a week on Saturdays, Borchers began playing travel tournaments against other teams in the region with eight of her friends from school. She started playing multiple games each weekend against different competitors. It was then that she realized her passion for the sport.

When she got to high school, Borchers starred for Dallas Center-Grimes from the jump. She was a four-year letter-winner and received all-region, all-district, and all-conference nods in three of her four seasons with the team.

Her time at SMSU was no different. She made an immediate impact with the Mustangs, starting 17 games as a true freshman. Since then, she’s started all but one game for the team.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 granted Borchers an extra year of eligibility. As a result, Borchers has a level of her experience most of her teammates lack.

Borchers has played at every arena in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, including last year’s trip to the Sanford Pentagon for the conference tournament. The tournament appearance was a major factor in Borchers’ decision to return for the fifth year.

“I just love basketball and we finished last year in a really good spot, making it to the Pentagon for the first time. It’s just something I want to get back to and hopefully get a couple of wins there,” Borchers said.

In her fifth year with the team, Borchers is SMSU’s lone senior. She views herself as having a leadership role, but not necessarily one that puts her above any of her teammates.

“I feel like a lot of people have adapted into leadership roles as well, which makes our team special,” Borchers said. “We don’t have a certain leader on the team. We’re all leaders in our own way, and I think that’s really important for a team.”

For Borchers, her role as a leader comes from her status as a veteran of the team. Her understanding of the system allows her to use her voice to help her teammates get game-ready, she said.

“She brings the confidence,” Webb said. “She’s really confident, she believes in herself. She believes in her teammates, and they certainly need that from seniors. You need that from everyone, but you need to see it from seniors first.”

On this year’s Mustangs roster, 10 of the 13 players are underclassmen. As a result, Borchers has started 16 more games than any of her teammates have played in any capacity. As a result, she has an understanding of the travel, toughness, and focus necessary to show up and play every night, Webb said.

“She can just talk about how you prepare for a game. How you prepare for a home game, road game, how you get to rest and days off, all those things are things they have to soak up and pay attention to,” Webb said.

Still, the biggest thing Borchers’ teammates are able to soak up is her work ethic. She has a natural touch, but that doesn’t stop her from putting in overtime every day. Getting in the gym on a daily basis and taking all types of different looks, whether it be on the gun, catch-and-shoot, or off-the-dribble drills.

“It’s super important to put in the work if you want to be a good player,” Borchers said. “A lot of people don’t see the behind-the-scenes, but if you put in the work, good things will happen.”