Photo by Jake McNeill Southwest Minnesota State guard Bri Stoltzman (2) crosses up a Minnesota State Moorhead defender during a womens basketball game at the R/A Facility in Marshall on Saturday. The Dragons defeated the Mustangs to knock SMSU out of contention for a first-round bye in the NSIC tournament. The fifth-seeded Mustangs will host No. 12 Augustana to start their tournament run tonight.

The Southwest Minnesota State womens basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Minnesota State Moorhead in its regular-season finale on Saturday, falling just a layup shy of a first-round bye in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament. The Mustangs, having earned the No. 5 seed and home-court advantage in the first round, will look to bounce back against No. 12 Augustana.

The Mustangs wrapped up the regular season at 17-11 overall and 15-7 in conference play. Augustana, meanwhile, went 7-19 overall and 6-16 in the NSIC.

SMSU has won four of its last six meetings against the Vikings, most recently with a 76-66 win in Sioux Falls, S.D. behind 19 points from Bri Stoltzman and 15 points and seven rebounds from Madison Gehloff. Michaela Jewett led Augustana with 19 points in the game.

In the Mustangs’ loss to Moorhead last weekend, senior guard Sam Wall broke her own single-season 3-point record in the second quarter. She now has 80 on the season, three more than the mark she set last year. Her 243 career 3-pointers also leave her just eight back of former teammate Jenna Borchers’ program record. Peyton Blandin is also now top-10 in Mustang single-season history with 54 on the year.

The Mustangs have put together a quality season but faltered down the stretch. Since their 10-game win streak from Dec. 8 through Jan. 20, the Mustangs haven’t swept a weekend series. Still, they maintain the upper hand over an Augustana team that enters the postseason on a three-game skid and has lost eight of its last 10 games.

Bri Stoltzman was named to the NSIC’s Shining 5 team of the week after scoring 22 points with six assists, six rebounds and five steals in the loss to MSU Moorhead and 12 points with five assists, six rebounds and three steals in a win over Minot State last weekend. In her junior season, the Mankato native ranks second in the NSIC with 18 points per game on a 52.4% effective field goal percentage. Augustana, meanwhile, is led by Michaela Jewett and Lauren Sees, who rank ninth and 11th in the conference with 14.7 and 14.6 points per game respectively. Jennifer Aadland is also the conference’s second-leading rebounder with 8.3 boards per game.

Despite the Vikings’ advantage in their leading rebounds, the Mustangs have maintained a better margin on the glass than Augustana over the course of the season. While frequently starting a five-guard lineup, SMSU has averaged a plus-1.8 rebounding advantage, good for sixth in the conference. Augustana clocks in at No. 8 at plus-0.8.

The winner of tonight’s game will take on No. 4 Northern State in the NSIC quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

The Mustangs and Vikings will tip off tonightat 7:30 p.m. A radio broadcast is available on 105.1 FM KARL while live stats and video broadcasts of the game can be found online at SMSUmustangs.com.