Photo by SMSU Athletic Communications: Southwest Minnesota State University guard Nicole Maenke (right) drives past a defender during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference womens basktball game on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State women’s basketball team opened the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season on Tuesday night suffering a 92-80 road loss to the University of Sioux Falls inside the Stewart Center.

USF, which earned its fourth straight win, improves to 4-2 overall, 1-0 NSIC. SMSU, playing for the first time since Nov. 15, drops to 2-3 overall, 0-1 NSIC.

Nicole Maenke poured in a career-high 28 points and tied a school record with seven 3-point field goals to pace the Mustangs. Teammate Audrey Swanson added a career-high 29 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Natalie Haabala made two 3-pointers, scored a nine points and dished out a team-high four assists to help the SMSU offense.

Maenke finished the night making 9 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 15 from 3-point range. Jenna Borchers (twice), Sam Wall and Kelly Crimi, also made seven 3-pointers in a game to sit atop the school single-game record book. Swanson closed the game shooting 12 of 23 from the field.

SMSU, which held a 44-41 rebound advantage, played the game without leading Natalie Nielsen, who missed the game with an injury.

USF finished the game shooting 54 percent (35 of 65) from the field with five 3-pointers, while SMSU closeed the game shooting 37 percent (31 of 83), while making 12 3-pointers on 40 attempts.

The Cougars were led by Krista Langager, who scored a career-high 25 points, while Anna Vaaler added 24 points.

SMSU was outstanding from long-range in the opening quarter connecting on six 3-pointers in building a 32-25 lead after 10 minutes. Maenke gave SMSU its first lead of the quarter with a jumper at the 6:37 mark to make the score 11-9. She would make two more 3-pointers less than a minter later before Haabala drilled a 3-pointer to push the Mustang advantage to 20-12 halfway through the quarter.

SMSU would continue its outstanding shooting in the second quarter as Swanson made a pair of field goals before Maddie Thorfinnson completed a three-point play to give SMSU a 39-31 lead with 5:54 left in the half.

The Mustangs would build their largest lead of the half at 50-39 with 2:29 remaining following a Maenke 3-pointer and a jumper from Swanson, but the Cougars closed the half on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 50-45 at halftime.

SMSU closed the opening 20 minutes making 9 of 22 from 3-point range. USF was also strong in the first half making 18 of 31 field goals with a pair of 3-pointers.

USF would continue its run into the second half scoring the first 10 points to take a 55-50 advantage with 5:45 left in the third quarter. Swanson finally ended SMSU’s six-plus minute scoreless drought with a field goal before Maenke splashed her sixth 3-pointer of the game to tie the score at 55 midway through the third quarter. Haabala later converted a three-point play while Kylan Gerads added a field goal to push the SMSU margin to 60-55 with 4:06 left in the third.

USF however rallied back with a 13-4 run to regain the lead and take a 68-64 lead into the final quarter.

The Cougars would score the first six points of the final quarter to make the score 74-64. Haabala ended the run with a 3-pointer but the Cougars came right back with five straight points to build a 79-67 lead with 7:42 remaining in the game and never looked back in snapping a five-game losing skid to the Mustangs.

Thorfinnson finished the game with eight points, while Gerads added six points and nine rebounds.

SMSU returns to non-conference play on Sunday with its home opener versus Northern State with tip-off slated for 1 p.m. inside the R/A Facility.