EDMOND, Okla. — Audrey Swanson tallied a team-high 23 points while Natalie Nielsen finished with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead the No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State University womens basketball team to a 66-51 win over University of Central Oklahoma Friday night.

The Mustangs pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Bronchos 17-11 in both the third and fourth quarters.

SMSU again showed its strength beyond the perimeter with 10 3-pointers, while UCO had just four made beyond the arc.

Holding a 32-29 halftime lead, Kylan Gerads opened the second half with a 3-pointer, who shot 3-for-5 from the perimeter and finished with 11 points, followed with another 3 from Nicole Maenke.

Swanson, Allie Haabala and Gerads kept the momentum going all with another 3-pointer, bolstering a 48-38 lead with just over two minutes in the third quarter.

A series of layups between fastbreaks and in the paint kept the Mustangs pushing forward in the final quarter, extending to a 66-49 edge with 2:19 to go after Nielsen sank a 3. UCO made a pair of free throws in the final seconds of the game.

Brynn Busse shined defensively in the win with a team-high trio of steals, along with her 7 points. Haabala also finished with 7 points.

The Mustangs out-rebounded the Panthers 45-40, specifically with 31 defensive boards to UCO’s 25.

Both teams were aggressive inside, SMSU finishing with 24 points in the paint while the Panthers recorded 28.

UCO’s bench did put out a good performance with 40 of the Panthers’ points, to the Mustangs’ 14 bench points.

Overall, SMSU shot 37-44-75% splits, and held OCU to 30-27-65% marks.

The Panthers’ Bobbie Fouquet led the way with 18 points and six rebounds.

SMSU (2-1) has a quick turnaround and will play again today in the second day of the Central Region Challenge, taking on Washburn, Kansas (0-1), again the the Hamilton Field House in Edmond with a 1 p.m. tipoff.