Photo by Samantha Davis: Southwest Minnesota State University's Natalie Nielsen goes up for a shot against Sioux Falls on Jan. 3 in Marshall. Nielsen finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in the Mustangs' 61-53 win over MSU-Moorhead Friday night.

MARSHALL — Natalie Nielsen’s efficient scoring and rebounding helped the Southwest Minnesota State University womens basketball team stave off Minnesota State University-Moorhead for a 61-53 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win on Friday night.

Nielsen finished as the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting with a 3-pointer. Her eight rebounds also tied Kylan Gerads for a team-high, and her three offensive boards helped the Mustangs to a 7-5 edge in second-chance points.

SMSU held a 44-43 lead after Grace Massaquoi hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter for Moorhead, but the Mustangs pulled away from there. Gerads drained a 3 to give the Mustangs a two-possession lead and Nielsen followed up with a steal and a pair of layups to bring the Mustangs’ lead to 8 points. SMSU went on to lead by as many as 11 points in the quarter as they held on for the win.

Gerads and Audrey Swanson each finished the night scoring in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively. SMSU finished the night shooting 41% from the field and 30% from 3-point range on 27 attempts, while Moorhead shot 40% from the field and 32% from 3 on 13 attempts.

The Mustangs consistently valued their possessions in the win, earning a 15-10 advantage in points off turnovers. Maddie Thorfinnson and Swanson dished out five and four assists, respectively, for SMSU with neither player committing a turnover. Swanson also snagged three steals on the defensive end while Nielsen logged another pair along with a block.

The Mustangs started the game strong, jumping out to an 8-2 lead with field goals from four different players. A 3 from Nielsen gave SMSU its largest lead of the first quarter, 15-8 with a minute left.

Moorhead started to find a rhythm halfway through the second quarter. An and-1 layup from Terryn Johnson and another layup from Massaquoi cut the Mustangs’ lead to one possession, and Karlee Fisher tied up the game at 28-all with a 3 with 2:38 left in the first half.

Ashton Safranski gave the Dragons their first lead with a free throw in the final two minutes of the half, but Swanson converted an old-fashioned 3 to give SMSU a 31-29 edge heading into halftime.

Johnson and Massaquoi led the Dragons offensively with 11 points each while Safranski had 10 points with nine rebounds and five assists, both team-highs.

SMSU and Moorhead stayed competitive to start the second half, with Moorhead leading or the score being tied for the bulk of the first six minutes. Yet, a pair of free throws from Nicole Maenke and a Gerads 3 gave SMSU the lead, and Gerads answered a Massaquoi layup with another 3 to give the Mustangs a 4-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.

SMSU improves to 11-7 on the season overall and 9-4 in conference play with the win. The Mustangs host Minnesota Crookston (5-14, 4-9 NSIC) for Tropical Night tonight at 5 p.m.