Photo by Jake McNeill: Southwest Minnesota State University guard Peyton Blandin (left) drives into the paint for a layup during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference womens basketball game against Minot State on Saturday afternoon.

This story will be updated with stats, quotes and details

MARSHALL — The No. 25 Southwest Minnesota State womens basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup against Minot State on Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs led by as many as 19 points in the first half and coasted from there to a 73-51 win.

Audrey Swanson got the Mustangs rolling on their first possession of the game with a pullup midrange jumper, and a Peyton Blandin 3-pointer and a Natalie Nielsen layup gave SMSU each of the game’s first 7 points.

Minot State responded with a layup from Maya Aguilar and a 3-pointer from Emma Mogen, broken up by a Nielsen layup, to cut SMSU’s lead down to 4 points. Yet, that was as close as the Beavers got from there. Minot State never made it a one-possession game again and, by the end of the first quarter, SMSU built a 22-12 advantage.

A big part of SMSU’s ability to break through early was its ability to generate opportunities in transition. SMSU recorded four first-quarter steals and turned that defense into a 13-3 advantage in fast-break points.

While the Mustangs didn’t put together any particularly long scoring runs, they were consistent on both ends of the floor to steadily build a lead. SMSU opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run. Kenzie Jones knocked down a pair of 3-pointers on the run as SMSU’s lead ballooned to 32-14.

The Mustangs’ scoring efforts were well-distributed throughout. Six different players made multiple field goals by halftime and seven players recorded points. Nielsen led the squad with 12 points on perfect 4 of 4 shooting to lead the team to a 39-24 advantage heading into the locker room.

SMSU improves to 13-2 overall and 7-2 in the NSIC with the win, while Minot State falls to 4-13 overall and 3-7 in the NSIC. SMSU will return to action next weekend when it hosts Northern State (9-6, 6-3 NSIC) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and UMary (8-5, 5-4 NSIC) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Minot State, meanwhile, will go on a two-game road trip to face off against Wayne State (8-6, 5-5 NSIC) and Augustana (3-13, 1-9 NSIC) on Friday and Saturday at the same times.