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PITTSBURG, Kan. — Controlling the lead the entire night, the No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State University womens basketball team is advancing to the Division II NCAA Central Region championship for the first time since 2002 after taking down third-seed Fort Hays 77-65 in the semifinals Saturday evening, pulling off its second-straight upset this tournament.

SMSU came out with a well-balanced defensive effort which translated to efficient shooting, and the Mustangs built up a 10-point halftime edge. The Tigers were able to stay within reach and cut the deficit to 2 points late in the third quarter, yet SMSU continued to pull back away and never allowed Fort Hays to get in front.

SMSU outrebounded Fort Hays 40-34, 31 of which were defensive boards. The Mustangs also outshined the Tigers with points in the paint 42-36.

Fort Hays fought back and entered the fourth quarter trailing 56-52 after trying to disrupt SMSU’s tenacious defense. Both Bri Stoltzman and Maddie Thorfinnson drew their fourth foul by the end of the third quarter, and had to play cautiously the rest of the way.

Swanson got a midrange jumpshot to fall to start the fourth, followed by Kenzie Jones and Stoltzman getting back-to-back steals in an effort to get the Mustangs back to a comfortable advantage.

Jones was able to give SMSU back its 10-point lead with seven minutes to go with a driving layup. Fort Hays then went into a full-court press to try to fluster the Mustangs, yet Stoltzman was found open for a right-wing 3-pointer to extend the score to 65-52.

Once getting its double-digit edge back, SMSU remained poised and was able to withstand the Tigers’ comeback attempt on a 12-2 run to close out the game and complete its second upset in the tournament, eliminating both the second and third-seed.

The Mustangs took down No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 77-64 in Friday’s region quarterfinals, as Fort Hays also eliminated No. 6 Southern Nazarene 81-72.

Saturday also was the battle between two All-Conference players between Stoltzman, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate [NSIC] Player of the Year, and Katie Wagner DeGarmo, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association [MIAA] Player of the Year.

Both players led their teams in points and rebounds, with Stoltzman finishing with a game-high 28 points on 12 of 18 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and DeGarmo tallied 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Swanson also finished with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double with a pair of steals, and Nielsen contributed another 11 points with two blocks.

Overall, the Mustangs shot 48% from the field and went 7 of 19 from the perimeter, to Fort Hays’ 37% shooting and 2 of 16 3-point shooting.

DeGarmo was the playmaker for Fort Hays and got the Tigers within 7 points in the third, 48-41, with a layup after fighting past SMSU’s interior defense.

With under a minute to go, Fort Hays got a defensive rebound for a fast break layup to cut into a 54-52 deficit, and the third quarter came to a close with a Natalie Nielsen low block shot.

SMSU set the tone quickly and went 3 for 5 from the perimeter in the first quarter and outrebounded Fort Hays 12-5. The Mustangs shot 64% in the first half all together, going 18 of 28, and went 6 of 12 from the arc. They held the Tigers to 41% field goal shooting, 13 of 32, and 1 of 6 from the 3-point line.

Audrey Swanson got the scoring start with a transition bucket off a Stoltzman defensive rebound, and SMSU continued on an 11-2 run to open the game after Peyton Blandin sank the day’s first 3-pointer.

The Mustangs, now 28-7, last played in the regional championship the last time they made the NCAA Tournament in 2002, where they fell short to South Dakota 62-50. They will next play the winner of No. 1 Pittsburg State and No. 5 Minnesota State on Monday at 7 p.m., again at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kan.

The Central Region champion will advance onto the Elite Eight.