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Marshall, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Morris women's basketball team got down 12-0 early to Southwest Minnesota and never recovered, dropping a 79-59 decision this afternoon (Nov. 20).

Minnesota, Morris (2-1) suffers their first loss of the season, despite shooting 55% (12-of-22) from the floor in the second half. A 35% (8-of-23) performance in the first half, however, was too much to overcome, as they Cougars trailed 37-22 at the break.

Southwest Minnesota (1-1) picks up their first win of the season after leading the entire way. The Mustangs forced turnovers on the first two Cougar possessions and led 6-0 before UMM attempted a shot.

SMSU stretched their first half lead to as much as 23 before the Cougars closed the gap at the intermission. The Mustangs countered the Cougars poor shooting first half with a 44% (14-of-32) effort and were paced by a pair of players with eight first half points.

Abby Kenealy and Arielle Eldridge each tied for the first-half scoring lead, on their way to 13 and 15 respectively on the night.

The Cougars, meanwhile, were led by Jenni Noordmans (Hancock, Minn.) with 12 and Steph Roggenbuck (Osakis, Minn.) with 11. Noordmans came off the bench to have a near flawless shooting night, going 5-of-6 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc.

Roggenbuck hit double-digits for the second time this season, coming on the strength of a 6-of-7 night at the free thrown line. The Mustang defense held her in check from the floor, holding her to a 2-of-6 night and limiting her damage.

The Cougars did manage to out-rebound the Mustangs on the day, holding a 35-34 advantage. What UMM could not overcome was their 24 turnovers, which led to 33 SMSU points.

Looking to get back in the win column, the Cougars will return home on Tuesday, Nov. 23 to host Jamestown before the Thanksgiving holiday. The first home double-header for UMM, the women are set to begin at 5:30 p.m., with the men set to follow immediately after at 7:30.