MARSHALL, Minn. – Led by freshman forward Krystal Carlson, who scored a career-high 20 points, the University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team (5-1, 1-0 NSIC) rolled to a 69-51 road win to open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play at the R/A Facility on Saturday night.

In a matchup of travel partners, USF used double-digit scoring performances from Carlson and junior Kaely Hummel to open the league schedule with a road win. USF, which also won for a fourth straight game, defeated SMSU for an 11^th straight time and moved to a 12-1 series advantage over the Mustangs.

"We had another outstanding effort on the defensive end," said USF Women's Head Coach Travis Traphagen, who recorded his 199^th career win at USF. "Krystal (Carlson) had a great game and Kaely (Hummel) also had a number of big baskets. But we had a long list of contributions tonight up and down the bench. It was a solid effort to open the conference schedule," he said.

Carlson, who reached double-digits in points for a third straight game, hit 9-of-15 shots from the field and both of her free throws while grabbing four rebounds in her career-best 20-point performance. Hummel, who reached double digits for the 44^th time in her career, was 5-of-12 from the floor, had three rebounds and recorded a steal. USF also had a big effort from freshman point guard Hannah Jones, who had eight points, eight rebounds and three assists without a turnover in 24 minutes.

USF, which forced 15 turnovers and had 10 steals, also had seven points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks from sophomore Anna Goodhope. Junior Guard Jessie Geer had eight points and a game-best and season-high five steals.

The Cougars had a solid effort on offense by hitting 31-of-67 field goals for 46.3 percent. While USF was just 3-of-20 from three-point range, USF"s ability to share the ball (17 assists on 31 baskets) and play solid defense were keys to the win. The Cougars had a 40-26 edge of points in the paint and a 18-to-4 margin in points off turnovers. Led by Geer's contributions, USF had a 17-11 advantage in bench points.

Game Breakdown

Six players scored in the first quarter as the Cougars used a big run to take a 21-9 lead at the break. Off the bench, Geer had four points to key an 11-0 run as USF opened a 13-2 lead at the 3:18 mark. In that opening quarter, USF hit 9-of-17 field goals for 52.9 percent shooting. USF also made two of its three treys on the night to build a double-digit lead. 

USF opened the second quarter with six straight points and pushed the lead to 27-9 at the 8:11 mark. After SMSU answered with a 6-0 run to draw within 27-15 with 5:25 to play in the first half,  USF closed the half a 10-7 advantage to take a 37-22 lead at the halftime break.  In the quarter, USF hit 7-of-13 field goals for 58.8 percent with all the baskets inside the three-point arc. By halftime, Carlson had 14 points and USF was hitting 53.3 percent from the field while owning a 22-15 rebound advantage.

With a 10-6 run to open the third quarter, the Cougars built a 47-28 lead over SMSU on a jumper by Hummel at the 4:36 mark. The Mustangs closed the gap with a 8-to-2 run to draw within 49-36 on a layup by Erin Baxter. However, USF received a basket inside by Carlson, who took a pass from Mariah Szymanski to score as the quarter closed. USF had its worst shooting quarter of the time by making just 7-of-18 shots for 38.9 percent. USF missed all eight of its three-point attempts as the two teams both scored 14 points in the quarter.

The Cougars made just 8-of-19 from the field for 42.1 percent in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Mustangs, 18-to-15, to take home their fifth win. While USF was converting inside, they were limiting opportunities for the Mustangs, who made just 5-of-15 field goals for 33 percent.  

The Cougars will return home and host Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State on Dec. 7-8 at the Stewart Center.