GREENSBORO (Interstat) — Southwest Minnesota State used an early burst and a decisive third-quarter run to pull away from Bethany Lutheran in an 87-42 non-divisional women’s NCAA Division III basketball game Monday at Hanes Gym. Bethany Lutheran, known as the Vikings, dropped to 0-1 this season.

Guard Morgan Hulke led Bethany Lutheran with 11 points and four rebounds in 31 minutes. Guard Quinn Vanmaldeghem added seven points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes, while guard Brooklyn Christianson contributed 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Presley James scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in 11 minutes. Brea Mertz added three points, one rebound and one assist in 14 minutes. Sheridan Kennedy had four points, four rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes, Kenadi Arndt pulled down six rebounds to go with one point and one assist in 26 minutes, Lauren Bauer had two rebounds in 19 minutes, Brooke Burnette had one rebound in one minute, and Juliana Ewald played seven minutes.

Southwest Minnesota State set the tone from the opening quarter. Elizabeth Wagner started the scoring with a layup, and after Christianson tied the game for Bethany Lutheran, Kylan Gerads scored on three straight layups as part of a 12-2 Southwest Minnesota State run. Taleigha Bigler’s layup capped that stretch and helped Southwest Minnesota State lead 20-4 after the first quarter. Southwest Minnesota State stretched the lead to 24-5 on Nicole Maenke’s layup and a pair of Brynn Busse free throws. Presley James made two free throws, and Christianson hit a 3-pointer to pull Bethany Lutheran within 29-10, but Southwest Minnesota State closed the half with a 3-pointer from Lily Hubin, a layup from Mataya Messer, a Gerads 3-pointer and a Bigler 3-pointer before Hulke and Vanmaldeghem answered from deep. Southwest Minnesota State led 44-23 at halftime.

The decisive stretch came at the start of the third quarter. Southwest Minnesota State opened with a 3-pointer from Maenke, consecutive layups from Wagner, another Maenke basket, a layup by Allie Haabala and a Mataya Messer layup to push the margin to 57-23 before Bethany Lutheran scored again. The run removed any doubt about the outcome and forced the Vikings to play from a deep deficit the rest of the way. Hulke hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter, and Bethany Lutheran received fourth-quarter baskets from James and Mertz, but Southwest Minnesota State maintained control.

In the fourth, Logan Smidt scored inside and Nicole Maenke made two fast-break free throws before Brynn Busse hit a 3-pointer. Bethany Lutheran got a 3-pointer from Presley James, a 3-pointer from Brea Mertz and a free throw from Kenadi Arndt, but Southwest Minnesota State answered with an Elizabeth Wagner three-point play, consecutive baskets from Elizabeth Herickhoff, a Bigler 3-pointer and two late Smidt baskets.

Bethany Lutheran finished the game with 42 points on 79 possessions, an offensive rating of 53.2. The Vikings had 12 offensive rebounds, 10 assists and 21 turnovers. Southwest Minnesota State’s pressure and early scoring helped it build a lead that never came under serious threat after the first quarter. The non-divisional matchup at Hanes Gym was played before a crowd of 3,520.

Bethany Lutheran’s next scheduled game is against Saint Scholastica on Nov. 14. The Vikings then host Saint Mary’s (Minn.) on Nov. 18 and Wartburg on Nov. 21, visit St. Catherine on Nov. 24, host Saint Benedict on Nov. 28 and Minnesota-Morris on Dec. 2, visit Wisconsin-Superior on Dec. 5, host Crown (Minn.) on Dec. 9, and visit Martin Luther on Dec. 12 and North Central (Minn.) on Dec. 16.