The William Jewell women's basketball opened the 2016-17 season with a 66-52 victory over Southwest Minnesota State at the Sioux Falls Classic Friday night in South Dakota. Jewell used a 14-2 run at the start of the third quarter and a smothering defense to force 30 turnovers in the win. 

The night started off with SMSU winning the tip and immediately turning the ball over on the first pass before Maddie Nelson gave Jewell a very early lead with a corner three pointer just seconds into the contest. After the Cardinals took a 5-2 lead things went cold as Jewell went 7:41 before scoring another point as Kayla Harrell's layup with 1:10 remaining in the opening quarter made it a 13-7 Southwest Minnesota advantage. William Jewell shot just 16 percent in the opening frame. 

The second quarter went much like the first as Chris Keys scored a traditional three-point play to bring the Cardinals back within three at 15-12 before Jewell went on another extensive scoring drought. A Nelson three and a Keys free throw just before the end of the quarter sent the Cards to the locker room trailing 23-19. Despite the cold shooting the Jewell defense helped keep things close as the Mustangs committed 14 first half turnovers compared to seven by the Cardinals. Jewell shot 24 percent overall in the opening half while being out-rebounded 23-14. 

The third quarter brought a complete momentum change as Jewell used a press to force five turnovers and go on a 14-2 run to pull ahead 33-25 just two minutes into the half. Although the Mustangs seemed to regain some composure, the Cardinals continued to apply pressure and forced six additional turnovers and ended the third quarter up by eight at 46-38. 

The Mustangs got back within seven before Harrell hit another three from the top of the key to push the Jewell lead back to double-digits. Jewell finished with a layup and two free throws from Nelson, along with one free throw a piece from Hayden Butler and Rhyann Fisher to put the game on ice. 

The Cardinals were led by their two seniors Nelson and Keys in every statistical category. Nelson nearly put up a quadruple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, eight steals, and seven assists while Keys scored 17 points, pulled down nine boards, and swiped four steals. 

In her first game in a Jewell uniform Harrell shot 3-6 from the floor while scoring nine points while Katie Finn and rookie Annemarie Boeh added six points a piece. Butler handed out five assists while grabbing three boards. 

The Cardinals return to action tomorrow in the Sioux Falls Classic as they take on the host team at 6:00 p.m.