The Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team won its fifth consecutive game to begin the season, defeating the SMU Mustangs 65-56 at Desert Financial Arena on Sunday in Tempe, Arizona.

Minnesota was led by Annika Stewart (18 points and 3 steals), Taylor Woodson (18 points and 7 rebounds) and Mara Braun (13 points and 5 assists). The bench contributed 38 points in the victory.

The Gophers also had 22 second-chance points against SMU.

Just like it's been all season long, Minnesota's defense was a big reason for the team's win. SMU turned the ball over 18 times while the Gophers turned it over seven times.

After a tightly-contested first quarter, the two teams were tied 11-11. SMU eventually took a 22-19 lead before the Gophers went on a 6-0 run to take a 25-22 lead, a score that would hold for halftime.

The Mustangs took a 38-35 lead in the second half before the Gophers went on another 6-0 run to take a 48-44 lead with 9:14 left in the game. The Mustangs never got any closer as Minnesota widen the margin they led by from that point on.

Minnesota dominated in the post, scoring 14 of its 23 points in the paint.

The Gophers will next take on Eastern Illinois on Wednesday at Williams Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.