Regardless, the Hardrockers played about as well as a team could play in that time frame in running past a good Yellowjacket team that competed in the NCAA Elite Eight last season.

Trailing 19-17 at the end of the first period, Mines outscored Billings 49-19 in the second and third, and led by as much as 30 points in the fourth for their first win of the season in two games.

It all started by playing going to a zone defense and holding on to the basketball. After 22 turnovers Friday night in the 15-point loss to the University of Sioux Falls, the 'Rockers had just eight miscues against Billings.

"We know how to play offense, we know where the passes need to be. I think the offense was more locked in on that tonight, making the right play," Larsen said. "All it takes really is one or two passes to start our offense, and that showed with the number of good shots we had."

Larsen also saw his bench come in and score 54 points, and the team as a whole shot well inside and outside. He said when that happens, it proves they can be a balanced team.

The stats don't lie.

Mines shot 46 percent from the field, hit 11-of-25 3-pointers, and scored 32 points in the paint. The 'Rocker bench scored 63 percent of the team's points.

"Coming off the bench, everybody knows that you are not the starter, but the sparks," said Mines sophomore Molly McCabe, who off he bench led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the line. "When you come in you have to be on. Coop (Courtney Cooper) had 12, me coming off had 19, so that totally boosts the team."

The Hardrockers also had 17 assists in their 29 made field goals from nine players, led by Taylor Molstad's five dishes.

"We moved the ball way better tonight, which was awesome. We were scoring in the post and outside, which we need to do," McCabe said. 

Mines had 32 points in the paint and 14 second-chance points, while six players hit 3-pointers, including three each by Cooper and Ryan Weiss.

"When we work the ball well inside-outside, I always use the football analogy that you have to run the ball to throw it, and you have to throw the ball to be able to run it well. It's no difference in basketball," Larsen said.

Defensively, after a slow start, the Hardrockers turned to their zone, something that Larsen hadn't planned on doing a lot. But when it works, you stick to it.

Billings scored just 19 points in the second and third periods combined, hitting on just 7-of-35 from the field.

"It's a funny thing about basketball. I just kind of went to it (zone) in the first quarter to try to switch it up and try to slow them down," Larsen said. "Boy, we probably played about 75 percent zone tonight, which is unlike me. But whatever way to get stops, we're going to do."

After McCabe's 19 points, Anna Haugen finished with 14 points and six rebounds, followed by 12 for Cooper and 10 for Anna Combalia, also off the bench.

Vanessa Stavish and Hannah Collins cored 15 points each, while Taylor Cunningham added 13. Billings scored 31 points in the fourth, hitting 6-of-8 3-pointers after connecting on just 4-of-21 through three quarters of play. 

"They (Billings) are a good team and that is what they are capable of doing. But we probably lost a little bit of focus, and I got stubborn in the fourth quarter as I was going to make our kids guard man-to-man," Larsen said. "They (Billings) keep the game simple with how they score, but they put you in difficult spots."

After Friday night's tough opener, Larsen said he wasn't worried about his team bouncing back on Saturday. 

"When I walked in this morning for film, before shoot around, I could tell they were all right, just looking at the mentality that they had," he said.

Although you can't expect a team to play as well as the Hardrockers did at times, all of the time, McCabe isn't so sure that they can't at least come away with positive results as much as possible. Especially at home.

"Besides last night, we're going undefeated at home. No doubt we're going undefeated," McCabe said with a grin.