RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team started fast and played great in the second quarter to build a big lead; however, Wayne State would fight back and the two teams would battle each other through regulation and into overtime to decide a winner.

The Hardrockers got off to an early lead in the first quarter, despite shooting just 35%, defensively South Dakota Mines was stellar, allowing just 25% shooting from the Wildcats and forced 4 first-quarter turnovers, also outrebound Wayne State 15-9, to get out to a 15-11 lead after 1.

In the second quarter, the Hardrockers shot 54.5% from the field, 60% from three, and would again outrebound the wildcats, 10-5 en route to a 19-12 quarter. Ryan Weiss had 9 points in the quarter and ended the first half with 12 points and 6 rebounds, helping to power the Hardrocker 34-23 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Wayne State would get their offense going and the Hardrockers would shoot just 40%, while only hitting 1 of 8 three-point attempts. The Wildcats would get back into the game, outscoring the Hardrockers 19-13 in the third, going into the 4th with the Hardrockers maintaining a 5-point lead, 47-42.

In the fourth, each time Wayne State would look to cut their deficit, the Hardrockers would answer with a bucket. With just over 4 minutes to play, the Hardrocker lead was two points, 51-49, and would tie it up with 3:15 to play. After a South Dakota Mines turnover, the Wildcats would go to the line after a foul and take a 52-51 lead. On the next possession, Madelyn Heiser would come up big, hitting a three-pointer and getting fouled. She hit the ensuing free throw, to give the Hardrockers a 55-52 lead. With the game tied at 55, it was Piper Bauer that would step up, hitting two free throws, giving the Hardrockers the lead once again, this time, 57-55. With under a minute to go, Heiser would hit another big shot, hitting a floater, giving the Hardrockers a 4-point lead. Moments later, Wayne State would tie it up once again. With four seconds to play, Wayne State would go to the free-throw line for two but miss them both to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, the Hardrockers would score the first four points on buckets by Naomi Hidalgo. After a wildcat bucket, Hidalgo would force a turnover and score on the other end to put the Hardrockers up 65-61. The Wildcats would fight back to take a 66-65 lead after a converted and-1. South Dakota Mines would have two chances to tie it up late, but couldn't convert, falling 68-65.

About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.