RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team used a dominant second quarter to pick up a solid lead, then hold on late for its' first victory.

The first quarter was a high-scoring one as neither team was able to separate itself. Going into the second, the Hardrockers held a 19-18 lead.

Early in the second, each team would continue to roll offensively, with the two teams continuing to trade leads. Anna Combalia would continue to wreak havoc, getting another steal, and hitting two free throws, giving the Hardrockers a 29-28 lead. Another Fort Lewis turnover would bring it to the media timeout. Out of the timeout, Melissa Johnstone would connect on a layup, followed by a Madelyn Heiser three-pointer would stretch the lead to 34-28, leading to a Fort Lewis timeout. Johnston would continue to play well, converting an and-1 to give the Hardrockers their biggest lead, 37-30 with just over three minutes to go in the first half. Heiser would stretch it to 8 with a free throw. A beautiful interior feed from Combalia to Johnstone would stretch it out further, to 40-30. A Bailey Johnson three would close the scoring in the first half, leading 43-32 to go into the locker rooms.

Early in the second half, Heiser would continue to play well, hitting a three-pointer. That, along with a pair of free throws from Johnson would give the Hardrockers a 15-point lead, 49-34. Fort Lewis would get a three-pointer from Brooke Lewis then call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Sydney Candelaria would go to the free throw line, hitting both cutting it to 10, before a big Ryan Weiss three to turn the momentum back towards the Hardrockers. At the 5-minute media, South Dakota Mines held a 52-39 lead. Combalia would dish her career-high 10^th assist on a three-point make by Johnson, briefly giving the Hardrockers a 58-44 lead. Fort Lewis would go on a 6-0 run, cutting the South Dakota Mines lead 58-50, before a Piper Bauer jumper followed by two free throws brought the lead back to double-digits to 62-50, and would close the third, leading 62-51.

Jana Conejero and Candelaria would bring the Hardrocker lead back to single digits, but South Dakota Mines would continue to keep them at arm's reach, maintaining an 8-point lead after a Heiser free throw with 4:57 to play. The Skyhawks would continue to chip away, however, cutting the Hardrocker lead to 69-66 after a three-pointer to force a timeout. Johnstone would earn a trip to the free throw line, hitting one out of the timeout. A three-point possession would cut that lead to 1, until Combalia hit a floater, got a steal, and was fouled, hitting one of two. On the other end, the Skyhawks would hit a three, cutting their deficit to one point again. Once again, the Hardrockers would earn a trip to the free throw line, and once again they would split, this time Johnson hitting just one. With 49.2 seconds to go, Heiser made another great play, picking up a charge call to get the ball back to the Hardrockers and fouling out Candelaria. Fort Lewis would get the ball back one more time with a chance to tie or take the lead. Combalia had other ideas, picking up a steal and running off the clock, picking up the 74-72 victory.

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.