GUNNISON, Colo. --- The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team traveled to Gunnison, Colo. to take on the Mountaineers from Western Colorado University on Saturday night. The South Dakota Mines won in a thriller, 54-52 over the Mountaineers.
How it Happened – The Hardrockers and Mountaineers battled throughout the first quarter. WCU would lead by six, 15-9 late in the quarter, but the Hardrockers went on a 5-point run, ending on a
Lauren Herman three-pointer to pull within one, 15-14. The Mountaineers scored three more to lead 18-14 at the end of the first.
Early in the second, Western Colorado continued to hold the lead until under five minutes remaining when
Piper Bauer tied it at 25 on a three-pointer with 4:39 remaining Both teams would score a couple more points and Western Colorado would go into the locker room at the half, up 28-27.
The Hardrocker defense stepped up in the third, holding the Mountaineers to just eight points while scoring 16 on the offensive end. Bauer tied the game 32-32 with a three at the eight-minute mark. South Dakota Mines finally grabbed the lead when
Bailey Johnson hit a jumper to go up 34-32. Throughout the remainder of the quarter, the 'Rockers held onto their momentum and stretched the lead to seven, 43-36 going into the fourth.
South Dakota Mines held onto their lead until 4:53 left in the game when the Mountaineers hit two free throws to retake the lead, 46-45. A
Jansi Merz layup gave the 'Rockers the lead 49-48 with 3:13 to play. Another layup, this time by
Sydnee Durtsche put the Hardrockers up 51-50. The two teams would trade leads heading into the remaining seconds of the game.
Megan Alexander would connect in the paint to give the Hardrockers a one-point lead, 53-52 with 30 seconds to play. Western Colorado wasn't able to score on the other end, forcing them to foul and Bauer was sent to the line with six seconds left, making one of two, to expand the Hardrocker lead to 54-52. The Hardrockers would hold off the Mountaineers to win the game 54-52.
Notes – Piper Bauer scored 14 points to lead the team…
Megan Alexander and
Sydnee Durtsche joined her in double-figures, scoring 12 and 10 each…Durtsche also added nine rebounds and five assists, adding two steals… Bauer added three steals.
Up Next – The Hardrockers will be back in action next weekend at home against Westminster and Colorado Mesa. The 'Rockers host Westminster on Friday, Jan. 13 at 5:30 PM and on Saturday they play the Mavericks at 4:00 PM
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 10 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.
