GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.--- The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team finished the Conference Challenge in Grand Junction, Colorado, taking on West Texas A&M.
The Hardrockers played a strong 3rd quarter but were unable to get it to the end, as they fell 76-63.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hardrockers jumped on the Lady Buffs early, getting out to a 9-0 lead after a strong start from
Sydnee Durtsche who scored five straight points after assisting on a
Naomi Hidalgo basket. West Texas A&M would eventually even it up, but the Hardrockers would get a basket from
Morning Grace Spotted Bear to close the quarter with a 20-19 lead.
In the second quarter, the two teams would go back and forth, but a 6-0 run ending with a
Naomi Hidalgo basket gave SDM a 28-25 lead going into the media timeout. Through the remainder of the quarter, the Hardrockers would continue to hold their lead, eventually going into the locker room with a 40-36 lead.
Early in the third, West Texas A&M had all the momentum, getting out to a 7-point lead late in the quarter, before the Hardrockers would fight back once again, taking a point lead into the fourth.
At the beginning of the fourth, the Lady Buffs would get out to their biggest lead of the game, going up 63-56, but South Dakota Mines would continue to fight back, cutting it to 3, 64-61. It would be for naught as West Texas A&M would expand the lead and eventually leave the Hardrockers in defeat, 76-63.
Notes
Naomi Hidalgo and
Piper Bauer led offensively with Hidalgo scoring 14 points and Bauer adding 12…Those two also did a good job on the glass, leading the team in rebounding with nine and five…As a team, the Hardrockers shot 48% overall and 35.7% from three.
Up Next
South Dakota Mines heads to Spearfish for the East/West Challenge as they take on Northern State and Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday
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.
