RAPID CITY, S.D. – After playing their first seven games away from home, the South Dakota Mines women's basketball team played in the King Center for the first time this season, hosting No. 23/16 Colorado School of Mines Friday night at Goodell Gymnasium.
Although the Hardrockers, still searching for their first win of the season, played well at times and kept the game close, the 8-1 Orediggers showed their strength down the stretch for an 81-67 victory.
How it Happened
The Hardrockers got off to a decent start, taking a quick 7-3 lead on baskets from senior Naomi Hidalgo and sophomore Savea Mansfield and a 3-pointer from junior Piper Bauer. But the Orediggers caught fire and took advantage of some 'Rocker turnovers, using a 9-0 run and leading by as much as 13 points late before South Dakota Mines closed strong. A layup and last-second 3-pointer from freshman Emily Thompson closed the gap to five, 26-21 at the end of the first period.
Colorado School of Mines maintained a 7-10 point lead through much of the first half of the second quarter and Hidalgo's layup kept it a seven-point game at 39-32 with 2:19 to play until halftime. A Madelyn Heiser layup cut the lead to 41-35 with 1:16 remaining before the Orediggers took a 44-35 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
The Orediggers opened things up a bit in the third period, building double-digit leads at 57-45 with 4:21 to play in the period and 61-47 with 3:31 remaining. A Heiser layup at the buzzer made it a 64-51 game going into the fourth.
The Hardrockers came out with some fire in the final quarter, cutting the lead back to single digits midway through the period. Two straight 3-pointers by Bauer closed the gap to 68-60 with 6:38 to play.
Two free throws by Hidalgo and a layup cut the lead back to seven, 72-65 with 3:47 left on the clock. The Orediggers, however, regained some momentum with seven straight points for a 14-point lead and closed out the 81-67 win in the final minutes.
Game Notes
Senior Madelyn Heiser led the Hardrockers in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range...Hidalgo added 14 points as she connected of 6-of-12 field goal attempts and sophomore Lauren Herman added 12 points as she was 4-of-6 from the field, hitting 2-of-4 3-pointers…Herman also paced the team with eight rebounds and added one steal…The Hardrockers were 26-of-58 from the field, hitting 7-of-18 3-pointers…They finished with 21 rebounds.
Up Next
The Hardrockers will continue the home weekend, hosting MSU Denver on Saturday afternoon, with tipoff at 4 p.m.
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 13 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.
