RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team was still in search of their first win of the season when they hosted MSU Denver Saturday afternoon at the King Center.
In a game that had 11 lead changes and 14 ties, the Hardrockers prevailed for the first time with a thrilling 63-62 win over the Roadrunners as junior Piper Bauer hit two free throws with four seconds remaining. With the win, South Dakota Mines moved to 1-3 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
How it Happened
The Hardrockers opened strong, spotting the Roadrunners a pair of free throws to begin the contest before running off 12 straight points. Senior Madelyn Heiser scored four points, sophomore Savea Mansfield put in five points and Bauer hit a 3-pointer in that run. MSU Denver closed with the final seven points to close the gap to 12-9 after one.
MSU Denver inched even closer early in the second at 14-13, but the Hardrockers regained some momentum on five straight points from Heiser to lead 22-15, then 26-20 on a Mansfield 3-pointer. Later a 3-pointer from Bauer put the 'Rockers up 29-22 and South Dakota Mines would lead 30-24 at halftime. Heiser paced the team at the break with 13 points and Bauer added eight points.
MSU Denver took its first lead of the game at 32-31 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter before sophomore Lauren Herman answered with a 3-pointer. The two teams traded leads for much of the rest of the third period, tied at 42-42 with two minutes to play. A steal, layup, and free throw to convert and and-1 by freshman Morning Grace Spotted Bear tied the game at 45-45 with one minute remaining. Each team hit one free throw the rest of the way and the game remained tied going into the fourth period.
Baskets by Mansfield and Spotted Bear put South Dakota Mines back up 54-52 with 4:34 to play. Tied at 54-54, a driving layup at the shot-clock buzzer by Heiser again gave the Hardrockers a two-point lead with 2:37 to play. MSU Denver would score five straight points to retake the lead by three with 1:39 to play. A Mansfield 3-pointer tied the game again with 1:08 to play and a reverse layup by Heiser put the Hardrockers back up by two with 24 seconds remaining. The Roadrunners would answer, retaking a one-point lead with 11.7 seconds on a 3-pointer by Mikylah Espinosa after getting a second-chance opportunity on a missed 3-pointer. On the other end of the court, Bauer would draw a foul with 4 seconds to go on a drive and she calmly sank both free throws, giving the Hardrockers the victory.
Game Notes
Madelyn Heiser led the Hardrockers with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including hitting her lone 3-point attempt…She also paced the team with seven rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot…Savea Mansfield, who was 4-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, added 12 points and Piper Bauer added 11 points…The Hardrockers shot 38 percent from the field (23-of-61) and hit 6-of-21 3-pointers…South Dakota Mines was also 11-of-17 from the free-throw line and grabbed 27 rebounds.
Up Next
The Hardrockers hit the road for three straight games to conclude December, as they continue RMAC play at CSU Pueblo Friday, Dec. 15 and at New Mexico Highlands Saturday, Dec. 16. South Dakota Mines closes 2023 at Minot State University Saturday, Dec. 30 in a non-conference contest.
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.
