SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team was shooting for its third straight win in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play Friday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. against Westminster College.
The Hardrockers, despite a good start, fell behind in the third quarter and dropped a 69-59 decision to the Griffins. The loss dropped South Dakota Mines to 4-6 in league play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hardrockers jumped out to a 5-2 lead on all five points from junior
Piper Bauer. After Westminster scored six straight points, sophomore
Megan Alexander scored two straight buckets for a 9-8 advantage.
In a back-and-forth quarter, the 'Rockers got a 3-pointer from Bauer and a layup by sophomore
Savea Mansfield for a 16-12 lead going into the second.
The Hardrockers scored the first basket of the second and used a 3-pointer by Bauer along with a layup by Mansfield to build a 25-18 lead, their biggest lead of the game.
Westminster would answer with seven straight points to tie the game and would eventually take a 32-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The game remained close in the third period but the Griffins built a five-point lead, 53-48 going into the fourth.
The Griffins then began to take control in the final quarter, leading 59-50 midway through before the Hardrockers cut the lead to five, 59-54 on layups by Alexander and Bauer. But SD Mines would get no closer, as the Griffins out-scored the 'Rockers 10-5 the rest of the way for the 69-59 win.
NOTES
Piper Bauer led the Hardrockers in scoring with 13 points on 5-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-7 3-pointers.
Lauren Herman, who also hit 3-of-7 3s, added 11 points and
Savea Mansfield chipped in with 10 points on 5-of-8 from the field. Meagan Alexander had nine points and four rebounds.
Morning Grace Spotted Bear finished with seven points and six rebounds and senior
Madelyn Heiser led the team with five assists. As a team, the 'Rockers shot 42 percent from the field (25-of-59) and hit 9-of-22 3-pointers.
COMING UP
The Hardrockers conclude their two-game road trip Saturday, Jan. 20 in Grand Junction, Colo. against Colorado Mesa. First tip is set for 5:30 p.m.
Fans can find the latest on South Dakota Mines women's basketball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockerwbb), while also following on Facebook at Hardrocker Women's Basketball. The latest on South Dakota Mines athletics can be found by following us on X at @GoHardrockers, hardrockerathletics on Instagram and Hardrocker Athletics on Facebook.
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
South Dakota Mines 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.
