RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team looked to rebound from a tough loss Wednesday to Black Hills State University with its second regional rivalry game of the week Saturday against Chadron State College in Chadron, Neb.
Despite South Dakota Mines leading after the first three quarter stops along with 12 lead changes and 10 ties, Chadron State outscored the Hardrockers 27-23 in the fourth quarter and held on for a 70-67 win at the Chicoine Center. The loss dropped the 'Rockers to 5-9 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, while the Eagles broke a four-game losing skid and moved to 4-10 in the RMAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams came out trading 3-pointers, tied at 8-8 with junior
Piper Bauer and senior Madylen Heiser hitting treys for the Hardrockers. A layup by sophomore
Lauren Herman keyed a 9-3 run for South Dakota Mines to close the first period with sophomore
Savea Mansfield scoring two baskets and freshman
Morning Grace Spotted Bear added two points.
Chadron State took over the momentum early in the second, outscoring the Hardrockers 9-2 before South Dakota Mines regained the lead at 23-22 on two straight baskets by Bauer. The two teams traded the lead before the Eagles went up 29-25 with just under five minutes until halftime.
A late 3-pointer by Bauer and two free throws by Mansfield put the Hardrockers in front 33-32 at the halftime break. Bauer and Mansfield both had 10 points in the first half for the 'Rockers.
The third quarter started slow offensively for both squads but stayed close with seven lead changes and three ties. Two free throws each by Mansfield and senior
Naomi Hidalgo put the Hardrockers up 41-39 and a 3-pointer by Bauer broke a 41-41 tie with 27 seconds remaining. South Dakota Mines led 44-43 going into the fourth.
Chadron State hit two straight 3-pointers to open the fourth quarter and scored six unanswered points for a 50-44 lead before Herman hit a pair of free throws with 6:42 to play. The Eagles led by five before Mansfield's three-point play cut the lead to 54-52 with 2:39 remaining. After a Chadron State basket, Bauer's 3-pointer cut the lead to one.
The Eagles responded with seven of the next nine points scored for their largest lead of the game at 64-57 before Bauer responded with a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to play. Despite four points from Herman, the Eagles were 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to post the 70-67 victory.
NOTES
Piper Bauer hit 7-of-13 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 25 points and five steals.
Savea Mansfield finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for her third double-double of the season, while
Lauren Herman added 10 points and three rebounds. The Hardrockers shot just 35.5 percent from the field after shooting 46 percent in the first half. South Dakota Mines hit 7-of-24 3-pointers and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line. The 'Rockers out-rebounded the Eagles 36-30 and had 16 offensive boards to just five for Chadron State. The Eagles shot 46 percent from the field overall, hit 9-of-18 3-pointers and were 19-of-21 from the line.
UP NEXT
The Hardrockers hit the road for a pair of weekend contests, Friday, Feb. 9 at MSU Denver beginning at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 10 at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., also at 5 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 South Dakota Mines 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.
