RAPID CITY, S.D. – On Saturday afternoon, the South Dakota Mines women's basketball team welcomed the Colorado School of Mines to Goodell Gym.
However, South Dakota Mines spoiled the Orediggers trip, taking control of the game in the second and held on late for a 63-62 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams went back and forth in the first quarter, with Colorado School of Mines taking a 17-14 lead into the second.
Trailing by one early in the second, the Hardrockers got back-to-back threes from Samantha Darnell and Savea Mansfield to key an 8-0 run. Later, Emma Martin made a physical basket and followed it by forcing a turnover on the other end, and the Hardrockers had a double-digit lead at 34-24.
A Miquedah Taliman three and two Darnell free throws ended the half with a 5-2 run in favor of the Hardrockers, who went into the half leading 39-26.
Colorado School of Mines would start to chip away in the third, but back-to-back Taliman baskets, including a three, would push the Hardrocker advantage to 15, 51-36.
The Orediggers would continue to chip away, cutting the South Dakota Mines lead to 53-45 going into the fourth.
Taliman would continue her strong play, hitting a three to increase the lead back to 11 for the Hardrockers early in the fourth.
With under five minutes to go, Jenna Siebert hit a three to cut the Hardrockers' lead to five before they would cut it to two with just under a minute to go.
With 39 seconds to go, Savea Mansfield hit a free throw to push the lead to 61-58.
Leading by one, Colorado Mines forced a turnover with 16 seconds to go. Jenna Siebert would get into the lane and hit a layup with 3.2 seconds to play, giving the Orediggers a one-point, 62-61 lead.
A foul was called with 2.6 seconds to go, sending Morning Grace Spotted Bear to the free-throw line, where she hit both, giving the Hardrockers a one-point lead. A last-second half-court heave by the Orediggers missed, giving South Dakota Mines the win.
NOTES
Miquedah Taliman led the team in scoring with 19 on 8-12 shooting…Morning Grace Spotted Bear scored 13 points, adding eight rebounds…Savea Mansfield and Samantha Darnell each added 12 points and four rebounds, with Mansfield adding four assists.
UP NEXT
Next up for the Hardrockers is a road trip to Fort Lewis and Adams State for matchups on Thursday and Saturday.
You can find the latest on South Dakota Mines women's basketball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockerwbb), and you can also follow on Facebook at Hardrocker Women's Basketball. The latest on South Dakota Mines athletics can be found by following us on X at @GoHardrockers.
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.
