RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines women's basketball team battled Fort Lewis on the road on Thursday night.
Morning Grace Spotted Bear and Piper Bauer led an offensive explosion for the Hardrockers, scoring 32 and 24 points, respectively. Bauer is now just two shy of tying the school record in three-pointers. Spotted Bear was unstoppable, adding 13 rebounds, six assists, and six steals to her scoring, helping to power South Dakota Mines to the victory and a 3-4 mark in the RMAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first quarter was a high-scoring affair as South Dakota Mines and Fort Lewis were hitting their shots.
South Dakota mines hit 64.7%, while Fort Lewis hit 56.3% in the quarter. Piper Bauer and Morning Grace Spotted Bear led SDM, scoring 11 and 10 points as the Hardrockers led 26-23 after one.
The scoring spree continued in the second half as both teams ended the half with 40+ points.
Spotted Bear and Bauer ended the half with 16 and 13 points, while Savea Mansfield joined the party in the second, finishing the half with eight points.
Going into the half, South Dakota Mines continued to lead, 46-40.
An early third-quarter spurt gave the Hardrockers their biggest lead of the game when Emily Thomas connected on a layup to push the lead to double digits, 55-44.
Fort Lewis continued to push back, cutting the deficit to four to end the quarter with the Hardrockers leading 61-57.
The fourth quarter was an all-out battle as the two teams answered each other, bucket for bucket, and South Dakota Mines was not able to get any additional breathing room early. However, Spotted Bear would continue to roll, scoring 32 points, while Bauer scored 24. SDM got breathing room late due to a 9-0 run and would close the game with an 88-74 victory.
NOTES
Morning Grace Spotted Bear was unstoppable, scoring 32 points on 12-16 shooting, adding 13 rebounds, six assists, and six steals…Piper Bauer hit five three's moving to two shy of tying the school record as she poured in 27 points…Savea Mansfield scored 15 points, adding seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Hadrockers finish the road trip on Saturday, taking on Adams State at 1:00 p.m.
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.
