RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota Mines Women's Basketball fell to St. Mary's and St. Edward's this weekend to start the 2025-26 season.
Game 1: South Dakota Mines vs. St. Mary's, 50-54 L
In their season opener, South Dakota Mines was edged by St. Mary's 50-54 at the King Center.
After the first quarter, both teams remained tied 14-14. With a 6-3 lead,
Morning Grace Spotted Bear hit a three-pointer to give the Hardrockers a 9-3 lead. Both teams traded points as they were tied after 10 minutes.
The Rattlers outscored the Hardrockers 15-6 in the second quarter. With a 20-20 tie, the Rattlers went on a 9-0 run to go up 29-20 at halftime.
South Dakota Mines answered in the third quarter as they outscored St. Mary's 16-10 in the third quarter.
Addison Miranda drained a three-pointer just 20 seconds into the quarter. The Hardrockers went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a Miranda three-pointer to give the Hardrockers a 34-33 lead. The Rattlers led 39-36 at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Rattlers outscored the Hardrockers 15-14 to win 54-50. Spotted Bear recorded five straight points to tie the game at 47-47 with 2:10 left. A St. Mary's 7-0 run finalized the game following another Miranda three-pointer.
Spotted Bear led the game with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting. She also added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Savea Mansfield recorded 11 points and five rebounds. Miranda landed three three-pointers for nine points.
The Hardrockers shot 36% from the field and 20.8% from beyond the arc. They totaled 27 rebounds, 14 points in the paint and 11 points off turnovers.
Game 2: South Dakota Mines vs. St. Edward's, 79-85 L OT
South Dakota Mines dropped their Sunday matchup to St. Edward's 79-85 in overtime.
The Hardrockers outscored the Hilltoppers 16-14 in the first quarter. A 9-2 run at the beginning of the quarter made it 11-6 with 3:46 left.
Lauren Herman made a three-pointer at the end of the run.
Addison Miranda hit a three-pointer as the Hardrockers finished the first 10 minutes with a 16-14 lead.
In their biggest quarter of the young season, South Dakota Mines put up 26 points in the second quarter. A 15-2 run in the first half of the quarter gave the Hardrockers a 33-19 lead. Abilgail Dille landed a three-pointer in the run, while Miranda had two three-pointers. The Hardrockers went into halftime with a 42-30 lead.
South Dakota Mines took a 58-14 lead following a 16-14 third quarter. Miranda and Spotted Bear both hit three-pointers to give South Dakota Mines an 18-point lead. The Hilltoppers kept pace with the Hardrockers as South Dakota Mines led by 14 points with 10 minutes left in regulation.
St. Edward's outscored South Dakota Mines 30-16 in the fourth quarter. An 11-0 run made it a three-point game with 7:10 left.
Carolina Ruiz Molina's three-pointer highlighted a 6-0 run for the Hardrockers. A three-pointer from Suni Davis gave the Hilltoppers a lead with 3:26 left in the quarter. Molina responded later with a three-pointer as both teams were tied 74-74 to force overtime.
The Hilltoppers won 85-79 after outscoring the Hardrockers 11-5 in overtime. Mansfield made it 79-77 with 1:05 left. A 6-0 run at the end of the period gave the Hilltoppers an 85-79 win.
Molina tallied 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal in her second game as a Hardrocker. She shot 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. Spotted Bear totaled 15 points and four rebounds. Mansfield had 14 points, while Miranda recorded 12.
As a team, South Dakota Mines shot 44.3% from the field and 41.7% from deep. The Hardrockers collected 32 bench points, 32 points in the paint and 22 points off turnovers.
The Hardrockers moved to 0-2 to begin the 2025-26 season.
What's Next
The Hardrockers will host NCAA D-III opponent Nebraska Wesleyan at 5 p.m. at the King Center. They will go on a four-game road trip, beginning at Sioux Falls next weekend.
