GOLDEN, Colo. – South Dakota Mines Women's Basketball was edged by Colorado School of Mines 76-78 on Saturday afternoon.
The Orediggers outscored the Hardrockers 28-21 in the first quarter.
Alexis Backhaus gave the Hardrockers a three-point lead with 6:06 left. An Orediggers three-pointer tied the game at 14-14 midway through the quarter. That extended to a five-point lead later in the quarter.
Savea Mansfield hit two free throws at the buzzer to make the score 21-28.
South Dakota Mines responded in the second quarter, outscoring the Orediggers 14-11. With a nine-point deficit halfway through the quarter, a 7-0 run made it 35-37 with 37 seconds left. Colorado School of Mines made it 39-35 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Hardrockers exploded for 29 points to 18 for the Orediggers. The Orediggers maintained a seven-point lead down to the 3:09 mark. South Dakota Mines went on a 14-0 run to end the quarter and go up 64-57. Mansfield recorded eight points in the run, while Backhaus had six.
Colorado School of Mines won 78-76 after outscoring the Hardrockers 21-12 in the fourth quarter. The Orediggers chipped into the lead until they tied the game at 75-75 with 1:41 left. That was part of a 7-0 run to give them a 77-75 lead. The Orediggers went on to win 78-76 over the Hardrockers.
Mansfield put up a career-high 32 points with eight rebounds on 11-for-16 field goal shooting. Backhaus tallied a season-best and tied a career-high with 15 points.
Carolina Ruiz Molina recorded 13 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
Morning Grace Spotted Bear picked up seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Samantha Darnell had seven rebounds and five assists.
The Hardrockers shot a season-high 51.1% from the field. They were 6-for-18 from beyond the arc and 84.6% from the free throw line. In total, they had 33 rebounds and 32 points in the paint.
South Dakota Mines moved to 6-8 overall and 4-2 in the RMAC after the loss.
What's Next
The Hardrockers are back home this weekend to take on Fort Lewis on Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m. and Adams State on Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. They go on the road next weekend to take on Western Colorado and Westminster.
