RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota Mines Women's Basketball fell to Fort Lewis 58-71 against Fort Lewis on Thursday night.
The Skyhawks outscored the Hardrockers 13-10 in the first half. Two
Savea Mansfield free throws made it 6-2 early in the quarter. With an 8-8 tie,
Morning Grace Spotted Bear put in a layup to make it 10-8 with 2:41 left. A 5-0 Skyhawks run made it 13-10 at the end of the quarter.
The Hardrockers responded after outscoring the Skyhawks 13-11 in the second quarter. Following a long Skyhawks run that made it 24-18 with 3:01 left, South Dakota Mines went on a 5-0 run to end the half.
Alexis Backhaus hit a fastbreak three-pointer and Mansfield recorded a layup to make the score 23-24.
In the third quarter, Fort Lewis had their offense working, outscoring South Dakota Mines 23-18. Spotted Bear gave the Hardrockers a 29-28 lead with 8:04 left in the quarter. With a 41-40 lead late, the Skyhawks picked up a 7-0 run to go up 47-41 with one quarter to play.
Fort Lewis secured a 71-58 win after winning the fourth quarter 24-17. Three minutes into the quarter, Fort Lewis extended their lead to 55-45. That turned into an 18-point lead late into the quarter. They won over the Hardrockers 71-58 at the King Center.
Mansfield totaled 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. She was 8-for-17 from the field. Spotted Bear recorded 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Backhaus also had 10 points.
Emma Martin picked up nine points off the bench.
The Rockers shot 35.8% from the field, 17.6% from three-point range and 73.9% from the free throw line. They recorded 28 points in the paint in a game that had eight ties and 13 lead changes.
With the loss, the Hardrockers moved to 6-9 overall and 4-3 in the RMAC.
What's Next
South Dakota Mines is back in action on Saturday afternoon to face Adams State at 1 p.m. After that game, the Hardrockers will be on the road for five of their next six games, starting at Western Colorado on Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m.
