RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota Mines Women's Basketball fell on a last-second buzzer beater to MSU Denver on Saturday afternoon.
MSU Denver outscored South Dakota Mines 14-9 in the first quarter. The Roadrunners started the game with a 9-2 lead through the first five minutes.
Morning Grace Spotted Bear landed a basket and
Alexis Backhaus' three-pointer made it 9-7 with less than two minutes left. MSU Denver responded with five straight points as they led 14-9.
Both teams put up 16 points in the second quarter as the Roadrunners led 30-25 at halftime. The Hardrockers started the quarter on an 8-2 run to give them a 17-16 lead. With a 21-20 advantage, the Roadrunners went on a 10-2 run, giving them a 30-23 lead with 1:05 left.
Emma Martin hit two free throws at the end of the quarter to make the score 25-30.
South Dakota Mines outscored MSU Denver 17-9 in the third quarter. The Rockers started the third quarter with 12 of the first 14 points scored, giving them a 37-32 lead. After MSU Denver made it a one-point game,
Addison Miranda and Spotted Bear combined for five points. The Hardrockers led 42-39 at the end of the third quarter.
The Roadrunners outscored the Rockers 18-14 in the fourth quarter, taking down South Dakota Mines 57-56. MSU Denver took a 53-47 lead at the 6:27 mark.
Lauren Herman scored five points to make it a one-point game with 2:24 left. Spotted Bear's jumper with seven seconds left made the score 56-55. However, Mikylah Espinosa put in a layup with less than one second left, giving the Roadrunners a 57-56 victory.
Spotted Bear led the Hardrockers with 21 points on 10-for-18 field goal shooting. She also grabbed eight rebounds, three of them on the offensive side. Miranda recorded 11 points, while Backhaus added seven points and five rebounds.
Savea Mansfield picked up 11 rebounds.
The Hardrockers shot 34.9% from the field and 21.2% from three-point range. They recorded 14 points in the paint with 37 rebounds. The Rockers had 13 offensive rebounds in the game.
With the loss, they dropped to 9-15 overall and 7-9 in the RMAC.
What's Next
The Hardrockers are on the road next weekend at New Mexico Highlands and Fort Lewis. They return home on Feb. 26 to take on Colorado Mesa at 5:30 p.m. Senior Day is scheduled for Feb. 28 against Western Colorado at 1 p.m.
