SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University women's basketball team earned its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win, after defeating the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Mountain Lions on Friday night, 62-37.

The Yellow Jackets improve to 7-0 on the season and 1-0 to start conference play, while the Mountain Lions fall to 0-7 overall and 0-1 in conference.

In the first quarter, the Green and Gold got off to slow start, as UCCS took the first leads of the game at 2-0 and 4-2. Caley Barnard received a pass under the hoop from Shanah Leaf to give UCCS a 2-0 lead. Katie Messler responded for BHSU to tie the game, 2-2. Barnard hit a second shot from the top of the key to give UCCS the lead back at 4-2.

Messler again responded to tie the game at 4-4, followed by Keely Bertram hitting a shot from just inside the arc to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game at 6-4. From there, Black Hills State went on a 6-0 run to increase its lead, 12-4, until Abby Feickert, of UCCS, drained a shot from downtown to end the run, and the Mountain Lions trailed, 16-8, at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, the Green and Gold came out on a 6-0 run again to lead by 22-8 just four minutes into the quarter, and led by 11 at 27-16, heading into halftime.

After halftime, UCCS threatened the Yellow Jacket lead, as they scored four quick points to trail by seven at 27-20. Julia Seamans drove to the basket and put it in to increase the Green and Gold lead, 29-20. From there, Abby Switzer hit a layup to give BHSU a 33-26 lead which started the third 6-0 run.

A Yellow Jacket foul placed UCCS' Shanah Leaf at the line to score two and end the Yellow Jacket run. However, it was not enough, as BHSU closed out the third quarter with an 11-point lead at 40-29.

In the fourth quarter, the Green and Gold ran away with it, as they held UCCS to just eight points, and grabbed a 25-point win at 62-37.

The Yellow Jackets shot 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the field and 78.3 percent (18-23) from the line. They edged out the Mountain Lions on rebounds, 43-38.

Rachel Erickson and Lyndzi Rich led the team with 14 points each, while Julia Seamans was right behind with 10.

Keely Bertram led the defense grabbing seven rebounds.

Black Hills State continues conference action Saturday, December 2, hosting the Metropolitan State University-Denver Roadrunners in a 4 p.m. contest.