GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – After a long-fought battle, the Black Hills State University women's basketball team was eliminated from their second consecutive RMAC Tournament appearance.  The Yellow Jackets fell to Colorado Mesa, 56-49, on Tuesday night in the opening round of the postseason.

BHSU finished the season with a 16-11 overall record, and 12-10 conference record.  Julia Seamans, Morgan Ham, and Racquel Wientjes led the Yellow Jackets, totaling eight points each, while Alyssia Martinez and Morgan Koepsell each carried seven.  Katie Messler brought down nine boards to lead the Green and Gold.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team was able to break away with a meaningful lead.  Morgan Ham hit a three-pointer to advance the Yellow Jackets by five, in the second quarter.  Free throws for Sydni Brandon brought the score within two for the Mavericks (24-3, 20-2 RMAC), as the Green and Gold led, 26-24, at the break. 

With a trey in the third quarter, Colorado Mesa took the lead but was responded with a jumper by Julia Seamans to put the Yellow Jackets back on top.  The Mavericks took advantage of a 10-3 run to lead the Green and Gold, 45-41.  Unable to find a rhythm, the Yellow Jackets would ultimately fall, 56-49, to end the season and their run in the conference tournament.

Three Mavericks had double figure scoring, led by Jaylyn Duran with 18 points, while Syndni Brandon totaled 12 rebounds.

Colorado Mesa shot 30.2 percent from the field (16-for-53), while BHSU shot 37.0 percent (17-for-46) from the floor.  The Mavericks were 6-for-22 from beyond the arc (27.3 percent), while the Yellow Jackets were 5-for-18 for three-pointers (27.8 percent).  CMU shot 85.7 percent from the charity stripe (18-for-21), while BHSU shot 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-for-12).  The Green and Gold outrebounded the Mavericks, 34-32.