GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Black Hills State women's basketball took on Colorado Mesa Friday night falling 77-71 to the Mavericks in their first overtime contest of the season.
 
The loss brings the Yellow Jackets to 4-5 on the season and 2-1 in RMAC play.
 
The Yellow Jackets had five student athletes record double digits in scoring on the night while being led by true freshman Haylee Weathersby, who recorded 17 points throughout the contest.
 
Nine Yellow Jackets pulled in boards on the night but Ashlee Beacom was the defensive leader for BHSU with seven boards, four offensive and three defensive.
 
Niki Van Wyk did a great job setting up her teammates as she recorded a career high six assists on the night while also recording 11 points of her own.
 
The Yellow Jackets opened play hot from beyond the arc as they sunk five 3-pointers in the first quarter of play led by Ashlee Beacom and Megan Engesser who sunk two each. The Mavericks opened the night on a 5-0 run before the Yellow Jackets would storm back to tie things up at nine all about midway through the quarter. From that point the two teams stayed close with a jumper at the buzzer by Haylee Weathersby giving BHSU a two-point edge leading into the second quarter with the score set at 19-17.
 
The second quarter brought impressive defensive showings by both teams. The Yellow Jackets and Mavericks each recorded two steals in the quarter while making nearly every shot contested on the court. At the end of the quarter the Mavericks held a slight edge over the Yellow Jackets with a one-point lead at 29-28.
 
The Yellow Jackets and Mavericks were evenly matched throughout the third quarter with the two teams being tied five times. After being knotted at 44 all with under three minutes to play the Yellow Jackets went ahead on a Niki Van Wyk 3-pointer and held that lead throughout the final minutes of play going into the fourth quarter up 52-49.
 
The fourth quarter was tight for both teams with neither team holding more than a five-point lead. At the halfway point BHSU held a five-point lead over CMU at 61-56. From that point the Yellow Jackets and Mavericks would hold a lead over the Yellow Jackets until a Megan Engesser 3-pointer knotted things up with under a minute to play. At that point the defenses got to work and the game would be sent into overtime tied at 64 all.
 
The Mavericks opened scoring in overtime taking a two-point lead on a layup by Kelsey Siemons before Haylee Weathersby sunk an uncontested layup at the other end of the court to tie things up at 66. The teams would then trade points until they found themselves tied at 71. From that point the Mavericks would go on a 6-0 run with four made free throws and a layup by Mariah Martin to round out the game with the Yellow Jackets falling 77-71.
 
The Yellow Jackets were 26 of 74 from the field earning a 35.1 field goal percentage while shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc making 12 of 31 attempts.
 
From the charity stripe the Yellow Jackets made 7 of their 11 attempts for a 63.6 shooting percentage.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets head to Salt Lake City to take on the Westminster Griffins tomorrow evening at 5:00.