Black Hill State University women's basketball returned home for the first time in four weeks on Friday night, taking on the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks at the Young Center.
 
Solid shooting from the Yellow Jackets (11-3, 6-2 RMAC) helped them defeat the Mavericks 59-45. Leading in points tonight for BHSU was Niki Van Wyk as she dropped 11 points, shooting 5-of-11 from the field that included a single three-pointer. She was the only Yellow Jacket with double-digit points.
 
Megan Engesser, Haylee Weathersby, Kalla Bertram, and Alessia Capley all held eight points in their respective stat lines against the Mavericks, with Engesser leading from beyond the arc with a 66 percent clip from long-range. Although both teams turned the ball over 10 times, BHSU was able to dominate in the paint with six blocks versus CMU's two. Capley led the team with three, Ellie Moore held two, and Weathersby held one.
 
As a team, BHSU shot 40.7 percent from the floor including a .357 clip from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets were 6-of-8 from the charity stripe as well.
 
The Yellow Jackets wasted no time getting things going off the controlled tip, with a long two-pointer from Weathersby kicking off a 7-0 Yellow Jacket run. Colorado Mesa, however, scored a quick five of their own, bringing the score to 9-5 following a Van Wyk layup at the 5:56 mark.
 
The Mavericks were able to bring their scoreboard within two, but the Yellow Jackets got quick buckets from Bertram and Moore to bring the score to 15-9 heading into the second quarter.
 
A Weathersby layup and a Bertram three-point shot brought BHSU to a 20-9 lead, but CMU responded with another five-point burst of their own. After both teams traded a layup by the 4:30 mark, neither team scored until a CMU free throw inched them closer to BHSU, trailing 22-17 with 2:49 left in the half.
 
After another layup from CMU, the Yellow Jackets were able to drive the ball and set up an Engesser three with 1:35 left in the half. Morgan Hammerbeck ended the half on a single-made free throw to bring the game to a 26-19 BHSU lead.
 
Both teams started the second half with layups, but the Yellow Jackets dominated most of the third quarter on a 16-0 run that lasted over five minutes, leaving a comfortable 44-25 score for BHSU. CMU was able to put up a six-point burst down the stretch, but a Summer Fox layup gave the Mavericks a 15-point deficit to try and come back from in the fourth.
 
Both teams remained even to start the final frame, with CMU taking the quarter 14-13, but the huge gap from the previous quarter proved to be too much damage for the Mavericks to surmount.
 
Up Next
BHSU basketball returns to the court tomorrow night to host another double-header against Westminster. The ladies will tip off at the Donald E. Young Center at 4 p.m.