Black Hills State University women's basketball (15-3, 10-2 RMAC) hosted rival South Dakota Mines on Tuesday night, defeating the Hardrockers 52-46 in a gritty defensive matchup.
 
Despite the Yellow Jackets being held to a 29.3 percent look from the floor, they were 45 percent from beyond the arc. BHSU's defensive unit played a large role in the win against SDSMT as they forced 20 turnovers in the game, notching on 21 points off the takeaways.
 
The Hardrockers played tough on defense, outrebounding the Yellow Jackets 47-36 but only holding nine points from their takeaways.
 
Leading the Yellow Jackets scoring totals was Niki Van Wyk, who dropped 16 against the Hardrockers on 5-of-13 shooting, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 on freebies. Niki also played well defensively, recording a team-leading five steals and five defensive boards.
 
Danica Kocer was the second of two double-digit scorers for BHSU, recording 10 points on her night with 4-of-8 shooting totals and 1-of-2 from long range. Ellie Moore and Alessia Capley both carried the three blocks on defense for the Yellow Jackets with Moore knocking down two of her own.
 
South Dakota Mines struck first on a layup to take an early lead, but two good Van Wyk shots from the charity stripe tied it right back up by the two-minute mark. BHSU had the shot look but could not hit their shots early, allowing SDSMT to jump to a 10-4 lead on an eight-point run.
 
Shots from Bertram and Capley got BHSU back on track in the quarter, bringing the score to a 15-10 game as an Ellie Moore layup was the final score tallied for the quarter.
 
After a handful of turnovers to start quarter number two, an Engesser trey tied the game, and a Danica Kocer scoop-and-score gave BHSU their first lead of the game at 17-15. BHSU continued to expand their lead on what became a 14-0 run, leading 24-17 by the time SDSMT responded.
 
Scoring on both sides began to heat up at this point, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 27-24 lead heading into the final minute of play. A trio of free throws from Weathersby brought the Yellow Jacket lead to 30-24 as the second quarter came to a close.
 
SDSMT started hot in the third frame with a quick six-point burst to bring slim the Yellow Jacket lead to 32-30. Treys from Van Wyk and Morgan Hammerbeck kept BHSU on top, however, as shooting cooled down in the final four minutes of the third quarter.
 
Following a Hardrocker layup, a pair of treys from Van Wyk expanded the Yellow Jacket lead to 45-36 with 6:52 to go in the game. Both teams went neck-and-neck down the stretch from the charity stripe, with a three-pointer from the Hardrockers at 3:26 updating the score to 47-43 before Kocer nailed one from long-range to keep the Yellow Jackets up by seven.
 
Another layup from Kocer gave BHSU their largest lead since the second quarter, nine, with just over a minute to go in regulation. A block from Ellie Moore all but ended the game in the final moments, with SDSMT hitting one last three-point gasp before time expired, giving BHSU the 52-46 victory over the Hardrockers.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jacket ladies are back in action on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. for another Donald E. Young Center tipoff against the Colorado Christian Cougars.