GUNNISON, Colo. - Black Hills State University women's basketball hung on in a tough battle in Gunnison on Friday night, defeating the Western Colorado University Mountaineers 55-52.
 
The Yellow Jackets (10-3, 5-2 RMAC) finished the game with a 38.2 percent clip from the field that included a 20 percent mark from long range. Leading the offense for BHSU was Ellie Moore, who put up 7-of-11 from the floor for 14 points. She also recorded two rebounds and a steal against WCU.
 
Niki Van Wyk was the second of two Yellow Jackets in double-digit scoring, scratching in 13 points on a 5-of-17 mark overall that included a single trey and two free throws out of three attempts at the charity stripe. The senior guard also handed out three assists while recording a rebound and a steal.
 
Leading the charge on defense was Alessia Capley, who finished the game with one of two Yellow Jacket blocks, four boards, and a steal. On offense, Capley scored nine points on a 50 percent mark as a shooter, including a three pointer she drained in the second quarter. From the free throw line, Capley made 2-of-3 attempts on the night.
 
Moore and Van Wyk kicked things off for the Yellow Jackets with back-to-back layups to give BHSU a 4-0 lead to start, but the Mountaineers were able to respond with five straight points to take a brief 5-4 lead.
 
Both teams went cold throughout the middle of the quarter, but BHSU began to heat up with threes from Summer Fox and Van Wyk, followed by two quick layups from Moore to give BHSU a 14-5 lead with a minute left in the quarter. After a forced turnover, Moore was able to get back down the floor to bury another layup to give BHSU a 16-5 lead.
 
Moore continued riding the momentum with a layup to open second-quarter scoring, but WCU quickly laid up a bucket of their own. After a three-pointer from Alessia Capley at the 7:17 mark, both teams went without scores until the 3:46 mark where the Mountaineers were finally able to connect a three-point shot, setting the score to a nine-point BHSU lead of 21-12.
 
A long two-pointer from WCU cut the BHSU lead to just seven, but a pair of layups courtesy of Hammerbeck and Van Wyk gave BHSU a nine-point, 25-16 lead by the end of the half. In the half, the Mountaineers were held to just 30.4 percent shooting from the floor, 25 percent from beyond the arc, and just one made free throw out of four attempts.
 
The Mountaineers entered the second half with a 7-0 run, bringing the game to a 25-23 scoreboard within the first three minutes and later tying the game with a jumper.  BHSU responded with a single free throw courtesy of Van Wyk, but another Mountaineer jumper and charity stripe point gave them their first lead of the game at 28-26. Six tying scores and four lead changes later, BHSU held the slim 40-39 lead as the game was sent to the final quarter.
 
A 5-0 run gave the Yellow Jackets some breathing room to start the fourth, with BHSU carving a 45-39 lead inside the first two minutes of quarter four. Following layups from Megan Engesser and Moore, WCU was able to get down the floor on their next two possessions to turn in a layup and a shot from downtown to bring the score to 49-44 with 5:51 to go in the game.
 
Another three from Emmery Wagstaff, who was the leading scorer for the Mountaineers, brought the game back to a single possession with the Yellow Jackets holding the advantage. Both squads traded scores heading into the final minute, with a BHSU foul giving the Mountaineers a chance to tie the game before the end of regulation. WCU made the first but missed the second, allowing Fox to snatch up the basketball with eight seconds left.
 
A foul drawn by Engesser allowed for her to knock down both her free throws, ending the game with BHSU hanging on over the Mountaineers with a final score of 55-52.
 
Up Next
Yellow Jacket basketball debuts in their first home games of 2023 against Colorado Mesa and Westminster. The lady's tipoff against CMU is slated for 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13 while their contest against Westminster is set for Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m.