BISMARCK, N.D. – Black Hills State women's basketball prevailed in their season debut against the UMary Marauders on Friday night in a thrilling 58-56 victory on the road.
 
The Yellow Jackets (1-0, 0-0 RMAC) trailed by 12 in the first half of the game, but came back and outscored UMary (2-4, 0-0 NSIC) 40-26 in the second half.
 
After a rough start in the first two quarters, the Yellow Jackets posted an improved 65% shooting percentage from the floor and 40% from range. The Yellow Jackets also capitalized with 14 points off turnovers and 28 points from the free throw line throughout the game.
 
Morgan Hammerbeck led the pack as she finished 8-of-14 from the floor, 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and perfect on two shots from the free throw line to post 21 points. The senior forward hauled in eight rebounds, a steal, and an assist in 31 minutes on the hardwood.
 
Ellie Moore led the Yellow Jackets in the first half with 12 points scored on three shots from the paint and posted another perfect six from the charity stripe. Moore finished with a block and three steals on defense while adding four assists and five boards on the night.
 
Kalla Bertram added another 10 points to the BHSU totals against UMary on 4-of-9 shooting and two freebies. She picked up where she left off last season by leading the Yellow Jackets with five steals and a block on the defensive front.
 
Moore posted the first scores of the game from the charity stripe, putting two up for the Yellow Jackets to start. Following a jumper from the Marauders, Bertram landed a two-point shot to keep BHSU in stride until UMary recorded a 7-2 run to jump ahead to a 7-4 lead.
 
A layup from Moore and two more freebies from the graduate forward kept BHSU within six, but an experienced Marauders offense kept the gap intact with two free throws at the 2:33 mark, which would be the last scores posted in the first frame, sending an 18-10 UMary scoreboard into the second quarter.
 
The game stayed locked in an eight-point differential through the first six minutes of action in the second, but a pair of triples from the Marauders helped stretch to a 28-14 scoreboard in their favor. Freshman Jaylen Ostenson knocked down four shots from the charity stripe in the frame, including two in the final minute to send the game to the second half with BHSU down, 30-18.
 
BHSU was quick to get to work in the opening minutes of the third as Hammerbeck and Bertram buried a pair of layups to begin chipping away at the UMary lead. Just before the midway point, both teams began to heat up from range as both teams traded triples and two-point shots each, leading to a 42-29 score with 5:12 to go. A three-point dime from Kaycee Groves with 3:16 to go in the third put BHSU in the driver's seat for the remainder of the frame as they finished on a 9-2 run to close the gap to 44-38.
 
Though both teams slugged it out in the first five minutes of the final 10-minute block, eight points in the mix from Hammerbeck inched BHSU to trail by three, 49-46. Down the stretch, fouls brought Bertram and Hammerbeck to the charity stripe, with a perfect trip from Hammerbeck locking the game at 51-all.
 
UMary capitalized on a jumper and three-point shot in the final minute to take a brief 56-55 lead, but an Alessia Capley scoop-and-score with 0:42 left on the clock gave BHSU the go-ahead 57-56 score. Bertram would draw a pair of fouls in the final five seconds of regulation and sink one last freebie to post the final 58-56 scoreboard.
 
The Marauders attempted a cross-court pass to get another shot off, but a steal from Alessia Capley iced the game and notched the first win for the 2023 Yellow Jacket ladies.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return to the Donald E. Young Center on Friday, Nov. 17 to host the East/West Challenge. BHSU will kick the tournament off with a matchup against the University of Sioux Falls on Friday evening at 7 p.m.