Black Hills State women's basketball hits the road this weekend for another pair of road games against UCCS and Regis before heading to Fort Lewis for a third tilt against the Skyhawks.
The Yellow Jackets (16-5, 11-4 RMAC) head to UCCS on Friday, Feb. 10 for a 5 p.m. tipoff before traveling to Denver on Saturday, Feb. 11 to take on the Regis Rangers at 3 p.m. Then, to make up for a delayed game from earlier this season, the ladies will visit the Fort Lewis Skyhawks on Monday, Feb. 13 for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
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FRIDAY VS. UC-COLORADO SPRINGS
UCCS heads back home following a rough weekend stretch on the road last week, falling to Westminster on Feb. 3 and Colorado Mesa on Feb. 4. Both games were battles for the Mountain Lions, including being down by one point in the fourth quarter against CMU inside of two minutes. Since their meeting with the Yellow Jackets on December 3, the Mountain Lions have gone 7-8 and are a low-to-middle-of-the-pack team.Â
However, UCCSA is a top-five team in blocked shots in the RMAC as they've recorded 2.91 blocks per game and have 64 total on the season. The Mountain Lions are also a top-five team in combined rebounds as the squad averages 39 rebounds per tilt through this week.
MOUNTAIN LIONS' LAST TIMEOUT
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – UCCS hosted Colorado Mesa on Saturday night and in a game that came down to the wire the Mavericks handed UCCS a 64-62 loss.
Colorado Mesa jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the opening four minutes of the game, but a Maison White jumper kicked off a UCCS 6-0 run to tie the game at 9-9. CMU, however, gained an 18-13 lead as the quarter drew to a close.
CMU opened the second quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 26-13 lead with 5:50 left in the first half. UCCS went on a run of their own to chip into the Mavericks lead, cutting it to a 29-22 lead. After trading blows, a Nilles three-pointer and baskets from Ottman and White in the final 2:21 of the half brought the Mountain Lions within three at halftime, 32-29.
The Mavericks came out of halftime to start the second half with a 7-2 run. Nilles' second chance basket sparked an 8-0 UCCS run before back-to-back turnovers by the Mavericks produced buckets from White and Nilles. Now trailing 49-40, White netted the two baskets for UCCS as the Mountain Lions ended the third stanza outscoring CMU, 10-2, and just a five-point deficit heading into the final quarter, 49-44.
After working the ball around the perimeter to start the fourth, Breelyn Robinson drained two treys to tie the game at 50-all, with a White layup giving the Mountain Lions their first lead of the game at 52-50. Down the stretch, however, CMU recorded a 7-1 run to regain their lead with 1:37 left in the frame and would not surrender the lead for the rest of the game.
UCCS pulled within two at the 0:16 mark off Ottmann free throws, but fouls and a team technical at the end gave CMU the two-point lead they needed to squeak past the Mountain Lions, handing the ladies a 64-62 loss.
A FRIDAY BHSU WIN WOULD...
Keep them in third place in the RMAC. Wins over UCCS, Regis, and Fort Lewis is the quickest way for the Yellow Jackets to earn an RMAC playoff berth.
A FRIDAY BHSU LOSS WOULD...
See BHSU fall under Adams State and place them at the fourth seed, potentially tying with Westminster for fourth/fifth.Â
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs UCCS (DEC. 3, 2022)
The lady Yellow Jackets (7-1, 2-0 RMAC) played strong second and third-quarter basketball to take their sixth win in a row, defeating the UCCS Mountain Lions 58-42.
The first quarter started with UCCS dishing the first floating layup in the game. BHSU later hopped on the board with a Kocer shooting foul that granted her two points from the free-throw line.
The Yellow Jackets struggled to get their shots up in the beginning as they went 0-7 in the first four minutes of the contest, allowing for UCCS to start with a 6-2 run. After a Van Wyk three at the 5:52 mark, both teams traded back and forth down to the final seconds of the quarter. A Hammerbeck three-pointer sent the game to the second frame in a 12-all tie.
A UCCS jumper opened the frame which allowed the Mountain Lions to regain a 14-12 lead, but a pair of Engesser free throws gave BHSU a 15-14 lead, all within the first minute.
A pair of free throws from
Ellie Moore and a three-point shot from Van Wyk gave the Yellow Jackets the 20-14 scoreboard, with Engesser riding on the momentum to score a three and fast-break layup that widened the gap by 12 with 2:28 to go.
Kalla Bertram would put a three-point lid on the first half, giving BHSU a large lead at halftime.
A Van Wyk trey and a Moore jumper created momentum for the Yellow Jackets to start the second half, with a Capley trey creating a 20-point lead with 6:40 to go. UCCS struggled to get their shots up, allowing for BHSU to dominate the quarter. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Mountain Lions 14-6 and forced six of their turnovers in this quarter.
Tyler Whitlock started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to extend the Yellow Jackets lead to 50-27. Despite the effort from the Mountain Lions in the final quarter, the attack from BHSU proved too much for UCCS to climb back from, giving BHSU to take the 58-42 victory at home.
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SATURDAY VS. REGIS UNIVERSITY
Prior to their loss against Westminster last Saturday, the Regis Rangers held a twelve-game winning streak, which included a huge victory at home versus the Colorado School of Mines on Jan. 13. After startin the season 3-4, the Rangers have bounced back and are now in the second seed of the RMAC.
Regis has the third best scoring margin in the conference through this week, ranking third with an even six-point margin. While they hold a lower ranked defense, they hold the third best offense in points per game with a 71.6 average.
RANGERS' LAST TIMEOUT
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Regis University women's basketball team suffered its first loss in 12 games on Saturday as they took on the Westminster College Griffins and finished with a score of 71-78.
The Rangers kept the game close against a well-shooting Griffins but were unable to close the gap at the end of the fourth.
"It was a competitive back and forth game," said Regis women's head coach Molly Marrin. "You have to give credit to Westminster, they shot and scored the ball extremely well and we weren't able to stop them defensively. That being said, I thought our bench energy was great and we never stopped competing."
The Griffins started to run away with the score in the second, but the Rangers came back after the half and were able to keep the Griffins within striking distance.
A three-pointer by senior guard Josey Ryan at the 6:57 mark in the third put the Rangers up by two at 47-45, but the Griffins answered with a 18-8 run over the next six minutes to extend their lead back to eight at the end of the third.
Shooting 57.1 percent (16-for-28) in the second half, the Griffins would inflate their lead to as many as twelve in the fourth to maintain the lead before closing out at 78-71.
Junior guard Erin Fry led all Rangers with 21 points, while Ryan (17) and Sam Deem (12) joined Fry in double-figures.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs REGIS (DEC. 2, 2022)
Black Hills State women's basketball came out on top in their first RMAC conference matchup, defeating the Regis Rangers in a thrilling 71-64 victory that went into overtime.
Three shots were put up between both squads before a trip to the free throw line from Regis helped them start the game up, 2-0.
Niki Van Wyk was quick to respond as she nailed a three-point bucket twenty seconds following the free-throws, but the Rangers clapped back with a three of their own to maintain their lead.
Both teams exchanged a layup each before a
Megan Engesser trey gave the Yellow Jackets the 11-7 lead. A three from Regis brought the Rangers within one, but exchanged scores and a
Kalla Bertram layup gave BHSU an 18-12 lead to end the first quarter.
Engesser knocked down a trey to stretch the BHSU lead to 21-12, but Regis was able to strum up a small 10-2 burst at the 5:36 mark to catch up. However, a Hammerbeck three and a Van Wyk layup kept BHSU in the lead by six.Capley secured the final five points of the half to extend the Yellow Jacket lead to 33-23 as the ladies went into the locker rooms for halftime.
Engesser got things started with a three-point shot 70 seconds into the frame. Following a pair of free throws from Regis, a Capley rebound and layup extended the Yellow Jacket lead to 38-25. The Rangers, however, charged back into the game on a 17-8 series, bringing the score to a slimmed 48-44 Yellow Jacket lead heading into the final quarter.
Regis opened the final quarter with a seven point spurt to give Regis a 49-48 lead Hammerbeck and Van Wyk scored three from the charity stripe to knot the game at 51-51. After multiple exchanged leads, a lone Regis FT at the end of regulation sent the game into an extra quarter of basketball.
In the opening moments of the extended frame, Kocer knocked down a pair of layups to give BHSU the 64-60, a lead that Regis struggled to close into. A Van Wyk rebound and foul with 11 seconds left was enough to put away the Rangers, with the senior guard knocking down the final two free throws of the night to secure the 71-64 Yellow Jacket victory.
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MONDAY VS. FORT LEWIS
The previous slated matchup between Fort Lewis and BHSU was originally scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 30
th at 3:30 p.m. but was canceled due to inclement weather in Colorado, meaning this will be the first meeting for these two teams since Dec. 4, 2021.
The Skyhawks (8-14, 5-11 RMAC) are currently sitting 12
th in the conference and are coming off a win and loss at home: they defeated CSU Pueblo 72-53 last Friday before falling to Adams State on Tuesday, Feb. 7 in a tight, 76-71 matchup. In both matchups, the Skyhawks held over 50 percent shooting from the floor and multiple double-digit scorers in both contests. Kelsey Sorenson, their junior forward, held an impressive 42 points on the weekend that included a 31-point performance in the loss to the Grizzlies.
Lanae Billy, the Skyhawks' 5'7" freshman guard, has proven to be an offensive force this season as she currently sits as the third highest in the RMAC in scoring as she holds 17.4 points per game. Billy is also second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (39.0 percent), second in threes per game (2.7), and eighth in free throw percentage (74.8 percent).
SKYHAWKS' LAST TIMEOUT
DURANGO, Colo. – A fourth-quarter push was the determining factor in a 76-71 loss for the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team on Tuesday night, falling to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Adams State University inside of Whalen Gymnasium. Fort Lewis fell to 8-14 overall and 5-11 in the RMAC while Adams State improved to 16-7, 12-5 RMAC.
The Skyhawks led for 30 minutes of play thanks to a final field goal percentage of 53.1 (26-of-49) compared to a 36.9 percent (24-of-65) clip for the Grizzlies. The biggest difference came via free throws where Adams State connected on 24 versus 12 for Fort Lewis. The Grizzlies forced 24 turnovers and turned in 22 points on the miscues.
Leading all players in scoring was juniorÂ
Kelsey Sorenson who erupted for 31 points (13-of-15 FG) to establish a career-high in the blue and gold. FreshmanÂ
Lanae Billy followed with 10 points to go along with five rebounds. SophomoreÂ
Sadie Misner played in a season-high 24 minutes and picked up three rebounds and a team-high five assists.
The Skyhawks held the Grizzlies at bay for the first six minutes of the opening quarter, building an 8-0 lead in part to six points from Sorenson. Adams State finally got on the board with four made free throws before a Billy three had the lead at seven points with 1:51 remaining. The Grizzlies earned three free throws and a late jumper to end the first quarter in favor of the Skyhawks, 13-9.
It took Adams State under one minute to score in the second quarter as the game became a one-possession affair before eventually knotting at 15 all. The Grizzlies saw their first lead at the 5:21 mark, but five points from Billy and a layup by seniorÂ
Brooke McGee allowed the Skyhawks to reclaim an edge. SeniorÂ
Tayla Nez knocked down a corner three with 1:07 to go, and sophomoreÂ
Avery Evans ended the half in a 27-19 Fort Lewis lead.
The second half showed flashes of offensive prowess for both teams, including a pair of threes from seniorÂ
Alyssa Adams to bring the lead to 37-28. Adams State stuck around, though, and made it a three points game on a layup with 2:58 to go. The teams went blow for blow from there, and Misner sent the game to the fourth quarter with a made three in a 53-45 score.
The Fort Lewis lead remained intact under with 6:58 mark in the fourth when a steal resulted in a layup for a 56-56 tie. The Grizzlies added six more thanks to chances from the charity stripe as the score flipped in favor of the visitors, 62-56. Sorenson ended the run with a layup, and the teams traded points heading into the final two minutes of play. Sorenson continued to go to work on the hardwood, dropping in two free throws and a three-pointer to pull her team within three. Despite the grit, free throws ended the game in a 76-71 final.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs. FLC (Dec. 4, 2021)
Black Hills State women's basketball took on Fort Lewis College in the Donald E Young Center Saturday afternoon defeating the Skyhawks 66-38.
The Yellow Jackets move to 4-4 on the season and 2-0 in conference play with their victory over Fort Lewis College.
The Skyhawks and Yellow Jackets stayed evenly matched through the second quarter of play with Fort Lewis tallying 11 points and BHSU tallying 14. Neither team garnered an edge throughout the second quarter, but the Yellow Jackets would carry a small lead into the break 29-24 over the Skyhawks.
The third quarter made all the difference for the Yellow Jacket offense as they would tally 24 points throughout the quarter. As the offense heated up the defense stood strong holding the Skyhawks to five points. The Yellow Jackets shot 56.3% from the field in the third quarter compared to 8.3% by the Skyhawks. Sharp shooting would give BHSU a 24-point lead at 53-29 to end the quarter.
The fourth quarter brought a cool down for the Yellow Jackets offense, but the defense stayed hot holding FLC to nine points in the quarter. The Yellow Jackets would tally 13 more points in route to their 66-38 victory.
As a team the Yellow Jackets had a 45.1 shooting percentage making 23 of 51 shots from the field. From beyond the arc BHSU shot 53.8% making 14 of 26 shots from beyond the arc.
At the charity stripe the Yellow Jackets made 6 of 12 shots for a 50.0% shooting percentage.
COACHES
In his 21st season as head coach of the Yellow Jackets,
Mark Nore is the winningest coach in BHSU Athletics history for the women's basketball program with an overall record of 366-227.
Lynn Plett is in his seventh season as head coach of the Mountain Lions. He guided UCCS to their first RMAC championship title in program history and their third NCAA Tournament appearance, all in his first season in 2016-17. This season is Plett's 25th season as a head coach (294-337).
Molly Marrin enters her eighth season as the head women's basketball coach at Regis University in 2022-23. Marrin officially began her duties on April 20, 2015 and holds a 105-87 record coming into the season.
Entering his second season at the helm of the Skyhawks, Taylor Harris arrived to Durango from Miles Community College, where he guided the 2020-21Pioneers to a Region XIII Championship, a 24-2 overall record, and a Sweet 16 appearance at the NJCAA DI National Championship Tournament.
-BHSUAthletics.com-
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