CANYON, Texas – The Rachel Erickson era of Black Hills State women's basketball started off with a thriller, as a driving layup at the buzzer by Kalla Bertram gave Black Hills State the season opening 57-55 win over West Texas A&M on Friday afternoon in the First United Bank Center. After a slow start by both teams the Yellow Jackets eventually took control midway through the opening period and would lead for nearly 30 minutes of the contest, and the defense held strong when they needed most as they held the Lady Buffs scoreless the final two and half minutes to secure their third consecutive season opening victory.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 57, West Texas A&M 55
Team Records: Black Hills State 1-0, West Texas A&M 0-1
Attendance: 933
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a slow start to the season for both Black Hills State and West Texas A&M as the only points in the first four minutes of action were a fast break jumper from the free throw line for Bradie Schlabs and a free throw by Kalla Bertram. WT was finally able to crack the seal on the basket with 5:51 left in the first quarter as Kyla Kane connected on a contested jumper in the paint to make it a 3-2 game. Haylee Weathersby and Kalla Bertram, however, started to go to work midway through the quarter as they combined for all ten points in a 10-2 scoring run to extend the Yellow Jacket lead to 13-4 with just under two minutes to play in the opening period. The Lady Buffs were able to close out the quarter with some momentum as they scored the final three points, including a driving left handed layup by Randi Harding as time expired to cut BHSU's lead to 13-7.
• The game evened out and started to become a back-and-forth affair in the opening stages of the second quarter, which included the first 3-pointer of the game for either team as with 9:09 left till halftime Bertram knocked down a jumper from the left wing off a dribble handoff from Schlabs, extending the lead back to seven at 16-9. Midway through the period West Texas A&M saw their offense start to click as they strung together a 9-2 scoring run, capped by a 3-pointer by Grace Alvarez from the right wing to give WT their first lead of the contest (23-22) with 3:05 left in the first half. The lead traded hands three more times in the closing minutes, but a pair of free throws by Morgan Hammerbeck and a left corner 3-pointer by Audrey Norville off a pass out of the double team by Hammerbeck gave BHSU a four point lead (29-25) once again with 1:06 left on the clock. A last second step-back 3-pointer from the top of the key by Kane cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 29-28 at the half.
• It was another scoreless first couple of minutes to begin the second half, as it wasn't until 8:07 left in the third quarter that Weathersby scored the first points on a catch and shoot jumper from just below the free throw line off a pass from Bertram. West Texas A&M, however, quickly responded and strung together another scoring run as this time they scored seven unanswered to take their largest lead of the game at four points (35-31) as the teams entered the under five media timeout with 4:38 on the clock in the third period. Out of the huddle a pair of free throws by Weathersby sparked a 14-4 scoring run to end the frame with a 45-39 advantage, which was capped by Schlabs going coast-to-coast and finishing a right handed layup at the buzzer after a hesitation move to get past a defender at the elbow.
• The momentum continued into the fourth quarter as Schlabs ended the opening possession with a driving right handed layup after taking a screen by Weathersby, giving Black Hills State their largest second half lead (47-39) with 9:41 left in the game. A quick 7-0 run by West Texas A&M brought the Lady Buffs back within striking distance once again as they drew within a point (47-46) with 7:27 remaining on the clock. The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch, trading the lead four times in the final four minutes, but BHSU anchored down on defense as they held WT scoreless the final two and a half minutes of action to set up their offense. Trailing by two, Bertram dribbled across the lane and finished with a right handed layup to draw the teams even with 1:34 left in the game. A few possessions later a shot clock violation for Black Hills State gave West Texas A&M the opportunity to hold for the last shot, however Harding dribbled the ball off her knee with 8.7 second left to give the Yellow Jackets one last chance. A timeout moved the ball into the front court allowing BHSU to draw up the final play, where Bertram received a pass from Hammerbeck at the top of the key with three seconds left then drove down the right side of the lane and finished over the outstretched hands of Harding for the buzzer beating layup and season opening win.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Haylee Weathersby: 18 points, 7-13 field goals, 4-4 free throws, 5 rebounds
Kalla Bertram: 16 points, 7-11 field goals, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Bradie Schlabs: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will round out their trip to the Lone Star State with another challenging match-up against perennial NCAA Division II contenders, Lubbock Christian, on Sunday, November 3. The Yellow Jackets and the Lady Chaparrals are set to tip-off at 10 a.m. MST / 11 a.m. CST in the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas.
  Read Full Article