RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Black Hills State University women's basketball team opened the 2024 East/West Challenge with a loss to Northern State by a score of 72-60 on Friday night in the King Center. The Yellow Jackets started quick in the contest with an 8-0 run, however the Wolves battled back after a slow start offensively in the period and went on to lead by as many as 18 points in the match-up.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 60, Northern State 72
Team Records: Black Hills State 2-2, Northern State 1-2
Attendance: 150
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Black Hills State jumped out to a quick start in the contest as they made four of their first six shots as the sequence was capped by a steal and layup by Bradie Schlabs as she took the ball directly down the center of the court and laid it in with the right hand for an 8-0 advantage with 6:46 left in the first quarter. The Yellow Jacket defense would continue to hold Northern State scoreless until 5:57 remained on the clock when Michaela Jewett knocked down a pair of free throws, additionally BHSU wouldn't surrender a field goal to the Wolves until 4:28 mark of the opening period on a right handed layup by Deconte Smith following a steal, sparking a 10-4 run for NSU to trim the Black Hills State lead to 14-12 after the first quarter of action.
• Black Hills State was quick out of the gates once again as they scored the first points of the second quarter as Kalla Bertram found Haley Weathersby in the paint, who then converted a turnaround layup to make it a 16-12 contest just 15 seconds into the period. The Yellow Jackets maintained the lead up until a left baseline jumper by Madelyn Bragg with 5:31 remaining in the first half, which was a part of a 13-0 scoring run for NSU as they took a ten point advantage (30-20) with 2:34 left till the break. The final points of the half came on a right wing 3-pointer from Bertam, BHSU's first of the contest, off a cross court pass from Gracie Haneborg, trimming the deficit to 35-25 at the half.
• Black Hills State posted another quick start to the third quarter as a layup by Schlabs and a 3-pointer by Morgan Hammerbeck off an assist from Haneborg cut the deficit to five (35-30) just four seconds into the period. The start of the quarter capped an 8-0 scoring run for the Yellow Jackets as Northern State had a 13-2 response, which gave the Wolves a 16 point lead (48-32) with 4:44 remaining on the clock. The margin reached 17 points (52-35) with 2:01 left in the third as Izzy Moore tacked on a right handed, driving layup off a pass from Alayna Benike, before Kalla Bertram cashed in on a pair of free throws to end the scoring in the quarter with just 25 seconds remaining.
• Black Hills State's first four points of the fourth quarter all came by way of Weathersby, but Northern State grew their lead to as many as 18 points (59-41), the largest lead of the game with 7:12 left in the game as Smith notched a pair of second chance points on a layup following her own offensive rebound. Highlighting a 19-8 scoring run for the Yellow Jackets was a pair of 3-pointers by Cami Curtis as she held BHSU trim the deficit back down to single digits, 67-60 with just 1:15 remaining in the match-up. Seven points would be as close as Black Hills State got in the closing minutes, as the Wolves scored the final five points to make the final score 72-60.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Bradie Schlabs: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Haylee Weathersby: 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Morgan Hammerbeck: 8 points, 3 rebounds
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State concludes the 2024 East/West Challenge with a 4 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, November 16, against Sioux Falls in the King Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.
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