DENVER, Colo. – The Black Hills State University women's basketball team (14-6, 11-5 RMAC) completes the weekend sweep in the Denver metro area with a 71-60 road win against the MSU Denver Roadrunners (6-15, 5-11 RMAC), as the Yellow Jackets complete the season sweep of the Roadrunners and remains in the top half of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) standings.
 
The game started with both offenses with strong drives to the basket as the first four points between the two teams all came from the free throw line. The first field goal came nearly four minutes in by the Roadrunners as it was the defenses that came to play early. At the midway point of the opening quarter, it was the Roadrunners with the 4-3 lead as the two sides combined for 1-for-10 shooting early. Alessia Capley (Gr., Arvada, Colo.) scored the first bucket for the Yellow Jackets, stopping a 7-1 Roadrunner run. Kalla Bertram (Jr., Colome, S.D.) would drain back-to-back 3-pointers for BHSU, retaking the lad at 13-11 with just over a minute left in the quarter. As the quarter drew to an end, Black Hills State would hold a slim 13-12 advantage.
 
Bertram continued with the hot hand in the second quarter, hitting her third trey of the game to extend the BH lead up to 18-12. The defensive intensity carried over from last night as the Jacket defense continued to force shot clock violations, picking up a pair in the first two quarters. Going back and forth, the Yellow Jackets would lead by as many as seven points and would hold a five-point, 22-17, lead at the media time out. MSU Denver would pull back to within a bucket, but a pair of free throws from Ellie Moore (Gr., Phoenix, Ariz.) would make it 26-22 with two and a half minutes left to play in the half. Morgan Hammerbeck (Sr., Hamill, S.D.) would be just the second Jacket to attempt a three on the afternoon, hitting from the top of the key to make it 29-24. A Bertram three right before the half after a MSU Denver pass was intercepted at mid-court would give the Yellow Jackets a 34-28 lead at the break.
 
At the break, Bertram would lead all scorers with her 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting from deep, while also grabbing a game-high five rebounds. As a team, Black Hills State hit five 3-pointers in the half, connecting on their first four attempts. BHSU also shot 9-for-10 from the charity strike in the half, helping to aid in their eight-point halftime lead.
 
Black Hills State would open their first double-digit lead within the first three minutes of the second half, leading 38-28. Haylee Weathersby (Jr., Glendale, Ariz.) would tally three-straight points for the Jackets as BH continued to push the advantage. MSU Denver kept hanging around during a scoring lull for BHSU, but, again, the defense sparked offense for the Jackets to create separation. Weathersby continued to be an offensive threat in the third with her five points in the frame. A deep ball from Jaylen Ostenson (Fr., Newcastle, Wyo.) and a fastbreak lay-up from Gracie Haneborg (Jr., North Platte, Neb.) opened a 54-39 BH lead, as the Roadrunners called time out. At the end of the quarter, BHSU led 56-42.
 
Heading to the fourth, BHSU held a 56-42 lead over the Roadrunners. Neither team put points on the board in the first three minutes of the quarter and it was the Roadrunners nailing a corner three for the first points of the frame. MSU Denver cut it to a 10-point deficit at the media break and they continued to use the momentum created to bring it down to seven points, before Haneborg converted on an and-one opportunity. The Roadrunners would utilize the deep ball in the frame and aggressive drives to the bucket, using the newfound confidence to pull within four points, 61-57 with a little under four minutes to play. The Yellow Jackets would lead by nine with a minute remaining and go on to secure the 71-60 win to complete the weekend sweep in the Denver metro area.
 
GAME NOTES

• BHSU shot 46.0% from the floor and improves 6-0 when they shoot better than 45%.
• The Yellow Jackets were red hot from deep, shooting 57,1% from behind the arc (8-for-14).
• Kalla Bertram led the team with her 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting (5-for-7 from deep).
• With her 11 points, Morgan Hammerbeck has notched her seventh double-digit scoring game of the season and doing so in back-to-back games.
• Ellie Moore brought down a team-high nine rebounds as BH held a +15-rebounding margin (39-24).
• She also had a team-high three steals and was the third Jacket in double digits with 10 points.
• Bertram also dished out a game-high four assists along with her eight rebounds.
• BHSU picks up their ninth game this season with double-digit steals, having 11 in the win tonight.
• BH picks up their 11^th RMAC win of the season and stays in the hunt for a hosting spot in the RMAC Quarterfinals.
• The win marks just the third win against the Roadrunners in Denver (3-10) and makes it two-straight.
• The Jackets complete the season sweep of MSU Denver and improves the all-time record to 16-11 (MSUD leads).

Up Next: Black Hills State returns home for the second clash with the Mountain Lions of UCCS (15-7, 12-4 RMAC) on Friday, February 16 from A2 Arena at 5:00 p.m.