Lady T's Sprint Past Mary 66-62
By Dan Holsworth
Madison Daily Leader

Dakota State University's Lady T's staged a 34-27 second-half scoring run to overtake the University of Mary 66-62 in non-conference play Saturday at the DSU Fieldhouse.  Mary, now playing NCAA Div. II basketball, clung to a 35-32 halftime lead heading into the game's final 20 minutes before DSU sent their record to the 13-6 plateau.

"With five minutes to go, we were down 50-55," said DSU coach Jeff Dittman.  "After a time-out, Jill Hansen hit a quick three and that got us on a roll.  Another basket by Jessica VanLoy (DSU's leading scorer with 16 points) and a three by Angela Carr pushed the Lady T's into the lead for the first time since midway through the first half."

The Lady T's, now ranked 23rd in the latest NAIA national polls, got their first victory against the University of Mary in two years.  "This was an excellent win for us against a great opponent," stated Dittman.  "Two weeks ago, Mary beat the #1 team in the country (Indiana Wesleyan) by ten points.  This game should show our athletes that they can compete against anyone when the prepare well and are focused.  We had an excellent week of practice and it showed in our execution at both the offensive and defensive ends.  Plus, we have been working on attacking the boards again.  Tonight, we were able to get 19 offensive rebounds and that was a huge key to our success."

Jessica VanLoy powered DSU's balanced-scoring offense, leading four Lady T's into double-figure scoring with 16 points.   "This was probably Jess' best game as a collegiate basketball player," said Dittman.  "Not only was she attacking the basket and scoring but she pulled down 11 rebounds as well."   VanLoy's 8-for-16 field goal shooting helped the Lady T's to a 44-percent, 27-62 night shooting.

Jill Hansen added 14 points and Sara Nelson and Angela Carr each had 13.  Maria Gengler and Laura Tewes scored six and four points, respectively, rounding out the Lady T's scoring. 

Off the boards, DSU had a lopsided 43-23 rebound advantage over Mary.  VanLoy completed a double-double night with a team-high 11 rebounds.  Nelson and Tewes each had nine rebounds.    Angela Carr led the team in assists with four.

Mary, which shot 24-55 from the field, was led by Corrie Vellegas, who had 24 game-high points, and Andrea Ronderos, who came away with 21.  Ronderos also had four assists in the game.  Nicole Meier added six points for Mary.