RAPID
CITY - Barb Felderman and her
South Dakota School of Mines
Lady Hardrockers realized that a
24-point lead probably wasn't
going to be enough against the
Dakota State Lady T's.
Sure enough, Mines needed
almost every bit of the cushion
to withstand Dakota State's
44-29 second half surge and post
a 74-69 Dakota Athletic
Conference women's basketball
victory Friday night.
The Lady 'Rockers led 49-25
early in the second half, but
Dakota State steadily chipped
away at the deficit, drawing
within two, 66-64, on Jill
Hansen's basket with 2:17 left.
Tech came right back with
a putback by Jennie Malone and a
later basket by Bethany Holyoak
to keep Dakota State from
getting any closer.
The combination of 4-of-5
from the free-throw line, and
defensive stops on the other end
of the floor also quelled the
Dakota State rally down the
stretch.
"We knew they were going to make
a run," said Felderman of the
Lady T's, who had downed Mines
76-64 in Madison on Jan. 13. The
Lady Rockers rattled the Goodell
Gymnasium iron with 57 percent
shooting in the first half,
including
7-of-10 from 3-point range.
Bethany Holyoak and Jennie
Malone shared top scoring honors
with 10 each in the half.
Mines' defense also
harried Dakota State for 11
turnovers before intermission.
"We didn't play the type of
pressure defense that we
normally play, and consequently
when you give Tech open shots,
they hit them. That's why they
average 79 points a ball game.
They're a very good shooting
team," said Dakota State coach
Jeff Dittman.
Dakota State turned up the wick
in the second half. Jessica
VanLoy scored nine of her
team-leading 13 points after the
break, with Hansen totaling 12.
Angela Carr added 11 points, 10
in the second half.
"There's a lot of upperclassmen
on that team that have
experienced this stuff before,
and they work so well together,"
Felderman said.
"The first half Tech had
complete control of the game. We
were reacting to them all the
time. The second half, at least
for the last
eleven minutes, we had
Tech reacting to us," Dittman
said.
After shooting a chilly 29
percent in the first half, The
Lady T's warmed to 43 percent in
the second and enjoyed a 23-11
advantage on the boards.
"I was pleased that we came out
and battled the second half,"
Dittman said. "We did a lot
better job of getting after
people and pressuring
the ball and
the passing lanes."
Holyoak and Malone scored 18
points to lead Mines. Melanie
Vedvei added 11 points, and
dished out eight of Mines' 19
assists.
The Lady T's
(14-9,
7-3
DAC)
travel to
Spearfish for the second game of
the road trip and battle the
Yellow Jackets of Black Hills
State.
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