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Photo by Sai Thor
SMSU’s Tori Fink, right,
tries to dribble by the defense of
Dakota State’s Nicole Geraets,
middle, and Laura Tewes, left,
during their women’s college
basketball game at the
Hardees/Coca-Cola Classic Saturday
at the R/A Facility in Marshall.
Dakota State won, 93-71.
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MARSHALL — Despite shooting 54.9 percent,
Southwest Minnesota State lost in women’s
basketball Saturday night.
Bidding for their first 4-0 start since 1992,
the Mustangs (3-1) lost to Dakota State (S.D.),
which shot 56.7 percent and won, 93-71, in the
Hardee’s/Coca-Cola Classic.
SMSU coach Mike Jewett wasn’t surprised at the
explosiveness of the Lady Trojans (6-2), who are
ranked No. 9 in NAIA basketball.
“I watched them play Morningside at home,”
Jewett said. “It was 52-48 at halftime. I knew
going in that they were capable of putting a lot
of points on the scoreboard — more than we are
at this point.”
Dakota State was up 47-39 at halftime. The Lady
Trojans built an early 15-6 lead and watched as
the Mustangs rallied to within 17-13 eight
minutes into the action.
"I
was glad to see our shooting touch return,"
stated Dakota State Coach Jeff Dittman.
"In the last two games, we have had problems
knocking down shots at various times in the
games. Tonight, we had consistent shooting
throughout the game."
It was 19-16 as Laura VanOverbeke knocked down a
three-pointer, but then the Lady Trojans
outscored SMSU, 9-2, to assume a 28-18 lead
midway through the opening half.
Dakota State was led by Wabasso graduate Jessica
VanLoy, who tallied 13 points by halftime.
"Jess
had an outstanding game tonight," said
Dittman. "She always does a good job on
the boards and with her assists but I've seen a
renewed commitment to her defense this weekend
and her 22 points were crucial because a number
of them were key baskets. SMSU would
pressure us and have us on our heels and Jess
would make a backdoor cut or post-up or
penetrate and get a basket."
SMSU rallied a second time to get within 36-32
thanks to layups from Kady Telschow and Andrea
Fennern with 4:22 remaining.
That’s when VanLoy took over.
She stole a ball on defense and came down and
hit a three on offense, extending the Lady
Trojans’ lead to 43-32 with 3:18 to play.
“They made a run,” VanLoy said. “Our coach
called a timeout. We weren’t hitting our shots
and we were forcing our shots. He said we needed
to get back to playing the way we were earlier.”
In the first half, the Mustangs shot 16-for-27
(59.3 percent) and the Lady Trojans shot
18-for-32 (56.3 percent).
After building a good-sized halftime lead, the
Lady T's relied on
their defense in the second half.
“Definitely, there was no looking back from that
point,” VanLoy said.
“Another one of our concerns was their matchup
zone,” Jewett said. “It gave us fits. We didn’t
attack it very well. They disrupted everything
we tried to establish offensively.”
The Mustangs put together one serious rally
thanks to two hoops inside from Sara Leidall.
That cut the deficit to 55-46 three minutes into
the second half.
From there, the Lady T's
went on a 7-0 run with Laura Tewes getting two
layups and Nicole Geraets a three to widen the
gap to 62-46 with 14:12 left in the second half.
“We got back (on defense) and transitioned
better,” VanLoy said. “Our goal was to slow them
down.”
Midway through the second half, Alyssa Kirk, a
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton graduate, hit her second
3-pointer, staking Dakota State to a comfortable
76-58 lead.
The Lady T's kept
pushing the ball up the floor and applying
pressure to the SMSU defense.
“We have to get better on the defensive end,”
Jewett said. “We can’t give up 93 points at home
and expect to win many games.”
Both teams continued to shoot well, with SMSU
shooting 50 percent and Dakota State shooting
57.1 percent in the second half.
Jewett was pleased with the Mustangs’ shooting,
but he wasn’t happy with their defensive
performance.
“We need to show a greater commitment to
defense,” he said. “It’s all five players on the
floor understanding our philosophy. Everybody
has to understand what we are trying to do.”
The Mustangs put four players in double figures.
Heidi Kimmes scored 14 points, while Leidall had
11 and VanOverbeke and Telschow added 10.
SMSU was outrebounded, 32-28, with Kimmes and
VanOverbeke each grabbing five rebounds.
The Mustangs had a costly
20 turnovers
in the game with the Lady T's
scoring 27 points off those turnovers.
Dakota State was 7-for-12 from behind the arc
compared to SMSU’s 1-for-6 shooting on
3-pointers.
The Lady T's had four
players in double figures and enjoyed a 46-32
scoring edge in the second half.
For
their performances, Jess VanLoy and Laura Tewes
were named to the Hardee's/Coca Cola Classic
All-Tournament Team.
All-Tournament Team:
MVP – Laura Big Crow – Mayville State
Jessica VanLoy – Dakota State
Laura Tewes – Dakota State
Noelle Hall – Northern State
Jaclyn Arns – Northern State
