Paxton Ritchey-CSC Sports Information
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Down by 12 with seven-and-a-half minutes to play, Chadron State women’s basketball mounted a valiant comeback to take the lead for an instant, but South Dakota Mines answered and clinched a 65-64 home victory over the Eagles Tuesday evening in Rapid City.
Chadron State’s Kyra Tanabe, who led the Eagles with 16 points, converted a layup with 13 seconds to go to put Chadron State up 64-63 for its first lead of the game since 1-0. But the Hardrockers’ Savea Mansfield, who led all scorers with 21, scored at the other end to put the home team back up by one and Tanabe’s layup attempt as time expired missed.
The Eagles drop to 3-14 overall and 2-9 in the RMAC with the narrow defeat. With the win, South Dakota Mines moves to 5-13 and 5-6 in conference play. The Eagles and Hardrockers have now split the regular season series, with each team winning at home.
Ashayla Powers finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals while Kylie Krise added 10 points, including a 6-for-6 night from the free throw line, to give CSC three players in double figures.
The Eagles shot 37.5 percent from the field and 25 percent (5-20) from three. They remained strong free throw shooters, making 17 of 21 attempts from the stripe.
South Dakota Mines had a better shooting night, finishing 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range. Chadron State edged out the Hardrockers in rebounds (33-32) and turnovers (14 to SDM’s 15).
The Hardrockers closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 20-12 lead, led by eight points at halftime (33-25), and were up by 13 at the end of the third quarter (52-39). The Eagles owned the fourth quarter, however, outscoring the Hardrockers 25-13 in the final period to come all the way back from that deficit.
It happened with Tanabe getting hot, as the redshirt junior scored 14 points in the final frame. After an old-fashioned three-point play by Camren Morris where the junior hit a layup plus a free throw, Tanabe buried back-to-back three-point shots, a sudden 9-0 run that pulled the Eagles within three at 56-53.
Two Powers free throws made the run 11-0 and got the Eagles within one, and the teams traded baskets after that, with the Hardrockers going up by three on three successive trips down the floor. Each time, the Eagles answered, and Powers was fouled on a putback and hit the free throw to tie the score at 62-62 with 1:49 left.
The Hardrockers were fouled next possession and went 1-for-2 from the line to take a one-point lead. The two teams traded stops before Tanabe’s driving layup gave the Eagles their first lead in 39 minutes and the Hardrockers responded with the game-winning bucket.
Chadron State returns home to the Chicoine Center, taking on Black Hills State at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening. The Yellow Jackets are 11-6 overall and 7-3 in the RMAC.