Women's Basketball Upsets #17 Dakota Wesleyan, 79-70
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hastings | 17 | 26 | 24 | 12 | 79 |
|
Dakota Wesleyan (SD) | 18 | 16 | 12 | 24 | 70 |
(Mitchell, SD) – The women's basketball team went on the road to #17 Dakota Wesleyan and came up with a huge 79-70 win on Saturday.
The first quarter was very even as the score was kept within one possession for the whole opening period. The Tigers scored first at the three throw line, then sophomore Rachel Goodon scored inside and junior Mariyah Avila gave Hastings a 4-2 lead at the line.
Dakota Wesleyan later took a 12-10 lead on a three-pointer with five minutes left. A basket from freshman Jentri Marx and a three-pointer by fellow freshman Mikah O'Neill tied it back up at 15. The Tigers took a 18-15 lead on a three, then Avila beat the buzzer of the first half with a layup to cut the deficit to one.
The start of the second quarter belonged to Dakota Wesleyan, scoring five of the first seven points. Hastings responded with a run to their own, with baskets from senior Kiernan Paulk and Avila helping give the Broncos a 27-24 lead. Later in the half, Avila hit another three and Marx knocked down a jumper to go up 32-26 with four minutes left in the half.
Hastings continued to play well offensively including five quick points from junior Macy Bryant, eventually stretching the lead out to nine at 43-34 through the first 20 minutes.
Bryant scored twice to open the second half and a jumper from Goodon gave the Broncos an 11-point lead. Leading 49-40, Hastings went on a 15-6 run to close the quarter. Avila drilled a three to start the run, then freshman McKenna Yates responded to a Tiger jumper with a three-pointer. Free throws from Paulk extended the lead to 15 midway through the quarter.
Continuing the run, Marx finished strong inside, then a few minutes later, freshman Ann Bose hit from downtown to go up 20. Dakota Wesleyan managed to get within 16 near the end of the quarter, but two more from Paulk and a three-pointer from Yates put the lead back to 21 going to the fourth.
Hastings managed to keep the lead around the 20-point mark for about the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, but Dakota Wesleyan started to come back, racking up eight straight points in the next couple of minutes to get within 12 with just under five minutes left.
With Hastings holding a 73-63 lead with under four minutes left, Yates drilled a clutch three to extend the lead back to 13. That three turned out to be enough to halt the comeback attempt as the Broncos gave up just seven points in the final three minutes to hold on for the 79-70 win.
Avila led the way with 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Yates had 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Marx added eight points and nine rebounds off the bench. Bryant also added nine points and seven rebounds.
Up next, Hastings will host Doane on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6pm in Lynn Farrell Arena.
