Box Score SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Cowgirls cut a 19-point deficit to four thanks to a 17-2 run, but they could not climb any closer as New Mexico Highlands University (7-8, 4-8 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fell to Black Hills State (10-4, 9-2 RMAC) Saturday night (Jan. 18) in Spearfish, S.D.
Facing a 70-51 deficit with 8:33 left in the game, the Cowgirls made the Yellow Jackets more than sweat with a 17-2 run. Senior
Alyssa Lopez ignited Highlands with a triple. Black Hills State immediately turned the ball over and Lopez found senior
TJ Manson for the jumper. Another Yellow Jacket turnover led to a Lopez three to force a Black Hills State timeout.
Out of the break, the home team split from the line. Manson got a jumper followed by an old three to cut the deficit to seven. Black Hills State split from the line, but senior
China Smith and junior
Jenny Johnson both hit jumpers to cut the game to four, the closest the game had been in more than a half of action. The Cowgirls could climb no closer as Black Hills State hit 7-10 from the charity stripe to close out the eight-point win.
The Yellow Jackets used a shooting edge beyond the arc to down the Cowgirls. Black Hills State was an efficient 3-5 (60 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half and 8-16 (50 percent) for the game, compared to 5-17 (29.4 percent) for the game for New Mexico Highlands.
Junior
Trish Simpson – who had not scored more than six points in a game this season coming into tonight
– led the Cowgirls with 17 points off the bench. Manson and Smith both added 12 while Johnson finished with 11 points and seven boards.
Smith also had seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist.
An 11-2 run in the first half pushed the Yellow Jackets lead to double-digits. Up 14-13, Chelsea Biegler hit a three followed by a jumper by Calli Bechtel off a Cowgirls miscue. A pair of free throws by Biegler was answered by a Smith jumper, but two from the line for Bechtel and a jumper by Taylor Trohkiminen pushed the lead to 25-15 with 10 minutes left in the first half. Highlands cut the deficit to three late in the half, but Black Hill State pushed it back to seven before intermission.
Trohkiminen led the Yellow Jackets with game-bests in both points (24) and rebounds (eight).
The New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team returns to action Tuesday night (Jan. 21) when it hosts Northern New Mexico for its final non-conference game. The Cowgirls defeated Northern New Mexico 69-47 on Nov. 12 of this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
