DICKINSON, N.D. – Bismarck State women's basketball hit the road on the evening of Black Friday for a Frontier Conference matchup at Dickinson State (N.D.), looking to build on the momentum of last week's strong performances. This marked their first trip to Dickinson and their first face-off against their closest conference opponent since both teams joined the Frontier, making it also the first varsity basketball game between the two schools.
The Mystics came out trading baskets with the Blue Hawks, keeping pace through much of the opening quarter behind efficient perimeter shooting and a fast offensive tempo. But the Blue Hawks' depth quickly became a factor. DSU powered their way to a 47-33 advantage at the break, getting 24 of their points off the bench, compared to three for the Mystics.
The middle of the third quarter proved the most challenging stretch for BSC as the Blue Hawks built their largest lead of 67-47 with 3:14 to go in the period.
But the Mystics refused to let the game slip away. What followed at the end of the third and into the fourth was BSC's largest comeback of the season. Stormer ignited the comeback, converting on an and-one opportunity in the closing seconds of the third.
Then, just over one minute into the fourth and down by 14, the Mystics went on run, scoring 15 unanswered points, capped off by a Piper Harris three to give BSC its first lead since the opening minutes, 78-77, with just under four minutes remaining.
DSU found their answer immediately. Kyrie Alldredge converted a three-point play to swing momentum back, and on the following possession, hit a dagger three to extend the lead to five. From there, the Blue Hawks closed the final minutes on a 16-7 run to hold off the Mystics' furious rally.
Stormer's season-high 34 points led all scorers as she finished 12-of-25 from the field and 4-of-10 from deep. Lawrence added 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while Martodam provided 11 off the bench. BSC shot 14-of-38 from three and outscored Dickinson State 27-20 in the fourth quarter.
Dickinson State countered with a balanced effort, highlighted by Shanrock's 21 points and Alldredge's 17. Makena Hauge scored 14 on a perfect 5-of-5 night, while Kaylin Garza added 12 points and nine rebounds. The Blue Hawks finished at 55.2 percent from the field and held a 45-34 rebounding edge, with their bench contributing 52 points, including their top three scorers.
With the loss, BSC moves to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in Frontier Conference play. Dickinson State improves to 3-4 and 1-2.
Up next for the women's team will be a weekend road trip to Montana to face a pair of ranked teams in (RV) Providence (Mont.) (5-2, 1-2) on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. CT, and (RV) MSU-Northern (4-2, 2-1) on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. CT. They'll round out the month of December with four additional road games, including Dec. 9 against Division-I North Dakota (1-7), before returning to the Armory to host Montana Tech on Friday, Jan. 2, at 5 p.m.
Check out the women's schedule for information on how to follow and watch the team during their upcoming games.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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