Black Hills State women's basketball (8-2, 3-1 RMAC) hosts their final home contest of 2022 on Friday, Dec 16 against the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls (8-2, 2-2 RMAC). Over the last weekend, BHSU split their Friday and Saturday conference matchups with a Friday night win over MSU Denver (W, 74-56) before falling to the No. 12 ranked Colorado School of Mines on Saturday evening (L, 75, 47).
The ladies still hold a top-two spot in the conference but are now tied with Adams State University for the second seed as the Grizzlies finished the weekend with a win and a loss as well. The Yellow Jackets are also looking to finish off their 2022 home slate with a 6-1 record on Friday night against the Cowgirls.
BHSU's offense ranks sixth in the conference as the Yellow Jackets are averaging 66.5 points per contest, led by senior guard
Danica Kocer. Kocer currently leads the team as she scores an average of 14.6 points per game. Her 146 points on the season also rank her fifth in the conference in scoring so far this season.
As a defense, BHSU ranks in the top three in the RMAC as they have only allowed 57.8 points per game so far this season.
Friday vs. New Mexico Highlands
New Mexico Highlands (8-2, 2-2 RMAC) heads to Spearfish after a split weekend of home games. They won their first contest of the weekend against Fort Lewis in a 78-56 final score that was dominated by a 24-point first quarter. Graduate student Rachael Niles held a remarkable stat line against the Skyhawks after dropping 24 points to lead the Cowgirls to the Friday night victory. She shot 8-13 which included a 6-9 mark from beyond the arc and topped off with a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
The Cowgirls are looking to bounce back on their tour in South Dakota after a tough loss on Saturday, Dec. 10 to Adams State at home, 74-63.
Coaches
In his 21st season as head coach of the Yellow Jackets,
Mark Nore is the winningest coach in BHSU Athletics history for the women's basketball program with an overall record of 357-223.
In his third season at the helm for the Cowgirls, Garrett Sherman brings a diversity of college coaching experience from NCAA Division 1 to Junior College. As the assistant women's basketball coach at NCAA Division I University of Maine, he helped the Black Bears earn the American East Conference Regular season and Tournament Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament that season.
A FRIDAY BHSU WIN WOULD...
See the ladies improve to 9-2 on the season and maintain the Yellow Jacket's current standing as the second seed in the RMAC. They are currently tied with Adams State, who are also 3-1 in the conference and are 7-3 on the season.
A FRIDAY BHSU LOSS WOULD...
See the ladies fall to 8-3 on the season and, depending on the results of Adams State at Colorado Mesa on Saturday, they could fall out of the top three in the conference.
Matchup History
The BHSU women's program holds a 12-0 record against the Cowgirls, with the last contest between both teams taking place earlier this year. In the last matchup, BHSU came out on top 74-55 after an explosive first quarter that saw a 22-8 Yellow Jacket lead.
-BHSUAthletics.com-
