Women's Basketball Takes Down #16 Dakota Wesleyan
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dakota Wesleyan (SD) (2-2, 0-1) | 18 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 76 |
|
Hastings (3-2, 1-0) | 22 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 80 |
(Hastings, NE) – With over a week off since their last game, Hastings picked up a statement win to start off the conference season, knocking off #16 Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday, 80-76.
With Dakota Wesleyan leading 9-6, senior Mariyah Avila assisted junior Bailey Kissinger for a bucket, then after a turnover, Avila found Marx inside for two four minutes into the quarter. From there, the Tigers went on a 9-3 run. With just over a minute left in the quarter and down 18-12, Hastings picked it up defensively with their defensive pressure. A steal by Bose turned into a Kissinger and-one layup. Senior Macy Bryant, Bose, and Avila all got steals on the next three possessions, each resulting in points, as Hastings used that to go up 22-18 after one.
Dakota Wesleyan settled down in the second and pulled ahead, 32-26 with 5:18 left in the quarter. Bose made a free throw and Kissinger cleaned up her second attempt at the line and scored to make it 32-29. With the Tigers ahead 34-31, they managed to go up 38-31 shortly after. Hastings went on a 7-0 run, capped by a three from sophomore McKenna Yates to tie it at 38 with 55 seconds left. Dakota Wesleyan went into the half with a 41-39 lead on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Avila tied the game at 41 to start the second after a steal on the opening defensive possession, and Bryant gave the Broncos the lead with a jumper. Leading 51-49, sophomore Stella Heapy drained a three. Yates converted a three-point play shortly after to put Hastings up 57-50 with 2:37 left in the third. Heapy closed out Hastings' scoring in the third with another three, as Hastings held a 60-56 lead.
The Tigers briefly recaptured the lead with 8:29 left in the game, then Bose knocked down a three and made two baskets inside the arc to go up six with 6:37 left. Dakota Wesleyan scored seven unanswered points to retake the lead at 69-68. Yates later tied the game at 71 with 3:29 left, then baskets from Bose and Avila forced a Tiger timeout with 1:25 left. Yates got a steal and made two free throws following a foul to go up 77-71.
With 32 seconds left, the Tigers hit a three and forced a turnover on a trap next halfcourt. They turned that into two points on a transition basket, cutting the Hastings lead to one a 77-76. Bose made two at the line and after an open three-point look for Dakota Wesleyan that did not fall, sophomore Jentri Marx secured the rebound and iced the game with a banked-in free throw, as Hastings won it, 80-76.
Hastings forced 26 turnovers in the game, turning them into 24 points. They also had success getting to the line, knocking down 18 of 23 free throws. Yates finished with 18 points, five steals, and three assists. Kissinger had 18 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Bose tied for the team-high in rebounds with six, along with 15 points, and three assists.
Up next, Hastings will play at Doane on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 6pm.
