February 9, 2018

MAYVILLE, N.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) could not get advantage of their strong start Friday evening, falling to Mayville State (N.D.) in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Women's Basketball high-scoring affair at Lewy Lee Fieldhouse.  The Comets used a strong second-quarter offense outburst and held on to defeat the Lady T's by the score of 94-85.

Dakota State's three-game winning streak came to an end, falling to 11-17 overall record and 8-7 NSAA conference record.  Mayville State, receiving votes in the latest NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 national poll, lifted their overall record to 17-7 and 8-5 record in league play.

The Lady T's held the Comets scoreless for more than five minutes in the opening quarter, allowing DSU grab a 10-0 lead with 5:07 on the clock (Raven Patton scored six points during the span for DSU).  MSU missed its first eight shots of the game, ended their scoring drought with a basket by Naomi Torgerson with 4:53 on the clock (DSU led 12-2).    

Dakota State held an 18-12 lead by the end of the first quarter.  The Lady T's shot 47.1 percent from the field (8-of-17 field goals) and limited the Comets to 28.6 percent from the field (6-of-21 field goals).

Mayville State started the second period with a 13-4 run, earning their first lead of the game after a 3-point play by Andrea Skillingstand to give the Comets a 24-22 lead with 5:10 to go before intermission.  MSU went on to outscore DSU 27-13 in the final ten minutes of the first-half, earning a 39-31 halftime lead.

A 3-pointer by Lindsey Vogl helped the Lady T's trim the Comets' lead to 42-37 with 8:17 to go in the third quarter.  The Comets then went on a 20-10 scoring tear to earn the biggest lead of the game at 62-47 with 1:31 left in the third quarter.

MSU led DSU 66-53 by the end of the third quarter.

Dakota State kicked off the fourth quarter by going 3-of-3 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line as part of their 11-2 scoring run, trimming Mayville State's lead to 69-64 with less than eight minutes to go.

The Comets maintained control for the rest of the fourth quarter, regaining their 10-point lead three times.  The Lady T's could get no closer than five points at 84-79 after a pair of free-throws by Kennedy Wagner with less than two minutes remaining.

DSU outscored MSU 32-28 in a high-scoring fourth period.

Five Dakota State players scored in double figures, led by Jamie Tebben with 19 points off the bench.  She was 6-of-9 from the field and converted 6-of-8 free-throws.  Patton added 16 points (8-of-10 free-throws).  Britley Plautz posted a double-double of 15 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.  Vogl tallied 13 points.  Wagner scored 10 points.

Patton, Wagner and Tebben each collected seven rebounds for the Lady T's.  Tebben registered three blocks, while Plautz recorded two blocks. 

Wagner dished out four assists for DSU.   Plautz stole the ball two times.

MSU's Torgerson went 11-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line and converted 5-of-7 free-throws for a game-high 32 points.  Andi Gayner and Joelle Ertl each added 17 points.

Torgerson had seven rebounds for the Comets.  Skillingstand registered four blocks.  Gayner had three blocks, four assists and four steals.  Ertl produced four assists.

Mayville State shot 43.2 percent overall from the field (32-of-74) compared to Dakota State 36.2 percent (25-of-69).  The Comets were 9-of-28 from the 3-point arc (32.1 percent), while the Lady T's were 3-of-13 3-pointers (23.1 percent).

DSU went to the free-throw line 40 times, making 32 free-throws (80 percent).  MSU was 21-of-28 free-throws (75 percent).

The Lady T's had a plus-20 rebounds margin over the Comets (56-36).  DSU outscored MSU 18-10 in points off turnovers and 29- 15 in bench points.

Dakota State remains on the road next weekend, concluding their regular-season schedule with a pair of games in Nebraska.  The Lady T's make their first stop in Omaha, Neb. next Friday (Feb. 16) as they visit Grace (Neb.) in a non-conference game.  Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Jim Classen Gymnasium.

DSU concludes their regular-season schedule as they travel to Bellevue (Neb.) in a key North Star contest next Saturday (Feb. 17).  The game is set for 3 p.m. at Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director