March 12, 2022

Photos credit by Karen Giles

BILLINGS, Mont. – Host-school Rocky Mountain (Mont.) used a 30-16 fourth-quarter surge Saturday evening to break up a closely-tight contest, earning an 89-73 victory over Dakota State (S.D.) in the Duer Quadrant of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament's Opening Round 'championship game.  The Bears ended the Trojans' postseason run and their bid to return to the Tyson Events Center.  The setback also ended DSU's 11-game winning streak, tied for the second longest streak in school history with the 1980-81 and 1983-84 squads.

Dakota State, No. 10 seed in the Duer Quadrant, finished another astounding season, finishing with an overall record of 27-8 overall record and a No. 24 national ranking.  The Trojans tied the school record for most wins in a single season (2021 with 27-4 overall record).  The Bears, No. 2 seed in the quadrant and No. 10 ranking in the national poll, raised their overall record to 28-4 and advanced to the Round of 16 at the final site of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 17-22.

Dakota State established a single-season school record of 83.3 points per game, breaking the previous record of 81.7 points per game set by the 1983-84 squad.  The Trojans also broke the new single-season team record of 2,916 points set by the 2020-21 team.

(2 seed) Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 89, (10 seed) Dakota State (S.D.) 73 – FINAL

• Rocky Mountain quickly opened the game with a 4-0 lead after a pair of jump shots by N'Dea Flye and Mackenzie Dethman in the first 40 seconds.
• Elsie Aslesen drained a 3-ponter (assisted by Lexi Robson) as the Trojans cut RMC's lead to 4-3 with 9:10 on the clock in the first.
• Trailing 10-5, Aslesen added another 3-ponter followed by a pair of free-throws by Robson as DSU knotted the game at 10-10 with 4:12 to go in the first quarter.
• Shauna Bribiescas hit a 3-pointer near the end of the first quarter, grabbing a slim 23-20 lead for the Bears.
• Rocky Mountain was 10-of-21 from the field in the first quarter (47.6 percent) compared to Dakota State 6-of-15 field goals (40 percent). 
• DSU and RMC battled back and forth in the second period, with the lead no greater than four points. 
• Angela Slattery stole the ball and made a quick layup as the Trojans cut their deficit to 35-34 with 1:57 to go before halftime.
• The Bears outscored the Trojans 8-2 in the final 1:49 of the second period, ballooning their lead to 43-36.
• RMC shot 56.3 percent from the field (9-of-16 field goals) in the final ten minutes of the first half.  DSU was 8-of-20 field goals (40 percent).
• Dakota State sparked a 13-2 outburst to start the third quarter, capped by Shaylee DeBeer's 3-pointer (assisted by Morgan Huber) for a 49-45 lead with 5:47 on the clock.
• Rocky Mountain regained their lead at 52-51 after a layup by Dominique Stephens with 3:03 to go in the third.
• The Bears led 59-57 by the end of the third period, despite being outscored 21-16 by the Trojans.
• DSU shot 7-of-16 from the field (43.8 percent), while holding RMC to 6-of-16 field goals (37.5 percent) in the first ten minutes of the second half.
• Huber drained a 3-pointer (assisted by Robson) as the Trojans regained their lead at 62-61 with 8:07 remaining in the game.
• Rocky Mountain answered with a quick 5-0 run to earn a 66-62 led with 7:34 to go.
• Huber added another 3-pointer as the Trojans trailed 66-65 with 7:18 remaining.
• The Bears held the Trojans scoreless for four-plus minutes, igniting an 17-0 outburst, ending with a pair of free-throws by Kloie Thatcher for 83-65 lead with less than three minutes to go.
• Robson made a layup to end Trojans' scoring drought, trailing 83-67 with 2:53 to go.
• DSU could get no closer than 14 points after a pair of free-throws by Ashlyn Macdonald with less than 40 seconds remaining.
• Rocky Mountain shot 8-of-17 from the field (47.1 percent) and converted 9-of-10 free-throws in the final quarter.  Dakota State was held to 33.3 percent (6-of-18 field goals) and 2-of-2 free-throws.
• Jessi Giles led the Trojans with 18 points on her 7-of-13 field goals.  She racked up 603 points this season, breaking a 36-year-old single-season school record of total points held by Julie Fiegen with 597 points in 1985-86.
• DeBeer tallied 16 points off the bench on her 5-of-8 field goals for DSU.  She grabbed six rebounds.  Robson and Aslesen each scored 10 points.  Aslesen pulled down seven rebounds and recorded two blocks.
• Savannah Walsdorf scored seven points and earned six rebounds for the Trojans.  Huber had six points.  Courtney Menning and Robson each dished out three assists.  Giles, Walsdorf, and Aslesen each stole the ball twice.
• Flye registered a triple-double of 29 points (12-of-25 field goals), 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for Rocky Mountain.  She also had three steals.  Bribiescas added 25 points on her 9-of-14 field goals, including 7-of-10 3-pointers.  She had five rebounds and three steals.
• Thatcher scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Bears.  Mackenzie Dethman had eight points and five rebounds.
• Rocky Mountain shot 33-of-70 from the field (47.1 percent) compared to Dakota State 39.1 percent (27-of-69 field goals).  The Bears shot 11-of-29 from the 3-point arc (37.9 percent), while the Trojans were 10-of-32 3-pointers (31.3 percent).
• RMC hit 12-of-17 free-throws (70.6 percent).  DSU was 9-of-13 from the free-throw line (69.2 percent).
• The Bears outrebounded the Trojans 42-39.
• DSU outscored RMC 28-14 inside the paint and 26-10 in bench points. 
• There was a total of 10 lead changes and six ties in the game.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director