RAPID CITY, S.D.  The Mountaineers surrendered the opening basket to the host Hardrockers of South Dakota Mines on Thursday night, but eight consecutive points erased the deficit, and Western Colorado went on to score a 68-51 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball victory at SDM's King Center. 

JUST THE FACTS 
Final score: Western def. SD Mines, 68-51 
Records: Western 12-4 overall (7-2 RMAC), SD Mines 3-13 (3-6) 
Location: King Center, Rapid City, S.D. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• A layup from Rachel Cockman and a 3-pointer from Jayda Maves after a 'Rockers turnover gave Western a 5-2 lead at the 8:15 mark of the first quarter, and the Mountaineers never trailed again. 
• A layup from Morning Grace Spotted Bear cut the lead to just a point, Western, however, responded with an 11-2 run that pushed the lead into double digits, 19-8, before the 'Rockers used a last-second layup to bring their deficit to nine entering the second quarter. 
• The Mountaineer defense did not allow a basket from the floor over the opening five minutes of the second quarter, allowing just two free throws, while themselves posting another 11-2 run that upped the lead to 18 (30-12) before SDM could find a bucket from the floor. 
• Western wasn't able to shake free from the Hardrockers through the third period, as SDM closed to within 11 points on six different occasions during the quarter. But Schmidt led off the fourth with a running jumper after a defensive rebound by Cockman, and Jayde Tschritter hit a jumper soon after to elevate the advantage to 18 (62-44) in the opening minutes of the quarter. 
• The 'Rockers made one final push in the last five minutes, closing to within 13 points, but they went cold afterward, missing their final 10 shots while Schmidt and Tschritter layups in the final minute finally closed the door. 

COURT NOTES 

• Schmidt and SDM's Savea Mansfield shared the scoring lead on the night, each pouring in 18 points for their respective teams. 
• Tschritter, with 11 points, and Alyssa Eckroth's 10 put three Mountaineers in double figures during the win. 
• Western finished the night shooting 39 percent from the floor while SDM's late chill dropped its night to only 31%. 
• Both teams enjoyed success at the free throw line, the Mountaineers hitting 15-of-17 – led by Eckroth's perfect 8-for-8 night – and the Hardrockers were 8-of-10 from the stripe. 
• Western turned the ball over only eight times in the game, with SDM able to only capitalize on those for a total of three points. Conversely, the Mountaineers forced 15 turnovers and scored 17 points of those miscues. 
• The Mountaineers, who lead the RMAC in rebounding, were outrebounded, 45-37, for the first time since the fourth game of the season. However, Western won both games. 

UP NEXT 

• Western continues its South Dakota road trip for Saturday afternoon's RMAC game at Black Hills State, a Thursday night loser to visiting Colorado Mesa University. 
• The Mountaineers will be playing for first place in the RMAC at Black Hills State as Western, the Yellow Jackets, Colorado Mesa and Colorado State Pueblo are all tied atop the league standings at 7-2.