LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN – The Dickinson State women's basketball team split a pair of North Star games against Waldorf University and Viterbo University this weekend. The Blue Hawks defeated the Warriors, 84-65, on Friday night before falling to Viterbo, 73-64, on Saturday afternoon. With the split, the Blue Hawks slide to 4-18 overall and 2-2 in North Star action.
Game One: Dickinson State University – 84, Waldorf University 65
Over the first ten minutes of play, the Blue Hawks took an early seven-point lead as they outscored the Warriors 20-13 in the first quarter. With 3:33 left in the second quarter, Heather LaBree connected from range to start the 9-0 run. Senior Courtney Olson would follow by making back-to-back trips to the foul line for another four points, while teammate Ashlie Watts added two points to her stat line after a last second lay-up to give the Blue Hawks a 12-point advantage – heading into the locker room.
DSU continued their offensive streak as they continued to outscore the Warriors in the final two quarters to give them the commanding 84-65 conference win.
From the Box Score –
Senior Courtney Olson continued to prove why she is one of the best players in the North Star conference as the Mandan native poured in season-high 29 points – with 11 of them coming from the foul line. The forward is currently ranked second in the nation in made-free throws (139) and moves into 17th in points (343). Teammate Kailyn Groves added 16 points of her own, while McKenzie Johnson and Heather LaBree added 12 and ten, respectively. From the glass, Ashlie Watts grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, followed by Olson and LaBree with five each. Olson also led the team in assists with five.
As a team, the Blue Hawks shot 46.4 from the field, 23.5 from the foul-line, and 94.1 from the foul-line. DSU added 31 rebounds, four blocks, seven steals and 23 assists in the win.
Game Two: Dickinson State University 64, Viterbo University 73
Viterbo wasted no time in gathering a lead during the first couple of minutes in the first quarter. After a made-free throw by Courtney Olson to give the Blue Hawks a slight one-point advantage, the V-Hawks went on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes to give them the early nine-point lead. Both teams traded buckets in the first three minutes – with the V-Hawks edging out the Blue Hawks 21-14 after one quarter of play.
After a big second quarter by the Blue Hawks, outscoring Viterbo 18-15, they cut VU's lead down to four after the first half of action. However, Viterbo came out hot in the opening four minutes of the third quarter – outscoring the Blue Hawks 13-0 – to extend their lead to 17. However, the Blue Hawks continued to fight back in the following quarter by cutting the V-Hawk lead down to four after back-to-back buckets by Courtney Olson and Heather LaBree with 49 seconds left in the game. Unable to stop the V-Hawks, the Blue Hawks came up short in the come-from-behind fourth quarter and fell 73-64 in the game.
From the Box Score –
Senior Courtney Olson continued to lead the Blue Hawks in scoring with 19 points. Kailyn Groves earned her first double-double of the season as she knocked down 13 points and grabbed a season-high 13 boards in the loss. Groves added a team-high three assists, while three Blue Hawks led the team in steals with two from McKenzie Johnson, Olson and Groves.
As a team, the Blue Hawks shot 30.3 from the floor, 24.1 from beyond the arc and 77.3 from the line. DSU added 42 boards, two blocks, seven steals and 13 assists in the loss.
