DICKINSON, N.D. – The Dickinson State women's basketball team secured a 66-45 win over conference foe, Presentation College, on Friday night. With the win, the Blue Hawks improve to 5-18 overall and 3-3 in North Star play, while the Saints fall to 4-13 on the year and 1-4 in conference action.
How it Happened –
A big second quarter propelled the Blue Hawks to their third North Star win of the season. Over the first quarter of play, DSU edged out the Saints, 15-13, to take an early two-point lead. Over the following ten minutes, DSU poured in 15 points, off the hands of Courtney Olson, Shali Sheridan, Ashlie Watts, Lilly Kelley and Heather LaBree, for the 13-point lead at halftime. The Blue Hawks held the Saints' offense to a low six-points in the second quarter, including ten turnovers and six steals.
The Blue Hawks never slowed down in the final two quarters of action as they poured in 18 and 16 points, respectively, to come away with the 66-45 win. The only time the Blue Hawks trailed in the game was during the first couple minutes of the first quarter. DSU also outscored the Saints in every quarter besides the fourth – which both teams scored 16 apiece.
From the Box Score –
Senior Courtney Olson continues to dominant opposing teams as the Mandan native poured in 23 points. Olson went 9-22 from the field and a perfect 5-5 from the line. The senior added eight rebounds and three assists to her night. The final Blue Hawk in double-figures was Lindsay Peterson with ten. Lilly Kelley tied Olson's team-high eight rebounds in the game, while adding a team-high three steals.
As a team, the Blue Hawks got things done on every end of the floor. DSU shot 35.7% from the field, 40.0% from range, and 90.9% from the foul-line. DSU grabbed 50 boards in the contest, while dishing out 19 assists and forcing 24 Saint turnovers.
From the Coach –
"I thought our team played really hard especially on the defensive end," stated DSU's head women's basketball coach Eric Nelson. "Holding a team to 45 points showed great effort and attention to detail on our part. We rebounded the ball really well too. Courtney had another good game offensively but we had multiple players step up and hit shots when we needed them to. We get to enjoy it for a bit but then we need to turn our focus to a really good Mayville State team."
