SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Black Hills State vaulted to an early 15-2 lead and never trailed, claiming a 66-58 win over Southern Oregon University on Wednesday in the final game of the first round of the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship at the Tyson Events Center-Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa.
Four players connected for double figure scoring for the Yellow Jackets (25-7 overall). Reserves Tiffany Thomas, Kristi Ryan and Keely Krolikowski chipped in 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Brittany Fuhrman netted 10 points.
Rhiannon Dickison led Southern Oregon (25-7) with 12 points. BHSU's defense limited the Raiders' leading scorer Jacki Speer to eight points.
Krolikowski came off the BHSU bench and tallied seven points, as the Lady Jackets held a 15-2 edge early on.
"Keely hit some big shots," said BHSU assistant coach Jordan Bauer. "This was one of her better games."
Krolikowski is a freshman from Martin.
"I was really proud of Kristi Ryan. Savannah Dederick gave us a boost," Bauer said. "Our reserves were big for us."
BHSU took a 31-21 halftime lead. Southern Oregon sank a frigid 16 percent of its shot attempts in the opening half.
The Lady Jackets took a 20-point lead in the second half, 49-29, only to watch the Raiders close the gap to nine points in the final minutes.
Black Hills State faces Kansas Wesleyan at 7:45 p.m. on Friday in the second round of the tourney.
