by About South Dakota Mines: The Hardrockers closed last season with a 10-16 record but returns leading scorer in Megan Rohrer who had 9.7 points per game. South Dakota Mines averaged 58.7 points per game while giving up 66.5 points per game. They held a 37.5 percent shooting percentage while sitting at a -1.7 rebound and -3.2 turnover margin. In their only exhibition game, the Hardrockers fell 77-50 to South Dakota State.
Last Year: The Yellow Jackets split with South Dakota Mines last year, winning the first meeting 62-58 on Nov. 26 and falling in the second game 61-56 on Jan. 11. In the victory, BHSU placed three in double-digit scoring with Calli Bechtel and Cassidy Kotelman leading with 12 points apiece. Chelsey Biegler added 11 points. Bechtel completed the double-double with 10 rebounds.
What a win will do: A win will give the Yellow Jackets a win to start the season after failing to do so a year ago. During the 2012-13 season, the Yellow Jackets began the season with two-straight victories, an 82-60 triumph over Dickinson State and a 65-63 nail-biter against MSU-Billings.
General Notebook
Mark Nore, the winningest coach in Black Hills State women’s basketball history, begins his 13th year at the helm. Nore has accumulated 217 wins. He picked up his 200th career victory at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on February 23, 2013.
Chelsey Biegler (Cheyenne River Sioux) picked up her 1,000th career point during the Yellow Jackets RMAC Semifinal victory against Colorado State-Pueblo. Biegler enters the 2014-15 campaign with 1,027 points. She will be chasing the top-10 in career scoring this year with her first target being Darcy Reinicke who scored 1,172 points from 1999-2003.
Courtney Patterson is also in the 1,000-point club, albeit combined between Central Wyoming College and Black Hills State. Patterson scored 806 for the Rustlers and has added 238 points for the Yellow Jackets, totaling 1,044 post-secondary points.
Black Hills State enters the season with high expectations after finishing 15-14 overall and 13-11 in the RMAC. The Yellow Jackets were tabbed second in the RMAC Preseason Coach’s Poll. BHSU received two first-place votes after making a run into the RMAC Championship Game a season ago.
Chelsey Biegler was tabbed Preseason All-Conference after being named to the First Team All-RMAC the past two season. Biegler averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season.
