Reivers Split Trip North, Earn First Win of Season in North Dakota

DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA

Reivers Women's basketball went 1-1 at the Sleep Inn Classic at Lake Region State College on November 9 and 10. The Reivers fell on the tournament's opening night to the host Royals, 74-94, rebounding to defeat Dakota-Bottineau 92-71 the next morning, less than 24 hours later. 

The Reivers relied on their bench to set the pace with both starting guard Jaiden Morris and starting forward Britney Epperson out with minor injuries after The Reivers' season-opening weekend in Midland, Texas.  

A slow start to the opening game saw the Reivers score just 24 first-half points, shooting just 39% from the field.  A strong third quarter helped the Reivers make it a game, reducing the deficit late on a three-pointer by Hayley Berfield.  Turnovers would prove to be the Reivers Achilles heel, as the Royals outpaced the Reivers in the final quarter to secure the win.  Nyah Morris-Nelson hit 4-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 16 points to lead the attack for IWCC. 

With the opener in the rearview mirror, the Reivers set the alarm as a short turnaround had the team matched up with Dakota-Bottineau the next morning at 10:00.

The Reivers came out strong offensively to start the game, scoring 48 first-half points. The Reivers continued to battle their own offensive highs and lows but ended the game with a season-high 92 points, shooting 43% from the field and 70% from the line. The Reivers saw balanced scoring as all players that hit the court recorded at least one bucket and the team also notched a season-high 20 assists.  Freshman Hayley Berfield dished out 5 helpers, while freshman Briana Baker-Bruce added 4 more.  Sophomore Sommer Blakemore led the team in scoring with 15 points while fellow sophomore LaShawn Sweet poured in a season-high 12 points.

The Reivers hit the road for one more non-conference matchup with NIACC before returning home on Saturday against Cloud County.

Follow the Reiver Women on Twitter - @ReiverWBB