Blue Hawks open season with victory
The Caleb Harrison era at Dickinson State was christened with a victory, though it wasn’t exactly a pretty one.By: Dustin Monke, The Dickinson Press
- Janae Moore
The Caleb Harrison era at Dickinson State was christened with a victory, though it wasn’t exactly a pretty one.
The Blue Hawk women’s basketball team had their ups and downs, but sophomore forward Janae Moore’s career highs of 17 points and 16 rebounds helped secure a 71-57 victory over the University of Manitoba on Friday night in their season opener at Scott Gymnasium.
“It’s good to get a win, but there’s still a lot of work to go before we get to where we want to get to,” said Harrison, DSU’s first-year head coach.
A game that started at breakneck speed early was eventually slowed by fouls — lots of them.
That didn’t bother the Blue Hawks though. They were 26 of 32 from the free-throw line.
Harrison and the Blue Hawks introduced a brand of fast-paced, yet defensive-minded basketball that helped them establish a lead early and hold onto it, though there were times when DSU looked very much like the shiny new team it is with an almost-even mix of returners and newcomers.
They played better in the first half than they did in the second, committed 20 fouls, made unforced errors and, at times, looked lost in transition on defense, allowing Manitoba some easy buckets.
Robyn Eyer had 15 points to lead Manitoba (1-6).
“When we’re in sync, our defense was in sync,” Harrison said.
Nonetheless, the Blue Hawks (1-0) always seemed to settle in and show signs of a team that will, at the very least, be entertaining — especially if they can hit their stride.
DSU junior guard Mariah Duran — who had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals — said coming away with a win should help the team a great deal.
“When you start with a win, it’s kind of like you get out your first-game jitters,” said Duran, a transfer from Northwest College (Wyo.). “You get all the nerves out, then we get to come back tomorrow, play the exact same team and correct the mistakes we did do tonight.”
The Blue Hawks don’t get much of a breather or a chance to examine the ebbs and flows of this game. They play Manitoba again at 5 p.m. today.
“We’ve got the next three hours to celebrate,” Moore said. “But when midnight hits, let’s forget about tonight’s game and think about tomorrow. Forget about the mistakes I made and focus on what I can do better in tomorrow’s game.”
Manitoba interim co-head coach Michele Hynes said she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s perfect,” Hynes said. “We have this every other weekend, so we have doubleheaders. We have to prep to make adjustments from one night to the next. It’s great simulation for us in that sense.”
Nine of the 10 Blue Hawks that saw the floor scored — all of them in the first half. Freshman center Jalyn Klauzer had 10 points off the bench in less than 8 minutes of playing time.
Moore and Duran were the catalysts though. Both went strong to the hoop numerous times for momentum-swinging baskets, helping DSU keep its 42-31 halftime lead in double figures for much of the second half.
“Janae, the thing that stands out to me is 16 rebounds,” Harrison said. “That’s phenomenal. She goes after the ball every time. She does that every day in practice. … Mariah played a lot of minutes, but she has a good motor to do that. I was really impressed with how she attacked.”
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA (1-6): Karina Patterson 0-3 2-2 2, Sheree Carmona 1-5 2-2 4, Stephanie Gill 3-14 4-5 10, Brittany Koop 4-7 0-1 9, Rebecca Potter 3-7 2-2 8, Robyn Eyer 4-13 3-4 15, Samantha Pyke 1-5 3-4 5, Krystal Drain 1-2 0-0 2, Madison Kinzel 0-2 0-0 0, Christiane Fischer 0-3 2-2 2.. Totals: 17-61 18-22 57.
DICKINSON STATE (1-0): Dawne Degel 2-6 1-2 6, Janae Moore 5-8 7-9 17, Jess Bygate 1-5 4-4 6, Yianna Nadeau 1-6 0-0 2, Mariah Duran 4-12 6-7 15, Jalyn Klauzer 4-6 2-2 10, Ashley Jelly 2-4 3-4 8, Lesina Manautu 2-3 1-2 5, Jenna Cabello 0-3 2-2 2, Lorna Shepherd 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 21-54 26-32 71.
Halftime: DSU 42-31. Total fouls: UM 22, DSU 20. Fouled out: UM, Carmona, Koop. 3-point goals: UM 5-16 (Eyer 4-9, Koop 1-2, Carmona 0-1, Kinzel 0-1), DSU 3-10 (Degel 1-2, Duran 1-5, Jelly 1-2, Nadeau 0-1). Rebounds: UM 29 (Potter 7), DSU 44 (Moore 16). Assists: UM 11 (Gill 3, Fischer 3), DSU 9 (Duran 5). Steals: UM 10 (Carmona 6), DSU 8 (Duran 3). Blocks: UM 2 (Fischer 2), DSU 2 (Degel 2). Turnovers: UM 23 (Koop 5, Fischer 5), DSU 23 (Moore 5).
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