Collins, Feddersen, lead women to 1st RMAC win

After losing to Colorado School of Mines (5-5, 1-0 RMAC) Friday night, the Chadron State women’s basketball team picked up its first win this season Saturday against Colorado Christian University (2-5, 0-2 RMAC) to improve to 1-4 overall (1-1 RMAC).
“Our first win helped us learn a lot about what we are capable of doing this year,” Havannah Newens, senior of Mitchell, said. “This is going to translate into more wins for us.”
The Orediggers of Colorado School of Mines managed to shoot 44 percent from the field Friday en route to beating the Eagles 81-63. Despite being down by two at the end of the first quarter and down by seven with 7:48 to go in the second quarter, the Orediggers answered with a 22-5 run to take a 10-point lead into halftime.
Emily Bailey, redshirt sophomore of The Dalles, Oregon, shot 8-10 from the field in the first half against the Eagles for 20 of her game high 22 points.
Adding onto their second quarter run, the Orediggers came out hot to start the second half, outscoring the Eagle’s 22-6 in the third quarter to take a 26-point lead.
The Eagles managed to outscore the Orediggers by eight in the fourth quarter, but were unable to overcome the 26-point deficit.
Erin Graham, senior of DeLand, Florida, led the Eagles with 15 points, while Kalli Feddersen, junior of Rawlins, Wyoming, and Kylah Collins, redshirt freshman of Waukegan, Illinois, followed closely with 13 and 11, respectively. Kendra Baucom, junior of Colorado Springs, Colorado, led the game in rebounds with 10.
For the Orediggers, four players scored double digits, led by Bailey’s 22 points. Cassidy Budge, sophomore of Colorado Springs, Colorado, scored 14; Elizabeth Tomin, junior of North Ogden, Utah, had 11; while Anna Kollmorgen, sophomore of Des Moines, Iowa, was one rebound away from a double double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Saturday night Head Women’s Basketball Coach Janet Raymer earned her first head coaching win as the Eagles beat the Cougars of Colorado Christian 69-64.
The Eagles shot 43.5 percent from the field, their best shooting percentage of the season, and had four players in double digits en route to their victory.
After Baucom hit a layup to take the lead 6-4 with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter. The Eagles managed to maintened the lead until the end of the period.
Despite owning a 15-point lead with 3:40 to go in the second quarter, the Eagle’s entered halftime with a six-point lead.
For the fifth time in five games, the Eagles were outscored in the third quarter, this time 18-13 by the Cougars, pushing them to a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Feddersen then managed to take over the game for the Eagles, scoring 12 of the teams 19 points in the quarter, to seal the five-point victory for the Eagles.
Feddersen led the Eagles with 15 points, followed by Collins with 13 and both Graham and Newens with 11. Collins fell one rebound short of a double double with nine.
Alex Nelson, redshirt junior of La Vista, led the Cougars with a game-high 18 points, while Kaitlyn Hinch, junior of Spearfish, South Dakota, and Leisha Crawford, redshirt senior of Spring Valley, Ohio, scored 12 and 10, respectively.
“This last weekend was a really good learning experience for us,” Newens said. “The game Saturday was a tough battle for both teams and we were able to stay together and ultimately get a win.”
The Eagles return home this weekend playing the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions, Friday, and the Metro State-Denver Road Runners, Saturday. Both games tip off at 5:30 p.m.