SPEARFISH, S.D. — A huge blocked shot by
Raynne Malik with two seconds remaining on the clock helped the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team exit Black Hills State with a win, 61-58, on Sunday afternoon.
Senior
Aina Maynou (Cabrera de Mar, Spain) hit a pair of free throws with six seconds on the clock to put the Rattlers (2-0) up three. Malik, a sophomore from London, Ontario, entered the game on the Yellow Jackets (1-1) timeout and blocked the three-point attempt, her fourth block of the game, to secure the road sweep.
Malik again narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She added two assists and four swats. Maynou led the team with 15 points, while sophomore
Christin Callens (Houston) scored 14, and junior
Andrea Montesinos (Valencia, Spain) chipped in 11 points and five assists with no turnovers. Junior
Allie Garcia (Adelaide, South Australia) also blocked three shots, as the Rattlers collected seven on the afternoon.
The game featured 16 lead changes and eight ties, including seven lead changes and two ties in the final 3:34 of the game, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Each team led by as many as eight in the game, but both squads were able to respond to the scoring runs to set up the back-and-forth final push.
It is the first time since the 2016-17 season that the Rattlers have started 2-0. That team finished 21-7 overall and 12-4 in the Heartland Conference.
St. Mary's hosts Western Colorado in its home opener on Saturday at approximately 3 p.m. as part of a double header with the men's team, which plays at 1 p.m. The Rattlers also have an exhibition game at Lamar on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
