DENVER – Highlighted by senior forward Whitney Jacob's attainment of the 1,000-point career milestone, the Regis University women's basketball team made the most of its 2020-21 home opener by defeating South Dakota Mines, 71-67, at Regis Field House on Saturday.


"I think they're such a scrappy team [South Dakota Mines]," said head coach Molly Marrin. "They led the league in rebounding last year. They've got good toughness. They're a playoff team. They were picked sixth, and I think finished sixth last year so we knew that they were going to be gritty, have an all-league performer in [redshirt junior guard] Ryan Weiss. She's a great player.


"But I thought our balanced attack worked. We adjusted our defense in the second half and made that a priority and I think at one point, we got six stops in a row, and I think that was the momentum to help turn that into points for us and transition where we are. We do have some talent in some of those areas, but we knew we needed to get stops to be able to do that."


Jacob led all scorers and rebounders with game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds, respectively, for another double-double to put the icing on a memorable day in her distinguished career. She becomes the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 points for her career, a list that includes her head coach.


"Whit's incredible," Marrin said. "I'm so proud of her. To be a 1,000-point scorer, especially in college, it really means you have to consistently score and it doesn't mean a million points. It means you've contributed over your whole career to be able to get to that milestone and for her to do it in the first conference game of her senior year just shows what a talent she is.


"Her rebounding is even more impressive at 12 boards for 5-foot-10 so I'd like to see where she's going to be in the rebounding charts too. So, I'm really proud of her. To start the game 5-for-5 [in field goals], to do it in that fashion, and she'll remember it because in the picture we have masks on so she'll remember it was a COVID year. But, I'm super proud of her, and she's been a beast for us, and she's really upped her level even this year."


How It Happened: With 2:30 remaining in regulation and the Rangers leading, 67-63, senior guard Tashika Burrell sank a jumper in the paint while being fouled and completed the three-point play to extend the lead to 70-63. Regis had all the points it needed from this moment forward.

A free throw by freshman guard Erin Fry gave RU a 71-67, which would be the eventual final score.

The majority of the contest proved that these two adversaries were well-matched as the 40-minute span consisted of 13 ties and 10 lead changes.

The Rangers ended the scoreless tie on senior guard Emma Sterkel's in-the-paint jumper just 1:02 into the game for a 2-0 advantage.

Jacob's feat-clinching basket came on a fastbreak 3-pointer at the 7:19 mark of the first quarter to give Regis a 9-5 lead.

After seven ties in the first quarter alone, RU edged the Hardrockers, 19-17, on Burrell's jumper with 11 seconds to go.

Burrell's jumper kicked off a 5-0 run that bridged to the second quarter. The run was capped on Jacob's free throw 9 seconds into the second quarter for a 22-17 lead.

The Rangers led by as many as six over South Dakota Mines in the first half when sophomore forward Morgan L. Smith hit a jumper to make the score, 34-28, with 4:38 reading on the clock in the second.

Regis went into the intermission leading, 41-38, on sophomore forward Sydney Speights' layup with 9 seconds remaining before the buzzer.

The score was relatively close throughout the third quarter. RU's lead grew to as large as four, 49-45, on Speights' layup at the 5:06 mark. However, the Rangers trailed briefly, 53-52, when SDSMT sophomore forward Juneau Jones' free throw broke the tie with 3:17 remaining in the third.

With no time left in the third, senior forward Grace O'Neill gave the lead back to Regis, 57-55, with her successful trip to the free-throw line.

RU constructed a 6-0 run midway through the fourth quarter that started on Speights' layup at the 7:07 reading of the final frame and ended on a layup from Jacob with 6:04 left. The Rangers reached their largest lead of eight on Jacob's run-capping layup, which made the score, 66-58.

Game Highlights: Jacob scored game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds (10 defensive) to go along with one assist, a share of the game-high two blocks, and one steal. Fry contributed 11 points, four rebounds, a game-high six assists, and a share of the game-high two steals. Speights scored a career-high 18 points and recorded five rebounds as well as shares of the game-highs of two blocks and two steals. Burrell finished with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, and a share of the game-high two steals.

Though the Hardrockers were more accurate from the arc and at the line, Regis shot better from the paint than South Dakota Mines. RU made 26 of 62 (41.9 percent) from the paint, three of 15 (20 percent) from the arc, and 16 of 25 (64 percent) from the free-throw line. SDSMT hit 23 of 67 (34.3 percent) of its field goals, seven of 22 (31.8 percent) of its treys, and 14 of 19 (73.7 percent) from the charity stripe.

Up Next for the Rangers: The Rangers improve to a 1-1 record overall and a 1-0 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. Regis continues its homestand when it hosts Colorado School of Mines (2-0, 1-0 RMAC) at Regis Field House on Thursday at 4 p.m.   


To prepare for the Orediggers, there was one element that needed to be emphasized.

"Rebounding," Marrin said. "Mines returns everybody from last year that played. We've had limited practice, and everybody's had a little bit of a different gambit, practice-wise. Mines probably needs the least amount of it. They just have the Player of the Year returning, with 20 points, and they've got posts, and they've got size. They're being a little more aggressive defensively this year. But rebounding, they're just physical, they're smart offensively so I think it's going to be a battle like it always is. So, it'll be a tough one to prepare for, but we're looking forward to it."