CHADRON, Neb. --December 15, 2018 -- The Chadron State College women's basketball team got off to a nice start Saturday night against Western Colorado, building an 18-11 lead midway in the second period.

But the Mountaineers closed out the first half on a 13-2 run, led 24-20 at halftime and went on to take a 62-48 victory in the Chicoine Center.

Turnovers, an Eagles' problem all season, were a culprit again.  The Eagles had 21 of them in the first half and finished with a season-high 34. Western was able to convert the turnovers into 31 points.  

The CSC ball handling errors came in flurries, and usually fast and furious when Western slapped on its three-quarters court zone press.  The Mountaineers were credited with 21 steals.

"We freaked out at times," Chadron   coach Janet Raymer said.  "We also needed to take better shots, but that's hard to do when you have so many turnovers."

After the Eagles' letdown the final six minutes of the second period, they recovered to trade baskets with the Mountaineers in the third quarter when both teams tallied 16 points.

That made the score 40-36 going into the final frame, but Chadron State was scoreless the next 6 minutes and 10 seconds.  By then Western held a 60-36 bulge.  The Eagles trimmed the final margin by scoring the game's last seven points.

Both teams shot about 41 percent from the field, but the Mountaineers canned seven 3-point shots and the Eagles had just one.  Western also outscored the hosts 13 to 7 from the free throw line.

Western State's Taytem Coleman, a 6-foot-1 freshman from Lincoln, Neb., sank four 3-pointers to take game-high scoring honors with 12 points. Sophomores Katie Dalton and Makaela Parker each added nine points for the Mountaineers.

Three Eagles--senior Savannah Weidauer, sophomore Taryn Foxen and freshman Angelique Gall--finished with 10 points apiece

Western is now 4-2 for the season and 2-2 in the RMAC.  The Eagles are 1-9 and 0-4. CSC is back in action at 3:30 Sunday afternoon against Colorado Mesa. 

Western Colorado      6        18         16          22       ----62
Chadron State            10       10         16           12      ---48 
 
 
               Western Colorado--Taytem Coleman 12, Katie Dalton 9, Mikaela Parker 9, Jaydn Kantzler 8, Jessie Erickson 6, Tamarrah Gothard 6, Samantha Coleman 5, Chandler Willis 5, Payton Paro 2. Totals: 21-51 (7-19) 13-23 62 points, 27 rebounds, 22 turnovers.
               Chadron State--Taryn Foxen 10, Savannah Weidauer 10, Angelique Gall 10, McKenna McClintic 6, Jessica Lovitt 4, Britney McCully 4, Kenzie Brennan 3, Haley Urbatsch 1. Totals: 20-48 (1-4) 7-13, 48 points, 38 rebounds, 34 turnovers.