Blue Hawks struggle early, seek redemption in second half of season
Dec. 22—DICKINSON — The Dickinson State University Blue Hawks women's basketball team is off to a rough start this season, with a record of 6-9 at the winter break. Despite the challenges, the Blue Hawks have been able to secure key victories against Bethany, Midland, Montana State-Northern and Oak Hills Christian College.
On the court, the Blue Hawks have been led by a talented roster of players, including senior guard Lindsay Peterson who has been a standout, averaging 10 points per game and shooting 40.8% from the field. In the front court, sophomore center Samantha Oase is averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Other key contributors include junior guard Hannah LaBree, senior forward Danielle Wallace and sophomore guard Kayden Steele.
The Blue Hawks roster features several players from North Dakota, including Samantha Oase, Lindsay Peterson and Kella Norby. Oase, a sophomore center from Reeder, has been a consistent scoring threat for the Blue Hawks, shooting 51.4% from the field and 84.4% from the free throw line. Peterson, a senior guard from Watford City, has also been a key contributor, shooting 40.8% from the field and 72% from the free throw line. Norby, a junior center from Williston, has provided valuable minutes off the bench, shooting 83.3% from the field in limited action.
Dickinson State have been averaging 59.6 points per game, with a field goal percentage of 37.9%. They have been successful at getting to the free throw line, averaging 9.6 made free throws per game and shooting 71.4% from the line. However, they have struggled with turnovers, averaging 20 per game while being out-rebounded by their opponents with a rebound margin of only 2.6 per game.
On the defensive end, the Blue Hawks have allowed an average of 66.8 points per game, with their opponents shooting 44.1% from the field. They have been able to generate some steals, averaging 5.2 per game, but have struggled with blocking shots with only 2.2 per game.
Foul trouble for key players, forcing them to sit on the bench and disrupting team chemistry and strategy, has been an issue for the Blue Hawks who have committed an unusually high number of fouls this season, averaging 13.4 per game.
The high number of fouls have gifted opposing teams a significant number of free throw attempts, which has been a major source of points late in games. The more physical and aggressive play by the Blue Hawks this season has served as a motivation for the team, but has come at the cost of disrupting their usual flow.
While they have shown flashes of strong offensive performances, they have struggled with turnovers and have had difficulty stopping their opponents on defense. Overall, the Blue Hawks have had a difficult time finding consistency on both ends of the court.
As they head into the second half of the season, the team will need to focus on improving their ball control and defense in order to make a push for the conference playoffs.
Head Coach Eric Nelson, entering his fourth season with the Blue Hawks, brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success to the team. Prior to his time at Dickinson State, Coach Nelson led the Presentation College Saints women's basketball program to the most wins in program history and a trip to the NSAA Final Four.
Under his direction, the Blue Hawks have made it to the conference semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, and with 15 games remaining in the season, have plenty of time for Nelson's leadership and experience to turn their season around and make a strong push for the conference playoffs.
