Minnesota West’s women’s and men’s basketball teams each suffered lopsided losses on the road Wednesday night in Rochester.
In the women’s game, the Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 1 nationally among Division III junior colleges, led 50-24 at halftime and cruised to a 91-60 victory over the fourth-ranked Lady Jays.
Rochester had a huge night shooting 3-pointers, as it made 17-of-38 shots from beyond the arc compared to just 3-of-20 for Minnesota West. The Yellow Jackets also committed a mere four turnovers all night compared to 19 for the Lady Jays, who also made just 36% of their shots.
Olivia Hayenga led Minnesota West, now 14-7 on the season and 3-2 in MCAC South Division Play, with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Hattie DeVries contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, and Skylla Peterson also scored 14 points.
Rochester now has an overall record of 13-2 and is 4-0 in the MCAC South.
In the men’s contest, the Bluejays struggled mightily in the first half, scoring just 13 points in the opening 20 minutes, on their way to a 77-46 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Minnesota West dropped its ninth straight game and is now 2-15 overall and 0-5 in the MCAC South.
Free throws were a big story in the men’s game, as Rochester made 28-of-36 shots from the line compared to just 8-of-14 for the Bluejays. Minnesota West also had 21 turnovers compared to just nine for the Yellow Jaclets.
Jiekgoy Wiel topped the Bluejays with 11 points and nine rebounds, leading the team in both those categories. Rochester moved to 9-8 overall and 4-1 in MCAC South action.
