VERMILLION, S.D.—The University of South Dakota women's basketball team jumps back into action this Saturday (Jan. 10) with a 6 p.m. game vs. Iowa State in the DakotaDome. The contest will precede the USD men's 8 p.m. date with North Dakota.
 
This will mark the first action for the 7-1 Coyotes in better than three weeks, due to the long holiday break. South Dakota escaped with a 56-55 come-from-behind victory over Northwest Missouri State in the Coyotes last outing back on Friday, Dec. 19.
 
The Cyclones, on the other hand, will have a post-holiday game under their belts, having met Minnesota on Monday (Jan. 5). And though ISU carries a modest 4-6 record, the Cyclones have won three of their last four times out under first-year mentor Debbie Oing. However, ISU has yet to win a game on the road.
 
South Dakota will be looking to maintain its slim lead in the North Section of Region Six. USD owns a 1-0 mark in the section (which includes USD, Drake, Iowa, Iowa State, and Minnesota), remaining as the only unbeaten team. Results in games played within each of the Region's three sections determine who advances to the Region Tourney, making this week's end's contest important for each school. ISU is 1-1 in the section.
 
When asked how the long layoff will affect her team, USD coach Mary Zimmerman notes, "Other than our timing and the aspect of team work, everything should be okay. Each player took home a fairly rigorous practice schedule. We had them work on conditioning, shooting and fundamentals; so this should keep their skills honed. I haven't seen the results, but I imagine they all did the work. We'll concentrate on the timing and teamwork early on and then go right into where we left off before the holidays.
 
"I expect ISU to be quick. And they have good shooters so we can't give them the good shot. But we won't change our game plan from what we've tried all year. We'll make sure to change defenses and use what is effective. And we have to make sure to take the good shots. I have tremendous confidence in our shooting – we just have to take the good shot when it's there.
 
"Obviously, this is a big game for both teams. We've played ISU twice in the past (ISU won 92-87 in overtime two years ago, USD won 69-68 last year in Ames) and both games were very intense and exciting. I expect this game to be no different. It's been three weeks since we've had a game. We're ready to get going again."
 
Through the first eight games, USD has connected on 50.2 percent of its field goal attempts, ranking 19th in the nation at last report. Conversely, the Cyclones are making 43% of their attempts. USD is also averaging 46.6 rebounds each game; as compared to ISU's 35.2. And the Coyotes are scoring at a 78.3 clip; while ISU is netting 61.4 per game.
 
Individually, sophomore forward Deb Petersen is making 61.4 percent of her floor attempts – just one tenth of a percent away from making the nation's top-20 in that category. She is also averaging 15 points and 8.3 rebounds. Jo Haase contributes 9.1 points and nearly five boards each game at the other forward, along with 28 assists and 13 steals. Senior Mary Joneson completes the front line, averaging nearly nine points and 12 rebounds per contest and has 12 blocked shots.
 
Senior guards Renee Steeve and Gloria Suntken have performed brilliantly. Steeve leads the club with an 18.1 scoring average, hitting over 50% of her shots. She also has 27 assists and 19 steals. Suntken, who continues to demonstrate phenomenal defensive ability, leads with 43 assists and 20 steals and adds nearly 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
 
 
Probable Starters
South Dakota
44 – Jo Haase, 9.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg
54 – Deb Petersen, 15.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg
50 – Mary Joneson, 8.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg
32 – Gloria Suntken, 9.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
24 – Renee Steeve, 18.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
 
Iowa State
32 – Jane McConnell, 10.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
11 – Carol Schleihs, 5.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg
41 – Gileen Gleason – 10.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg
44 – Jolene Leseman, 11.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg
14 – Tracy Eckert, 5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg
 
Saturday, Jan. 10 – vs. Iowa State, 6 p.m., The DakotaDome, Vermillion, S.D.
Saturday, Jan. 17 – vs. Iowa, 6 p.m., The DakotaDome, Vermillion, S.D.