Thursday, Feb. 26 – at Iowa State, 7:30 p.m., Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
Saturday, Feb. 28 – at Drake, 7:30 p.m., Drake Fieldhouse, Des Moines, Iowa
Tuesday, March 3 – vs. Creighton, 7 p.m., The DakotaDome, Vermillion, S.D.
Friday, March 6 – at Kansas State, 7:30 p.m., Ahearn Fieldhouse, Manhattan, Kan.
 
VERMILLION, S.D.—As the season winds down the games become more and more critical. This week is no exception as the University of South Dakota women's basketball team takes to the road for a pair of North Section games. The Coyotes meet Iowa State on Thursday and then face Drake on Saturday. Tip-off for both games is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
South Dakota, 14-7 on the year and 3-3 in the section, can claim at least a share of second place with two victories. Drake is currently in second with a 4-2 mark prior to hosting Iowa State (1-5) on Monday. Minnesota won the section at 7-1, while Iowa finished 2-6.
 
Should the Coyotes end up tied with Drake, they will still be in the running for an automatic berth in the Region VI tourney. Of course, if USD wins two and Drake loses both of its section games the Coyotes will own second place alone and gain the automatic entry. If USD finishes third, the Coyotes will compete for one of the two at-large berths. Top contenders for those two spots appear to be either Kansas State or Wichita State (the South's third-place team) and Central Missouri State, in addition to USD.
 
South Dakota has been led all season long by 5-4 senior guard Renee Steeve, averaging 15.3 points per game. Steeve needs just four points to become the second woman in USD history to score 1,000. At the other guard, 5-8 senior Gloria Suntken (the first two score 1,000), one of the Region's outstanding defenders, contributes 10.2 ppg and leads the team in assists (110) and steals (49).
 
Senior Mary Joneson (6-0) has paced the front court, averaing 9.9 points and 11.4 rebounds. She also reached the 1,000 mark currently owning an even 1,000 rebounds on her career – the only player in USD history to achieve the milestone. She is joined on the court by 5-8 junior Jo Haase (9.1, 5.1 63 asssists) and sophomore Pam Olerich (8.2, 5.3). Karrie Wallen, a 5-9 freshman, will see early action at both guard and forward. She is second in scoring with a 10.5 average and adds 5.1 caroms.
 
Iowa State (7-16 on the year) relies heavily on 5-8 sohpomore forward Joleen Leseman's 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds. The team suffered a major blow when 5-9 freshman Jane McConnell (9.8, 4.2) was lost for the year with a  knee injury mid-Janaury.
 
Leseman netted 18 points and 10 boards in ISU's 73-66 loss at USD in early January: in that game McConell had 16 points and nine rebounds and guard Tracy Bekert added another 14 points. Joneson countered with 17 points and 16 rebounds for USD, while Olerich and Steeve added 14 and Wallen 11 more and 11 boards.
 
USD leads the series 2-1. Iowa State took a 92-87 overtime decision two years ago in Des Moines, Iowa, but USD won 69-68 in Ames last season.
 
Drake, 19-5 overall, is hoping to rebound from a two-game losing streak. The Bulldogs lost to sixth-ranked Kansas 75-73 in Des Moines on Friday. With a starting lineup that boasts three players 6-0 or taller and the remaining two at 5-10, the Bulldogs average 83.4 points, ranking 10th in that department. Drake also ranks eighth in field-goal shooting (50.5%) and ninth in free throws (71.1%).
 
Lorri Bauman (6-3) is the nation's most productive freshman, averaging 25.1 points (10th in Division I) and connecting on 58.1 percent of her field goals (14th). Kay Riek, a 6-0 frosh, adds 14.8 points. She can score from either the outside or the inside. Jan Krieger (6-0, Jr.) leads the team in rebounding with 9.9 rpg and 13.2 points. Connie Newlin, a 5-10 point guard, ranks second in the nation in assists, averaging 9.5.
 
Drake has won all three meetings between the schools, including an 85-70 decision in Vermillion a month ago. Riek and Bauman each had 27 points in that game, with Bauman adding 13 rebounds. Olerich had 19, Steeve 13, Suntken 11 and Wallen 10 for South Dakota.
 
USD closes out the regular season next week hosting Creighton at 7 p.m. Tuesday and then traveling to Kansas State on Friday. The Creighton game is the make-up of the Dec. 7 contest in which the Lady Jays were unable to reach Vermillion due to icy roads.