VERMILLION, S.D. - VERMILLION, S.D. (01/12/02) - Led by Amanda Iverson's career-high 21 points, the South Dakota Coyotes women's basketball team (11-5, 5-3 in the NCC) jumped to an 18-point halftime lead and cruised to a 76-55 win over No. 5 ranked North Dakota State in North Central Conference action on Saturday night at the DakotaDome.

The Coyotes won their third straight game, including the past two over nationally ranked opponents. The victory enabled South Dakota to pull within a half-game of first place in a bunched up NCC race. Entering the weekend, the Coyotes were sitting in seventh place. South Dakota has now won eight of their last nine games and they are one of the hottest teams in the NCC.

Last night, South Dakota defeated No. 2 ranked North Dakota, 89-77 as Mandy Koupal had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Tonight, Koupal (Wagner, S.D.) had 21 points and tied a career high with 15 rebounds, although she had an off-shooting night.

Against NDSU, the Coyotes again exhibited outstanding defense and received offensive contributions from several players.

On this evening, Iverson and Heather Nelson (Yankton, S.D.) stepped up to help Koupal take care of the offensive chores. Iverson (Vermillion, S.D.) had 21 points as she made seven of nine field goals and seven of nine free throws while grabbing four rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Nelson, who did not miss a shot in the first half in scoring 15 points, tallied 17 points on the evening. She was six of nine from the field, two of two from three-point range and three of three from the free throw line. Nelson also had three steals.

Koupal, who was just six of 22 from the field, made two of three three-point field goals and seven of 12 free throws.

In the first half, South Dakota jumped to a quick 8-2 lead, as Nelson hit a three-point basket at the 16:29 mark. The lead grew to 17-2 when Dawn Sudbeck (Dimock, S.D.) canned a three-pointer at the 12:36 mark. NDSU finally broke their six-minute scoring drought when Leah Klabo hit a jumper at the 12:10 mark.

Two free throws by Nelson and a basket by Nelson plus two free throws by Koupal gave South Dakota a 25-5 lead at the 7:51 mark. After an NDSU score, the Nelson made a jumper and a free throw after being fouled as the Coyotes led 29-7 at the 6:35 mark.

NDSU made a run at the Coyotes, cutting the lead to 29-13 at the 4:25 mark when Jacklynn Oliver scored inside. Then, Koupal hit a pair of free throws to move the advantage back to 31-13 at the 4:06 mark. At the 3:03 mark, Oliver scored inside but the Coyotes answered with a jumper by Koupal for a 33-17 lead with 2:40 to play. A little later, Nelson hit her second three-pointer for a 36-17 lead at the 2:05 mark. Two free throws by Iverson increased the lead to 38-17 with 17 seconds left. NDSU's Megan Clark hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds cut the lead to 38-20 at halftime.

While South Dakota did not shoot particularly well in the first half, their defense shined big-time. The Coyotes limited NDSU to six of 30 shooting from the field for 20 percent. The Bison made just one of seven three-point shots and that came from Clark in the final moments of the half. NDSU made seven of nine free throws.

The Coyotes, which held a 25-20 rebounding advantage over the taller Bison squad, hit 11 of 29 field goals for 37.9 percent. They were four of 10 from three-point range and 12 of 17 from the free throw line.

South Dakota began the second half like they opened the game - with a rush. Koupal scored inside (17:31) and then knocked home a three-pointer at the 17:01 mark to give South Dakota a 45-22 lead. North Dakota State cut the deficit to 54-39 when Oliver scored inside at the 11-minute mark. However, the Coyotes quickly regained a 20-point lead as Stacy Schooley (Watertown, S.D.) stole the ball and drove for a lay-up at the 9:40 mark as South Dakota led 59-39.

NDSU tried to fight back as Beth Bue hit a three-pointer at the 8:38 mark to cut the deficit to 61-45. Again, South Dakota answered the charge by running off nine straight points with Julia Frie's (Byron, Minn.) three-point basket providing South Dakota with a 70-45 lead at the 5:16 mark of the second half. Overall, the Coyotes made 25 of 61 field goals for 41 percent and they hit eight of 18 three-point field goals for 44.4 percent. South Dakota was 18 of 26 from the free throw line for 69.2 percent. Frie had six points and six rebounds for South Dakota.

NDSU hit 19 of 54 field goals for 35.2 percent, although they greatly improved their shooting in the second half, converting 13 of 24 field goals for 54.2 percent. On the night, they were able to hit just three of 12 three-point field goals. The Bison made 14 of 20 free throws for 70 percent. Three players reached double figures, including Bue, who had 10 points and seven rebounds. Oliver had 10 points, as did Angela Mayo. Janna Davis led NDSU in rebounding with eight boards. Overall, South Dakota held a 42-36 rebound advantage.

Next Saturday, the Coyotes will travel to Morningside for a 6 p.m. game with the Mustangs at Allee Gym in Sioux City, Iowa.