WAYNE, NEB. (Dec. 9, 2005)--The South Dakota women's basketball team (6-2), led by freshman Bridget Yoerger's (Hinton, S.D.) 25 points, upended the Wayne State Wildcats (7-2), 77-70, at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb., tonight.

Yoerger tied a career-high (Minnesota-Crookston, Dec. 2) in making 9-of-14 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws, while USD, who scored 24 points in the paint, improved to 17-5 all-time against the Wildcats.

After trailing by one, 35-34 at halftime, the Coyotes outscored WSC, 43-35, in the second half to garner the victory. In the second half, USD picked up the defense and held the Wildcats to just 9-of-35 shooting from the field, while making 14-of-28 shots.

The first half featured seven ties and five lead changes, as the Coyotes had the largest lead of the half, four points, 20-16, at 9:36 on a lay-up by Yoerger.

Wayne State took a three-point lead, 35-32, at 1:35 on three of Ashley Arndorfer's 18 points. However, USD's Brittany Bessert (Fort Collins, Colo.) answered with a lay-up on the ensuing possession to make the halftime score, 35-34.

USD's Erica Schroeder (Miller, S.D.) scored a lay-up 16 seconds into the second half to give the Coyotes a lead that would stand until the 12:21 mark, when Arndorfer hit another three to give the Wildcats the lead, 48-46.

After an old fashioned three-point play by Yoerger at 11:27, WSC hit a bucket on the next possession to give themselves the lead, 50-49, at 11:18.

The Wildcats lead was their last as junior Vanessa Yanez (Wagner, S.D.) hit a three at 10:57 to put USD up for good.

The remainder of the half, the Coyotes built up a lead of seven on several occasions, including the final margin on a pair of Ashley Bjorkman (Vermillion, S.D.) free throws with 17 seconds left in the game.

For the contest, USD shot 48.1% (26-of-54) from the field, including 5-of-14 (35.7%) from three-point range. The Coyotes took advantage of 28 free throw attempts by making 20, for 71.4%.

Each team had 41 rebounds and 13 turnovers, but USD's defense was the story as Wayne State shot just 30.9% (21-of-68) from the field for the game. Beyond the arc, WSC shot 37.5% (9-of-24) and was 19-of-23 (82.6%) at the foul line.

Schroeder and senior Meghan Woster (Sioux Falls, S.D.) each finished with 11 points, while Woster added a game-high 10 rebounds to complete the double double.

Wayne State was led by Nicole Gruntorad's 21 points and Kristen Humphries 12.

The Coyotes will return to action, tomorrow, Dec. 10, against Mount Mercy in the DakotaDome at 1 p.m.