VERMILLION, S.D. -- Sophomore forward
Bridget Yoerger scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the South Dakota Women's Basketball Team (7-1) to a 78-66 nonconference win over Mt. Marty (9-3) before 1,334 in attendance at the DakotaDome on Sunday. With the win, USD won its seventh game in eight decisions this season.
USD head women's basketball coach Chad Lavin reached a significant milestone with his 400th career win in 25 collegiate seasons. Lavin improved to 400-291 (.579) in his career, including 225-129 (.636) at USD.
Yoerger (Hinton, Iowa) hit 8-of-17 field goals, including a three-point basket, as she totaled 22 points. Yoerger, who scored 18 points in the first half, also had a steal in 27 minutes of action. Junior guard Jenna Hoffman (Mitchell, S.D.) had her first career double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Hoffman led the Coyotes with five offensive boards. Also scoring in double digits was Natalie Carda (Beresford, S.D.) with 14 points and five rebounds and Ashley Bjorkman (Vermillion, S.D.), who contributed 11 points.
"Bridget (Yoerger) had a big game for us today," Lavin told Jeff Culhane of the Coyotes Sports Network in a post-game interview. "We worked hard but we struggled making shots. I thought we executed our offense pretty well but we missed a lot of open shots," said Lavin. "Give Mt. Marty credit as they executed their game plan very effectively," he said.
South Dakota hit 26-of-65 field goals for 40 percent, including 9-of-24 from three point range for 37.5 percent. USD was 17-of-27 from the foul line for 63 percent. USD won the rebound battle, 38-32.
Mt. Marty, ranked 11th in NAIA, was led by Amy Bigge, who scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tevan Wenbourne added 10 points for the Lancers. Mt. Marty hit 18-of-42 field goals for 42.9 percent, including just 3-of-13 for 23.1 percent from three point range. The Lancers converted 27-of-31 free throws for 87.1 percent.
The Coyotes jumped to a 5-2 lead at the 18:41 mark of the first half after a three-point shot by Maggie Youngberg (Yankton, S.D.). Later, Mt. Marty gained an 11-9 lead when Stacey Lickteig hit a jumper at the 13:32 mark. USD had an 8-0 run to move ahead 17-11 at the 11:48 mark after Bjorkman knocked down a three-point shot. Mt. Marty answered with a 13-3 run to grab a 24-20 lead at the 7:59 mark after two free throws by Katelynn Kunz. The Coyotes scored six straight points to gain a 26-24 advantage with 6:07 left in the first half. After the Lancers tied the game at 26-26, USD closed the half on an 18-5 run to take a 44-31 lead into halftime. Yoerger hit a three-point with six seconds left in the half to give USD's a 13-point lead. Key for South Dakota in the first half was its production inside as the Coyotes owned a 16-4 advantage over the Lancers. Yoerger led USD with 18 points while Wenbourne had 10 points for Mt. Marty. USD hit 47.4 percent (17-of-36) from the field in the opening half. Mt. Marty made 47.2 percent (9-of-19).
The Coyotes built a 52-35 lead at the 17:08 mark of the second half after Yoerger scored inside. Mt. Marty cut the deficit to eight points (56-48) after Natasha Swier scored on a lay-up. Then, Swier hit a three-pointer to cut the Coyotes' lead to 56-51 at the 11:32 mark of the second half. Two foul shots by USD's Carda built the lead to 62-53 at the 8:58 mark. Later, Carda (6:43) and Jenna Hoffman (6:03) hit back-to-back three-point shots as USD extended its lead to 72-57. A free throw by Shannon Daly (Groton, S.D.) helped USD maintain a 75-60 lead at the 3:23 mark. From there, the teams traded baskets before Mt. Marty's Michelle Amundson's lay-up with five seconds accounted for the final scoring in USD's 78-66 win.
Next for South Dakota will be a nonconference game with Wayne State (Neb.) on Saturday, Dec. 16 as part of a women's and men's double header. The Coyote men's team will play the South Dakota School of Mines at 4 p.m. followed by the Coyote women's game with the Wildcats at 6 p.m. at the DakotaDome.
