IRVINE, CALIF. - The University of South Dakota women's basketball team won its fifth straight game by rallying in the second half for a 59-50 victory over California State-Dominguez Hills in non-conference action on Friday night at the Concordia Tournament in Irvine, Calif. With the win, the Coyotes improved to 7-1 while California State-Dominguez Hills dropped to 4-2 on the season.

USD outscored the Toros, 39-22, in the second half as the Coyotes picked up a road win over a team that earned a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs a year ago. USD trailed, 32-21, early in the second half before finishing the game on a 38-18 run.

The 59 points by USD was a season-low but the Coyotes had a strong defensive effort as they limited their third opponent in four games to under 60 points.

USD was led in scoring by senior forward Bridget Yoerger who had her ninth career double-double and third of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Yoerger (Hinton, Iowa) hit 6-of-8 field goals and also recorded an assist and a steal.

Point guard Shannon Daly (Sr., Groton, S.D.) also scored 12 points while also contributing four assists and two steals. Jeana Hoffman (Sr., Mitchell, S.D.) had her eighth straight double-digit game of the season by scoring 10 points. Hoffman added six rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Ashley Robinette (South Sioux City, Neb.) also scored 10 points, including a pair of second-half three-point baskets. USD also received seven rebounds, six points, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot from Jenna Hoffman (Sr., Mitchell, S.D.).

Overall, USD made 21-of-49 field goals for 43 percent, including just 6-of-22 from three-point range for 27 percent. USD was 11-of-14 from the foul line. The Toros made 34 percent (18-53) from the field, 23 percent (3-13) from three-point range and 79 percent (11-14) from the foul line. California State-Dominguez Hills was led in scoring by Brigayle Iglehart with 20 points.

After opening with a 9-2 lead (17:49), the Coyotes were outscored 13-6 by the Toros, who tied the game at 15-15 at the 9:44 mark of the opening half. The Toros built a 26-17 lead with 2:50 to play when Jessica Liang, who scored eight points on the night, hit a jumper. The Coyotes cut the lead to 26-20 on a three-pointer by Daly with 30 seconds left in the half. However, Inglehart's jumper with nine seconds left gave California State-Dominguez Hills a 28-20 advantage at halftime.

Early in the second half, California State-Dominguez Hills built a 32-21 lead (18:30) before USD rallied. The Coyotes had a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 32-30 at the 14:14 mark. Two possessions later, Daly recorded a steal and fed Jasmine Mosley (So., Bellevue, Neb.) for a lay-up as the Coyotes tied the game at 34-34 with 11:11 left on the game clock. The Coyotes regained its first lead since early in the game when Yoerger scored inside for a 36-35 advantage (9:57). Then, Robinette hit her second three-point shot of the second half as the Coyotes grabbed a 39-35 lead with 8:53 to play in the game.

The Toros received a three-pointer from Liang to cut USD's advantage to 42-40 with 6:40 to play. Daly answered with a jumper (6:09) and a three-point shot to give USD a 49-44 lead with 5:46 left in the game. Then, Jeana Hoffman hit a three-pointer at the 5:18 mark as USD led, 52-44. After the Toros cut USD's lead to 52-48, Jenna Hoffman hit a pair of free throws for 54-48 advantage with 2:38 to play. At the 1:45 mark, Jeana Hoffman found a wide open Yoerger inside as the Coyotes built a 56-48 lead.

Next for South Dakota will be a game with Dixie State at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Concordia Tournament.