VERMILLION, S.D. - In different ways, the sister combination of Jeana and Jenna Hoffman were determining factors in the 18th-ranked South Dakota Women's Basketball Team's (19-6, 5-5 NCC) 62-52 win over Minnesota-Duluth (13-12, 4-6 NCC) in North Central Conference action on Saturday before 1,859 in attendance at the DakotaDome.

Jeana Hoffman, a junior guard from Mitchell, S.D., hit a three-point field goal with 1:28 to play in the game which provided USD with a five-point lead that the Coyotes extended to 10 points by the end of the game. Jeana finished with 10 points, four assists and a steal. Her sister, Jenna, a junior forward, had her first career double double at USD with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The rebound total tied her career-best at USD.

With the win, South Dakota improved to 19-6 and 5-5 in the NCC. UMD fell to 13-12 and 4-6 in the league. The Coyotes ended a two-game NCC losing streak with the win while UMD dropped its fifth straight overall game. South Dakota has now gone 18-0 in games they have led (16-0) or were tied at halftime (2-0) this season. The two teams split their season series with UMD prevailing, 76-71, in an earlier game in Duluth, Minn. As a result of Augustana's 91-69 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday, USD moved ahead of the Huskies for third place in the league.

Natalie Carda, a sophomore from Beresford, S.D., had her second straight double digit scoring game by tying Hoffman for a game-high 13 points. Carda hit 5-of-6 field goals, including her only three-point field goal attempt. USD also received a huge contribution from junior guard Ashley Bjorkman of Vermillion, S.D., who had nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range.

"Jenna (Hoffman) and Natalie (Carda) had good games," said USD head coach Chad Lavin, who improved his overall record to 412-296 and is 237-134 in 13th season at USD. "We played solid defense all day and we fought through a very physical game," he said. "Natalie and Ashley (Bjorkman) hit some big shots for us today," said Lavin.

Overall, the Coyotes made 17-of-48 shots from the field for 35.4 percent, including 6-of-19 from three-point range for 31.6 percent. The Coyotes, the NCC's best free throw shooting team, held a significant advantage at the charity line converting 22-of-26 shots for 84.6 percent. Meanwhile, UMD made 5-of-6 free throws. The Bulldogs made 21-of-53 field goals for 39.6 percent, including 5-of-19 from three point range for 26.3 percent.

UMD was led in scoring by Katie Winkleman who had 14 points and 18 rebounds. Alissa Paully added 10 points for UMD.

In a back and forth game, UMD grabbed an early 4-0 advantage at the 18:56 mark of the opening half on Kim Wagers jump shot. The Coyotes had a 7-2 run to take a 7-6 lead with 16:31 to go in the half after Jenna Hoffman converted two free throws. On the game, she made 9-of-11 free throws.

A three-point shot by Paully gave UMD an 11-7 lead at the 13:41 mark of the half. USD again rallied to take a 13-11 lead at the 12:20 mark when Bjorkman canned a three-point shot. It was UMD's turn to respond and they used an 11-0 run to take a 22-14 lead at the 8:24 mark of the half. USD broke a 6:13 scoring drought when Bjorkman hit a three-point shot at the 6:07 mark and cut the UMD's advantage to 22-17. The Coyotes drew even at 24-24 when Bjorkman again connected from long range at the 3:51 mark of the half. In a half that had nine lead changes and eight ties, USD used two free throws by Jasmine Mosley (Bellevue, Neb.) to take a 31-28 lead with 3.1 seconds to play. However, Katie Freeman took a pass from Winkelman and knocked down a three-point shot as time expired in the first half with the score tied at 31-31.

The Coyotes, who never trailed in the second half, scored four straight points to open the half as Jeana Hoffman's two free throws gave USD a 35-31 lead at the 16:25 mark of the second half. A three-point shot by Stephanie Reiter at the 13:22 mark of the half cut USD's lead to 39-38. Carda answered with seven straight points to give USD a 46-38 lead at the 9:10 mark of the second half. A jumper by Shannon Daly (Groton, S.D.), who had six points and six rebounds, built USD's lead to 48-40 with 6:56 to play in the game. UMD rallied with four straight points to reduce the Coyotes' lead to 48-44 at the 5:17 mark of the half. Paully hit another three-pointer with 3:15 left to cut the Coyotes' lead to 50-48. After Paully scored on a lay-up with 1:54 left, Jeana Hoffman hit the three-point shot that provided USD with a 55-50 lead at the 1:28 mark. In the final minute, USD hit 7-of-8 free throws, including 5-of-6 from Jenna Hoffman, to hold UMD at bay and even its league mark at 5-5.

The Coyotes will next be in action on Wednesday, Feb. 21, when they head to the Sioux Falls Arena to take on Augustana at 6 p.m.