ST. CLOUD, MINN. --- The University of South Dakota women's basketball team entered its 2006-07 regular season finale needing a victory to clinch a home game in the upcoming North Central Conference Postseason Tournament, and it accomplished that goal via a 79-57 rout of St. Cloud State in Halenbeck Hall on the campus of SCSU. The win gives the Coyotes the #3 seed in the upcoming tournament and they will host #6 Minnesota State on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the DakotaDome, with a 7 p.m. start time.
USD improved to 20-7 overall with the win and 6-6 in the NCC. St. Cloud State meanwhile fell to 17-10 on the season and 5-7 in league competition, earning the #5 seed for the postseason tourney and a trip to #4 Minnesota Duluth on Wednesdsay.
The 20 victories are the most for the South Dakota since notching 25 win during the 2003-04 season. This is also the fifth 20-win season for the Coyotes under the direction of head coach Chad Lavin. With the win, Lavin won his 100th career NCC game, improving to 100-88 all-time at USD.
Junior guard Jenna Hoffman (Mitchell, S.D.) led all players with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including making 3-of-5 three-point attempts, while adding seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Natalie Carda (Beresford, S.D.) came off the bench to make all three three-point attempts, and four-of-five shots from the field overall, en route to a 12 point effort along with recording three steals.
Also reaching double-digits in a reserve role was junior guard Ashley Bjorkman (Vermillion, S.D.) who tallied 11 points on four-of-six shooting, including making three-of-five from beyond the arc. Junior guard Shannon Daly (Groton, S.D.) was the fourth Coyotes to get to double-digits by scoring 10 on the nose along with dishing out a team-high five assists.
SCSU was led by senior center Erika Quigley's 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore post Jackie Carlson added 15 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Danielle Ellison-Yancy contributed a career-high 13 points.
The Coyotes made 13-of-24 three-pointers on the afternoon (54.2%) while making 47.5% of their shots overall from the field. USD limited the Huskies to just 39.6% shooting from the floor and only 3-of-13 (23.1%) from three-point range. South Dakota forced SCSU into 25 turnovers in the game. It was the 11th time this season that USD has made 10 or more three-point field goals and the Coyotes have a 10-1 record in those games.
St. Cloud State scored the first basket of the game, but then watched as the Coyotes rolled off 13 straight points over the next five minutes of play for a 13-2 lead at the 13:32 mark. The USD run continued from there as the lead grew to 29-10 with 5:21 left in the half before settling in for a 17-point halftime lead at 34-17.
The two schools traded baskets early on in the second half, with South Dakota holding a 41-26 advantage with 15:38 left on the clock. At that point, the Coyotes ripped off a 12-1 run to effectively put the game away by holding a 53-27 lead with 12:08 remaining. The USD lead remained in the 20-point range the rest of the way, at one point reaching as much as 29, before closing out the game with the 22-point victory.
