VERMILLION, S.D. - Sophomore forward Amber Hegge posted her first career double-double with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead The University of South Dakota women's basketball team to a 71-56 victory over Iowa Wesleyan on -Tuesday night in the DakotaDome. The win improved the Coyotes to 1-1 on the year and dropped the Tigers to 2-5.

A native of Crofton, Neb., Hegge connected on 80 percent (8-of-10) of her field goals and added a three pointer and four free throws to pace the Coyotes. Freshman guard Samantha Mehr (Apple Valley, Minn.) added a career-high 17 points off the bench after connecting on five 3-pointers while junior guard Abby Kinder (Granger, Ind.) had 11 points. Sophomore guard Annie Roche (Vermillion, S.D.) had seven assists, as USD shot 56 percent (15-of-27) in the second half, including 62 percent (5-of-8) to finish at 48 percent (26-of-54) from the field. The Tigers shot 43 percent (19-of-44) for the game.

The Coyotes opened with a quick 8-2 run that included three-point buckets by Kinder and Hegge, and kept the six-point advantage with another try from Kinder to make it 15-9 at the 15:00 mark. The Tigers responded with a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game 18-17, but USD once again pulled away. This time Mehr helped the Coyotes retake the lead with a layup at the 7:30 mark and back-to-back steals by Kinder kept Iowa Wesleyan off the board. Mehr added a three and Hegge knocked down a bucket on an assist by Iverson to go up 24-18. IWU responded with back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 24 and the squads exchanged free throws to enter halftime knotted at 28.

Hegge hit 3-of-5 shots and a free throw in the first half to post seven points, while Kinder had six and Mehr posted five. Hegge had six rebounds, including four offensive boards, and Iverson had three steals in the frame while Kinder and senior center Jasmine Mosley (Bellevue, Neb.) added two each.

Iowa Wesleyan opened the second half on a 5-1 run to take a 33-29 lead, but junior forward Jamie Young (Great Falls, Mont.) posted back-to-back buckets to even the contest at 33.

The squads exchanged the lead four times over the next five minutes until Mehr hit three treys in under two minutes to push the Coyote lead to 46-39 at the 11:45 mark. The Tigers pulled to 48-45 with four-straight free throws, but USD pushed the lead even bigger with a bucket from Hegge and another three by Kinder with six minutes left. Hegge continued her steady play as she converted a three-point play with a bucket and free throw at the 4:44 mark, and added two free throws and an assist on a Mosley bucket to push the lead to 66-52 with two minutes left.

Mehr knocked down a three and Hegge posted another basket to give USD the final advantage. Hegge and Kinder finished with four assists each for USD, while Kinder, Kara Iverson (Sr., Yankton, S.D.) and Mosley had three steals each, while Hegge and Jackie Hiebert (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) had two blocks each.

After struggling shooting the ball against Green Bay, USD finished the game shooting 48.1 percent, including 42.9 percent from 3-point range. South Dakota continues its season with a three-game road swing, which starts at Wichita State on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. The Coyotes return to the DakotaDome on Dec. 10 against Black Hills State at 7 p.m.