Vermillion, S.D. -- Junior forward Amber Hegge scored 21 points and added 12 rebounds to lead the South Dakota women's basketball team past conference foe Utah Valley 72-44 Saturday night at the DakotaDome.

It was the second double-double of the season for Hegge (Crofton, Neb.), who finished 10-of-16 from the field while adding a team-high three steals. Freshman guard Katelyn Edwards (Crete, Neb.) earned career-highs in both points and rebounds with 11 and eight, respectively. Junior center Jodie Boss (Columbus, Neb.) added 10 points and sophomore guard Alexis Yackley (Onida, S.D.) contributed nine, all coming from three-pointers, in the win. Sophomore guard Tempestt Wilson (Elk River, Minn.) led with five assists.

On the night, USD (10-9, 1-1) shot 41 percent (28-of-67) from the field and from beyond the arc (7-of-17). Utah Valley (2-16, 0-3) was held to just 29 percent (18-of-62) from the field as the Coyote defense stood tall on the night. The Coyotes forced 16 turnovers on the Wolverines, while only committing eight themselves. USD's bench outscored Utah Valley's 25-12 in the game and the Coyotes had 34 points in the paint.

The Coyotes fought hard against the Wolverines in the early minutes of the game as USD scored first and built a four-point lead before Utah Valley took a one-point advantage 7-6 with 16:07 remaining in the half. Hegge scored the first six points for USD and Boss followed scoring the next four. As Utah Valley cut the lead to two with 11:15 to play in the first half, the Coyotes went on a 12-0 run, nine of which came from Hegge.

After the midway mark of the first half, USD hit three treys, two coming from Yackley, to build a 16-point lead with just under five minutes before halftime. Freshman forward Stacia Robertson (Grand Island, Neb.) scored a layup thanks to a Hegge assist and a three-pointer by Edwards extended the Coyote lead to 19 at 39-20 with 3:30 left in the half. South Dakota took a 45-26 lead into halftime.

Hegge finished the half with a double-double, thanks to 15 points and 10 rebounds. Yackley, Robertson and Edwards each contributed six points in the opening half. The Coyotes shot 45 percent (18-of-40) from the field in the first half and 55 percent (5-of-9) from beyond the arc. The Wolverines were held to just 37 percent from both the field (10-of-27) and three-pointers (3-of-8). USD scored 14 second-chance points and forced Utah Valley to commit six turnovers.

The second half started slow for both teams as only 18 points were scored between the two in the first 10 minutes. After Hegge had six points to start the half and push the Coyotes to a 24-point lead. From there, South Dakota extended the lead to as much as 32 points on its way to a 28-point win.

Nine of the 10 Coyote players who saw playing time scored in the game. Junior guard Annie Roche (Vermillion, S.D.) and Hegge had four assists each.

South Dakota continues its season by hosting Houston Baptist Thursday at 6 p.m. at the DakotaDome. Fans can purchase tickets in advance at the USD Ticket Office or by calling (605) 677-5959.