VERMILLION, S.D. - Five South Dakota players scored in double figures - led by a season-high 22 points from junior guard Tempestt Wilson - to help the Coyote women's basketball team roll to a 78-57 win over Western Illinois Saturday night at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. With the win, the Coyotes improved to 11-6 overall and 3-5 in the Summit League, while the Leathernecks fell to 6-12 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

Wilson (Elk River, Minn.) finished 9-of-14 from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range, on her way to 22 points. Senior guard Annie Roche (Vermillion, S.D.) added 13 points, while junior guard Alexis Yackley (Onida, S.D.) had 12 points and five assists. Senior center Jodie Boss (Columbus, Neb.) and senior forward Amber Hegge (Crofton, Neb.) each had double-doubles in the game; Boss had 12 points and 13 rebounds to go with four blocks, while Hegge had her third straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with a game-high six assists.

The Coyotes shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field, while holding Western Illinois to 34.4 percent shooting on 22-of-64 attempts. South Dakota also had a 42-37 edge in rebounds.

South Dakota was down 10-6 early but answered with a 9-0 run - sparked by back-to-back threes by Wilson and a three-point play by Hegge - to surge into the lead at15-10 with 15:35 left in the first half. After Western Illinois cut the gap to 15-12, the Coyotes scored 12 straight points - with Wilson accounting for five and Roche draining a three - to build a comfortable 27-12 lead with 12:25 left in the first half. The Coyotes opened the game by hitting 10 of their first 15 shots.

The Coyotes maintained a solid lead for much of the rest of the half and took a 41-30 lead into halftime. Wilson had 13 points in the first half while Hegge had 10 and Roche eight. The Coyotes shot 43.3 percent from the field in the opening half.

A Yackley three-pointer pushed the Coyote lead to 44-32 just 33 seconds into the second half, but the Leathernecks came back with a 13-0 run over the next 3:15 to take their first lead since the early moments of the game at 45-44.

However, the Coyotes regained control after that, scoring four straight on baskets by Wilson and Boss, to take a 48-45 lead. They held a 57-50 lead with 10:03 left but went on a 9-0 run over the next 3:45 to stretch the lead to 66-50. Boss was 4-of-4 from the line during that run while Wilson added another three. The Leathernecks got no closer than 14 the rest of the way, and a layup by freshman Ashley Olson (Blue Earth, Minn.) with 26 seconds left gave the Coyotes their largest lead at 21 points, which was the final spread.

Freshman Kelly Stewart (Amery, Wis.) gave the Coyotes valuable minutes off the bench when Hegge was in foul trouble in the second half. Stewart played 18 minutes in the contest and finished with three points, two rebounds and an assist. Sophomore McKayla Knudson (South Sioux City, Neb.) added four points and an assist off the bench.

South Dakota will look for its second straight win Monday at home against Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis. Game time is 7 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.

Notes: Wilson's 22 points were two away from a career-high; she set that mark of 24 points as a freshman at Iowa Western Community College...Boss extended her streak to games with at least one blocked shot to 35 straight games, while Yackley has recorded at least one assist in 28 straight games....Hegge has scored in double figures in 16 of 17 games this season.