The SeriesSouth Dakota travels to former NCC and Great West foe North Dakota for the 72nd meeting between the two programs. UND leads the storied rivalry 48-23. The two Dakota schools have played twice during Williams' tenure with each winning on their home court.
The GameSaturday's game features two programs continuing to find success in NCAA Divison I. North Dakota, a powerhouse in the late 1990s with three consecutive national titles, won the Big Sky regular season and conference tournament in 2013-14. South Dakota won The Summit League Tournament in 2014 to also advance to the NCAA Tournament followed by a regular season Summit League title in 2014-15.
North Dakota is led in scoring by junior guard Makailah Dyer's 14.1 points per game. Dyer's also dishing out 3.1 assists per game. Senior forward Mia Loyd is contributing an average 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds a game.
South Dakota senior guard
Nicole Seekamp leads the Coyotes with a stat line of 13.9 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.7 steals per game. Junior guard
Caitlin Duffy has averaged 12.4 points per game, but more noteably her 29 triples made ranks 13th nationally. Senior guard
Tia Hemiller has reached double figures for eight straight games to average 11.8 points per game. Hemiller also leads the Coyotes with 5.9 rebounds per game.
Pre-Season Players of the Year Match UpSouth Dakota's Seekamp was dubbed the Summit League Pre-Season Player of the Year back in October. North Dakota's Loyd received the same recognition as the Big Sky Pre-Season Player of the Year. Seekamp remains among the nation's elite in assists and steals, with her 3.67 steals per game ranking sixth and 6.7 assists per game at seventh. Loyd is one of 31 players in the nation to have four double-doubles this season. Loyd's averaging 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Last Time OutSouth Dakota used an unanswered 18-point run early in the first quarter to run away from Dakota Wesleyan in a 94-54 win. Thursday was an all-around team win for the Coyotes. All 12 Coyotes saw 10 or more minutes on the court and scored at least three points. A total of 11 players grabbed a rebound or more, 10 athletes stole the ball, and seven players had assists.
Last Meeting (USD won 86-81 in Vermillion on Dec. 21, 2014)The Coyotes got 29 points from
Raeshel Contreras to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit and top North Dakota 86-81 inside the DakotaDome.
Nicole Seekamp added 17 points and seven assists,
Kelly Stewart finished with 15 points, and
Tia Hemiller tallied 10 points and eight rebounds. South Dakota shot 53.3 percent beyond the arc, forced UND into 22 turnovers, and held a 44-28 advantage in points in the paint.
North Dakota also had four players in double figures. Dyer led the way with 23 points while Loyd posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Megan Lauck added 15 points and Emily Evers recorded 10 points.
One Last NoteBoth programs return three starters from last season and welcome a mix of newcomers onto the court. South Dakota has six new faces while North Dakota added nine.
