Box Score

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--Nicole Seekamp scored a season-high 25 points and Kelly Stewart logged her first collegiate double-double as top-seeded South Dakota christened Denny Sanford PREMIER Center with a 78-70 win against eighth-seeded Fort Wayne Saturday in the first game of the Summit League Tournament.

The Coyotes (24-6), the defending champions of the event, advanced to Monday's noon semifinal. They will face either Western Illinois or IUPUI, the four and five seeds, respectively.

Seekamp scored layups on three consecutive possessions that turned South Dakota's 64-62 deficit into a 68-64 lead with 2:44 to go. She found Lisa Loeffler cutting to the hoop for two more points that made it 70-64 with 1:34 left. It was one of eight assists for the senior guard, who has averaged 20 points in seven Summit Tournament games.

Fort Wayne (9-21) got 21 points from Haley Seibert and 20 more off the bench from Kamilah Carter. The Mastodons led 23-15 with eight minutes to go in the first half and by a point, 34-33, at the break.

Fort Wayne shot 48 percent (14-29) in the first half while holding the Coyotes to 29 percent (9-31). South Dakota kept the pace by making 13 of 16 free throws in the opening stanza.

Coyote guard Raeshel Contreras made three-pointers on the first possession of both halves and had 12 points - all on 3's - in the game. South Dakota made four triples in the first three minutes of the second half to lead 47-37.

Seibert, a 5-foot-5 guard who averaged 28 points in two games against USD during the regular season, made five of her first six shots Saturday in stoking Fort Wayne to its early lead. She didn't score in the second half until the seven-minute mark, then hit two shots and made two free throws to cap a 9-2 run that gave Fort Wayne a 64-62 lead with 4:22 left.

Then Seekamp struck, willing her way to the hoop on consecutive possessions. Out of a media timeout, Loeffler hit Seekamp with a back-door cut to the hoop for two points and a 68-64 lead. Two possessions later, Seekamp threw a pass from the corner to Loeffler cutting on the back side for an easy layup and a six-point advantage.

Seekamp scored 10 points in the final four-plus minutes. For the game, she was 8 of 15 from the field and made all eight free throws. South Dakota made 23 of 28 from the line compared to 8 of 8 for Fort Wayne.

South Dakota's unsung hero was Stewart, who made plays at opportune times. Her steal and score towards the end of the first half cut Fort Wayne's lead to three and brought the crowd to life for the first time. A Stewart 3 gave USD its first double-digit lead at 47-37. She also knocked down two free throws with 35.3 seconds left that gave South Dakota a 74-66 edge.

On the defensive end, Stewart pulled down seven rebounds, had two blocks and two steals. She blocked Carter's layup try in the closing minute that preserved USD's 72-66 lead.

South Dakota shot 51 percent in the second half and finished with a 39-32 edge on the boards. Loeffler had seven rebounds to go with five points. Margaret McCloud had eight points and six rebounds.

The Coyotes improved to 6-1 in seven Summit League Tournament games. South Dakota will enter Monday's semifinal having won nine of its last 10.