The SeriesSunday's game will be the 71st meeting between the Coyotes and the Jackrabbits. South Dakota State leads the all-time series 46-24 in part thanks to a 21-game streak for the Jacks in the 1990s. Additionally, the Coyotes have not won in Frost Arena since they snuck away 58-57 in 1990. More recently, the Coyotes have taken one of three contests each of the last two seasons. Guard
Raeshel Contreras scored a career-high 32 to defend the DakotaDome and secure a regular season Summit League title in 2015. The Coyotes also defeated the Jackrabbits 72-58 en route to winning the 2014 Summit League Tournament.
The GameSouth Dakota head coach
Amy Williams earned her 76th Coyote win on Thursday at North Dakota State. A win Sunday makes her the third-winningest coach in program history.
On the court, the Coyotes are led by senior guard
Nicole Seekamp. Seekamp is the only player in the nation averaging above 15 points, six assists and three steals per game. Senior guard
Tia Hemiller recorded a 12-game streak of double-figure scoring this season to boost her average to 11.8 points per game. Hemiller also leads the team in rebounding with 6.1 a contest. Senior center
Margaret McCloud and sophomore center
Kate Liveringhouse have split time in the post with each averaging above seven points. McCloud's 58.2 field-goal percentage leads the Summit League this season while Liveringhouse's 52.9 percent from the field ranks fifth. Overall, the Coyotes' fast pace, coupled with accurate shootiong, stolen balls, and rebounding margin, has resulted in the 14th-best scoring offense in the nation at 80.0 points per game.
The style of Coyote basketball scores a lot of points but also gives up a lot of points with the number of posessions created. On the other hand, South Dakota State uses a tough defense to limit league opponents to 50.5 points. The Jacks have only allowed league opponents 33 percent from the field. Offensively, South Dakota State is led by pre-season all-league picks Macy Miller's 16.6 points per game and Kerri Young's 10.8 ppg. Freshman guard Madison Guebert is averaging 14 points in league play. South Dakota State is 7-1 at home this year and its three losses on the season have come against No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 6 Maryland, and Green Bay. The Jacks upset No. 16 DePaul in December.
Last Time OutSouth Dakota senior guard
Nicole Seekamp drained a game-tying bucket at the regulation horn and stole a pass to seal a South Dakota 96-94 win over North Dakota State at the end of the second overtime period on Thursday. It was the first double-overtime game for South Dakota since playing South Dakota State in 1991. Seekamp scored a team-high 25 points and dished out 10 assists for a double-double. Senior center
Margaret McCloud also posted her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore center
Kate Liveringhouse also scored in double figures wtih 11 points.
Leading the LeagueSouth Dakota leads the Summit League in points per game (80.0), field-goal percentage (44.7), rebounds per game (41.9) and assists per game (18.2).
Climbing the ChartsSeekamp has stamped a mark on program record books in several categories. Seekamp ranks third for career points (1,720), fourth in assists (494), and third in steals (226). She needs 39 points, 13 assists, or 23 steals to move up.
#MarchToTheSummitSouth Dakota finished 2014-15 with a 13-3 Summit League record and regular season title. The Coyotes only dropped road contests to Oral Roberts, IUPUI, and South Dakota State. A true test comes Sunday at league-leading South Dakota State.
