MINNEAPOLIS—Senior guard Kelly Stewart tied her career high 19 points to lead five Coyotes in double figures in a 101-89 win over Minnesota in the second round of the WNIT at Williams Arena on Sunday.
 
"Out of the gates we were initially a little shell shocked and bracing ourselves a bit," commented head coach Amy Williams. "When you come out against a team that is as good in transition as Minnesota, it can be a little natural. Once we settled down and took better care of the basketball we played a great second half."
 
South Dakota (28-6) knocks Minnesota (20-12) out of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The Coyotes host Northern Iowa in the third round of the WNIT at the DakotaDome Thursday at 7 p.m.
 
Stewart made 8-of-14 from the field and was one board shy of a double-double.
 
Summit League Player of the Year senior guard Nicole Seekamp posted her 10th collegiate double-double with 18 points and a career high 14 assists. Seekamp also surpassed 2,000 career points.
 
Big Ten Player of the Year guard Rachel Banham led Minnesota with a game-high 37 points. Banham shot 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field and made 7-of-8 free throw attempts. Guard Carlie Wagner scored seven of her 18 points in the first quarter. Wagner also grabbed eight rebounds. Center Karley Barnes was the third Gopher in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
Five Gophers scored during Minnesota's 17-4 run early in the first quarter to reach their largest lead of the game at 22-9. The Coyotes answered with their own 10-0 run to make it a single-possession game.
 
With five minutes to go in the first half, freshman guard Jaycee Bradley followed her made jumper with a 3-point field goal to put the Coyotes up 35-33. Bradley would finish with eight points. Minnesota tied the score twice before the half, when South Dakota held a 45-43 lead.
 
The Coyotes used a 12-2 run to close the third quarter with a 12-point lead. Junior guard Caitlin Duffy scored five of her 17 points during the run. Duffy made five triples and dished out four assists in the game.
 
Senior guard Tia Hemiller also stole an inbounds pass from Banham, went up for a layup and completed the 3-point play during the run. Hemiller's stat line included seven points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals. Hemiller was also tasked with guarding Banham, who scored an NCAA record with 60 points at Northwestern earlier this year.
 
"I am so proud of Tia," said Williams. "I thought she played great defense and even got her hands on a couple of crossovers. To be able to keep control offensively with six assists and one turnover when tasked with a defensive assignment like that is incredible. Rachel Banham is an incredible player, but when we make her take 32 shots to get her 37 points, then we have done a pretty good job defensively."
 
South Dakota's bench contributed 36 points with 14 apiece from junior guard Jasmine Trimboli and sophomore center Kate Liveringhouse. Liveringhouse also grabbed eight rebounds.
 
South Dakota finished 39-of-84 from the field for 46.4 percent. The Coyotes scored 13 triples against Minnesota's 2-3 zone. Additionally, the Coyotes improved to 18-0 when scoring at least 90 points during Williams' tenure.
 
The Coyotes edged the Gophers in rebounds 47-43. South Dakota scored 20 second-chance points off 17 offensive rebounds.
 
South Dakota reached 2,693 points this season with the win, breaking the single-season team record for points. The 2015-16 Coyote squad broke single-season records for assists and field goals made in the win over Creighton last Wednesday.
 
Sunday was South Dakota's first win over Minnesota in the series history. It was USD's second Big Ten win this season.