SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—South Dakota used a 26-10 third quarter to secure a spot in the Summit League Tournament semifinal and defeat Denver 73-54 inside Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Saturday afternoon. The quarterfinal attendance of 9,816 marks a new Summit League record for any women's session.
 
"This is the time of year, it's about survive and advance and we were able to do that," said South Dakota head coach Amy Williams. "I thought in the first half, we were a little out of sync and part of that was a credit to Denver and the way they came out with intensity. I thought once we settled in and made some adjustments at halftime, we played a lot better in the second half."
 
South Dakota (25-5) won its 15th straight game by shooting 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from the field in the second half. Denver (5-25) drops its seventh consecutive game to the Coyotes.
 
Senior guard Kelly Stewart drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:38 to go in the first quarter that ended a six minute scoring drought from the field. She then hit another three from the same spot to shift the momentum at the start of the second quarter. Stewart finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
 
"I thought Kelly was huge in those first few minutes," Williams commented. "They would hit a huge three and she would come right down and answer with a big three on the other end. We have had that all year, where we lean on this player when things are not going well for this one and so forth. I think that's what has made us so tough to beat and successful because of the fact that we have lots of people we can lean on."
 
A 3-pointer from senior guard Nicole Seekamp with 6:22 to play in the second put the Coyotes in the lead for the final time. With early foul trouble, Seekamp was limited to 24 minutes on the court. The Summit League Player of the Year led the Coyotes in scoring with 17 points, six assists and two steals.
 
Senior center Margaret McCloud made a pair of layups to start the third quarter run. McCloud was 4-for-5 from the field for eight points while grabbing four boards.
 
With 6:41 to play in the third, senior guard Tia Hemiller scored three buckets in a span of less than two minutes. She made a pair of threes and layup with junior guard Jasmine Trimboli making the assist on each play. Hemiller totaled 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
 
"We only had five assists in the first half and we really stressed at halftime that if we want to win this game, we have to move the ball better and make the defense actually guard us," Hemiller said. "I thought we had great ball movement inside and out as we got more assists in the second half on open shots."
 
South Dakota finished with 19 assists led by Seekamp's six and Trimboli's four.
 
The Coyote bench, which averages 30 points per game, was 1-for-12 from the field at the end of the third quarter. Junior center Abigail Fogg had hit a jumper from the left elbow with 32 seconds to play in the third for the bench's first field goal. Fogg scored six points in 1:30 in the fourth to finish with 10 points. USD's bench finished with 21 points, with seven from the free-throw line.
 
Denver, which opened January, February and now March, against the Coyotes was led by guard Paige Bradley's game-high 19 points. Bradley was 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 behind the 3-point line. She also dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds. Forward Jesse Spittel was also in double figures with 10 points.
 
The Coyotes outrebounded the Pioneers 47-24. South Dakota scored 21 second-chance points off 20 offensive boards.
 
South Dakota faces the winner of the No. 4 Oral Roberts/No. 5 Western Illinois semifinal Monday at noon.