Summit League Postseason AwardsThe Summit League announced senior guard
Nicole Seekamp as the Summit League Player of the Year on Thursday. Head coach
Amy Williams was named Coach of the Year and junior guard
Caitlin Duffy was named Transfer of the Year. Seekamp earned a spot on the all-Summit League first team, senior guard
Tia Hemiller earned a spot on the all-league second team, senior guard
Kelly Stewart was honorable mention and Duffy was also on the all-newcomer team. Read the complete release
online here.
#March2theSummitSouth Dakota clinched back-to-back Summit League regular season titles and the tournament opening game with its No. 1 seed last week. In the program's three years of postseason eligibility, the Coyotes have reached the tournament's championship game each year. South Dakota was crowed Tournament champions in 2014, advancing to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Stanford 81-62 in the first round. The Coyotes knocked off Denver 73-54 in the quarterfnal, with Oral Roberts as the next step in reaching the championship game. South Dakota is looking to become the ninth program in tournament history to advance to win as the No. 1 seed.
The SeriesThe Coyotes and Golden Eagles have never met in the Summit League Tournament, but are split 3-3 for home and away in the two team's three years in the league. Oral Roberts was the only blemish on South Dakota's otherwise perfect league record. The Coyotes couldn't seem to convert, finishing 18-of-63 (28.6 percent) from the field and missing eight field goals in the final minutes as ORU pulled away 60-56 in Tulsa. Golden Eagle guard Jordan Doyle scored a career high 19 points with 4-of-4 shooting behind that arc included a made half-court buzzer beater. Back in Vermillion, the Coyotes handily took care of business in a 71-48 win. Seekamp led the way with 17, Hemiller added 12 and
Abigail Fogg made the differential in the post with 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
The GameSouth Dakota has won 15 straight, the program's longest winning streak in the Division I era, for the 10th-longest active streak in the nation.
Defense has been crucial for Oral Roberts, ranking 37th nationally and leading the league in 3-point defense with opponents held to 27.2 percent outside the arc. In league play, the Golden Eagles averaged 58.1 points per game while holding opponents to 56.9 points per game. Kaylan Mayberry, a second-team all-Summit League honoree, leads the Golden Eagles with 11.7 points and 2.0 assists per game. Faith Ihim, the Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year, came off the bench in league play to score 10.2 points and grab 6.9 rebounds per game. She resumed her starting role in the quarterfinal against Western Illinois Sunday.
The Coyotes look to pit their fast offensive style, which ranks 10th nationally at 79.5 points per game, against Oral Roberts tough defense. South Dakota is led by the Summit League Player of the Year in Seekamp, who is the only player in the nation averaging 16 points, six assists and 2.5 steals per game. Seekamp had 17 points and six assists in the quarterfinal against Denver. Hemiller totaled 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the quarterfinal. Stewart also added 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. Fogg was the final player in double figures with 10 points in the second half.
A record number of gamesHemiller and McCloud set the school record for career games played on Saturday with 127. Seekamp broke the school record for career games started with 122.
1,000 PointsSenior center
Margaret McCloud and junior guard
Jasmine Trimboli scored the 1,000th point of their careers at Fort Wayne Feb. 25. McCloud became the 12th player in program history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
