VERMILLION, S.D.—Four Coyotes scored in double figures as South Dakota defeated UC Riverside 75-66 on Tuesday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
South Dakota (7-5) recorded the 50th victory by a Coyote team inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. Women's basketball, men's basketball and volleyball have a combined record of 50-6 inside the facility.
"I thought we did a great job of making adjustments against a tough team," said USD head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit. "Their skill and length presented a lot of problems on both ends and I am very proud of our resiliency to come away with a win tonight.
"Our focus shifts to recovering and preparing for a tough challenge in North Dakota on Thursday. We will need our fans to pack the Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Thursday in our last nonconference game of the year."
South Dakota junior guard
Allison Arens paced the Coyotes with 20 points, sophomore guard
Ciara Duffy pitched in a season best 16 points, redshirt-senior guard
Jasmine Trimboli had 12 and junior guard
Jaycee Bradley scored 11.
UC Riverside (3-9) also put four players in double figures. Senior guard Michelle Curry led the Highlanders with 19 points, redshirt-senior guard Lauren Holt added 13 points, while forwards Malou Thiebaut De Kergret and Skyler Lewis had 12 a piece.
The Coyotes jumped out to an early 15-4 lead with Duffy scoring seven of USD's points. South Dakota led 21-11 after the first quarter, but UC Riverside battled back in the second quarter with their own 14-4 run to close the lead to one. The Highlanders took their first lead of the game with a jumper from Curry in the first minute of the third quarter.
After trading baskets throughout much of the third period, Trimboli found freshman guard
Chloe Lamb for a 3-pointer that extended USD's lead to 51-45. A pair of Highlander buckets closed the gap again, but Lamb again knocked down the triple to start the fourth and make it 54-49.
South Dakota made 7-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final four minutes of the game to keep the Highlanders at bay.
South Dakota scored 30 points off 22 UC Riverside turnovers in the game with Trimboli recording a career best four steals. Two of her steals came early in the fourth quarter as she took away looks inside for the Highlanders and gave USD a pair of extra possessions.
Arens recorded her second 20-point game of the season as she finished a perfect 12-for-12 from the stripe. She became the first player since the 2014-15 season to finish perfect at the line when shooting at least 10 free throws.
Duffy added four rebounds, three assists and a career best three steals to her season-high 16 points.
Senior center
Kate Liveringhouse pitched in eight points, five rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals with no turnovers.
South Dakota wraps up the nonconference slate with former NCC and Great West foe North Dakota at 5 p.m. Thursday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
