South Dakota takes on Wichita State at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game will be broadcast by MidcoSN and picked up by ESPN+.
The Pre-Game Party
Join fellow Coyote fans outside of the Pentagon's suites 1 and 2 beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday for light appetizers and a pre-game party!
The Game
It's game two of the Thanksgiving week trio as the Coyotes host the Shockers in the Sanford Pentagon. This marks the Coyotes' third appearance at the Pentagon and first since
Dawn Plitzuweit's debut, a 75-68 win against SIUE to open the 2016-17 campaign. This marks the closest thing to a road game for the Shockers' nonconference slate. Wichita State's first true road game falls on Jan. 4 at Tulsa as the Shockers start American Conference play.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (3-1) brings back experience from its Summit League championship team with nine returning letterwinners. Six Coyotes reached double figures in the Coyotes' win on Sunday. It was the first time the Coyotes had done so since the 2016-17 season. Overall this year, nine of 14 Coyotes have tallied double-digits in at least one game. The Coyotes have had three different leading scorers through four games. Junior forward
Taylor Frederick leads the way at 15.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, in spite of playing less than a quarter in two of the four games. Redshirt-sophomore center
Hannah Sjerven has been a go-to in the post, averaging 11.3 points on a league-leading 76.9 percent from the floor. That field goal percentage also ranks sixth in the nation. Junior guard
Madison McKeever has pitched in 10.3 points per game, while five players average between seven and nine points per game.
The Shockers
Standing at 4-0, Wichita State is off to its best start since 1996-97 under second-year head coach Keitha Adams. Adams collected her 300th career victory in NCAA Division I as the Shockers topped Missouri State 63-60 in overtime. The Shockers are one of the youngest teams in the nation with eight true freshmen on their roster. Senior forward Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage leads the Shockers this season with 12 points per game. Wichita State has held opponents to 29.5 percent from the floor, the second-best figure in the American behind UConn, resulting in an 11.3 rebounding margin in the Shockers' favor. The Shockers grabbed 18 offensive boards in last year's meeting with the Coyotes, but South Dakota made 46.7 percent from the field to get the win.
The Series
Wichita State leads the all-time series with South Dakota 3-2. While the Shockers started off with the first three wins in the series that dates back to 1981, the Coyotes have taken the last two. The two programs met last season in Wichita with the Coyotes coming out on top, 62-48.
One Last Thing
Protect the rock. Early this season, the Coyotes have committed an average of just 10 turnovers a game. That ranks sixth in the nation and leads the Summit League this season. In Sunday's game against the College of Saint Mary, the Coyotes went 19 minutes without committing a single turnover.
