South Dakota and Colorado State meet for the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament at 1 p.m. Sunday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion.
The Game
Two separate paths brought South Dakota and Colorado State to the second round of the WNIT. South Dakota, in its eighth-straight postseason appearance, earned the automatic bid as the Summit League regular season champion. The Coyotes knocked off Houston, 65-58, at home in the first round. Colorado State received an at-large berth to the WNIT after finishing fourth in the Mountain West. The Rams used a fourth-quarter rally to top Summit foe Western Illinois, 67-64, in Fort Collins on Thursday. Both the Coyotes and the Rams are making their fourth WNIT appearance in the last five years. In that fifth year, each team reached the NCAA Tournament. Colorado State went dancing in 2016 while South Dakota made the tournament in 2014. The defensive showdown matches up Sunday as the Summit League's top defense meets the Mountain West's second-ranked defensive team.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (27-6, 14-0 Summit) earned the Summit League's automatic bid to the WNIT after becoming the first undefeated regular season champion since 1994. South Dakota is making its fifth appearance in the WNIT and fourth in consecutive years. The Coyotes are 10-3 all-time in the tournament. USD is led by first team all-Summit League honorees
Ciara Duffy and
Allison Arens each with 11 points per game, however, the Coyotes have had nine different leading scorers this season. That balance, coupled with USD's versatility in scoring both in the post and outside the arc, has led to USD's success this season. The league's best defense has bolstered the Coyote offense with 18.6 points off turnovers per game this season. The Coyotes also lead the Summit in all three shooting percentage categories for the second-straight season.
The Rams
Colorado State (21-11, 11-7 Mountain West) received an at-large berth to the WNIT after taking fourth in the Mountain West Conference. The Rams make their fifth consecutive postseason appearance under head coach Ryun Williams. In each of his four years at USD, WIlliams' teams held opponents under 60 points per game. His defensive focus has not changed as this year's Rams rank 32nd in the nation by only allowing opponents 57.1 points per game. Colorado State's offense features a balanced attack with only all-Mountain West guard Hannah Tvrdy in double figures (11.9). Tvrdy was also named to the Mountain West all-defensive team and grabs a team-high 6.3 boards a game. Senior guard Stine Austgulen adds 8.4 points per game while Mountain West all-freshman team guard Grace Colaivalu pitches in 7.5.
The Series
Colorado State leads the all-time series 4-1 with Sunday being the first meeting outside Fort Collins. The two programs met three times in consecutive years when Williams was at USD, with the last meeting between the Coyotes and the Rams coming in 2011. The lone Coyote win in the series came under legendary USD head coach Chad Lavin back in 1985 by a one point margin, 66-65.
One Last Thing
On Sunday, we welcome back a trio of former Coyotes who are now on Colorado State's bench. CSU head coach Ryun Williams previously spent 2008-12 in Vermillion as he guided the Coyotes through the transition to NCAA Division I. His assistant coach at CSU, Amber (Hegge) Cunningham, was Williams' star player at USD. She remains third on USD's all-time scoring charts with 1,759 points, second for blocked shots and fifth for rebounds. Williams' predecessor at USD, Chad Lavin, serves as CSU's Director of Women's Basketball Administration. Lavin (1982-86, 1998-08) remains USD's all-time winningest coach with a 273-138 record at South Dakota.
