The Game
No. 25/21 South Dakota travels to North Dakota State for a league contest at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Scheels Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
 
The Coyotes
No. 25/21 South Dakota (15-2, 4-0) is off and running in league play, defeating its first four Summit foes by an average of 32 points per game. While the 3-point shooting has not been as sharp as it was during nonconference action, the Coyotes have dominated the game in the paint and averaged 23 points per game off turnovers. USD has also stepped up its game on the glass, improving from fifth to first in the league in rebounding margin (+5.4) over the last three weeks. Senior guard Ciara Duffy continues to lead the Coyotes with just shy of 17 points per game, while she also ranks ninth in the nation with 94 assists. She tallied a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists last time out.
 
The Bison
North Dakota State (3-12, 0-3) is under the direction of a new head coach this season. Jory Collins comes to Fargo after spending the last 13 seasons in Kansas. He was at the University of Kansas as an assistant in 2018-19 with the 12 years prior spent at Emporia State (Div. II). He boasts a 199-56 record in eight seasons as a head coach at Emporia State. Emily Dietz and Michelle Gaislerova are both averaging just shy of 14 points each to pace the Bison. One area that NDSU has dramatically improved this season is in not turning the ball over. NDSU was seventh in the league for turnovers last year. This season, they rank second behind USD with 15 per game.
 
The Series
North Dakota State leads the series with South Dakota 42-31, although the Coyotes have won 13 of the last 14 games in the series. South Dakota swept all three games against the Bison last season, including a 74-51 quarterfinal win the Summit League Tournament.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota put four in double-figures against Omaha (Duffy, Hannah Sjerven, Taylor Frederick, Chloe Lamb), marking the ninth time this season that four or more players have reached double-digit scoring. The Coyotes have accomplished the feat three times in league play already.