The Game
No. 24/18 South Dakota women's basketball hosts Oral Roberts at 1 p.m. Sunday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. It marks the end of a four-day stretch with a Coyote basketball game every day.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Ahead of tip-off on Sunday, South Dakota hosts its fourth-annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic. Several Coyote women's programs are involved with the clinic, while the young girls participating will welcome South Dakota women's basketball to the floor during starting lineups.
The Coyotes
The No. 24/18 South Dakota (18-2, 7-0 Summit) defense has been stellar of late – improving nearly 60 spots in the national rankings in 10 days. South Dakota's held four-straight foes under 50 points. Those opponents have shot an average of 29 percent from the floor and 14 percent from 3, while the Coyotes have boasted a winning margin of 41.5 points per game. Another lockdown performance Sunday would give USD two-straight seasons with streaks of five games keeping foes under 50. South Dakota's also leading the lead offensively at 81 points per game. Four Coyotes –
Ciara Duffy,
Hannah Sjerven,
Chloe Lamb and
Taylor Frederick – are averaging double-figures during Summit action.
The Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts (8-11, 3-3 Summit) looks to bounce back from last weekend's loss at Western Illinois. The Golden Eagles had won three-straight Summit games prior to that. Junior Keni Jo Lippe has become a do-it-all guard for the Golden Eagles this season, leading Oral Roberts in scoring (18.4), rebounding (7.3) and assists (2.7). She scored her 1,000th career point last time out at Western Illinois. Lippe was a preseason all-Summit League pick for the Golden Eagles. Rylie Torrey joins her in double-figures this season with 13 points per game.
The Series
South Dakota leads the series with Oral Roberts 11-3. The Coyotes have won nine-straight dating back to January of 2016. The Golden Eagles have kept things close the last few years, including leading for 34 minutes in last year's Vermillion matchup, but the Coyotes ran away with it after a 27-10 fourth quarter.
One Last Thing
The Coyotes have won 21-straight home Summit contests by an average of 27 points.
