Sunday's Schedule
1 p.m. – Women's Game: No. 22 South Dakota (13-2, 2-0 Summit) vs. Denver (7-8, 1-1 Summit)
3:30 p.m. – Men's Game: South Dakota (9-7, 0-2 Summit) vs. Denver (4-12, 0-2 Summit)
 
Sunday's Links
Women's Links: Watch | Live Stats | South Dakota Notes | Denver Notes | Tickets
Men's Links: Watch | Live Stats | South Dakota Notes | Denver Notes | Tickets
 
The Women
South Dakota has won 30 of its last 32 Summit League games, but still fresh on the Coyotes' minds Sunday will be one of those two losses. Denver's Lauren Loven and Madison Nelson combined for 50 points in a 104-99 win over the Coyotes just over a year ago inside Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver. Loven buried six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 32 points, while Nelson had 18 points, nine boards and five assists.
 
South Dakota won the rematch, 73-58, in Vermillion, but Loven and Nelson are back as seniors and will try to lead an upset. Nelson, a 6-1 forward, leads the Summit in boards and is its second-leading scorer at nearly 18 points per game. Loven, a 5-7 guard, has hit more 3's than any player in the League.
 
On the other side is a USD team that posted dominant second halves to earn a pair of road wins to start conference play. The Coyotes' only two losses are to ranked teams, and they have won eight of their last nine overall. The offense continues to revolve around two-time Academic All-American Ciara Duffy, who averages 17 points per game while ranking amongst the national leaders in assists!
 
Behind Duffy is balance with five players averaging between 8-11 points a game. Hannah Sjerven will battle Nelson for boards while trying to stay out of foul trouble against a team that has made more free throws than any other at the Division I level. Chloe Lamb had 20 points in the Summit opener and Taylor Frederick has been terrific off the bench in recent games.
 
The Men
The men's game features two teams hoping the new year offers a new streak. Both teams are 0-2 to start Summit play. South Dakota has lost four in a row and Denver has dropped its last seven dating back to Dec. 3.
 
South Dakota swept the season series a year ago and has bested the Pioneers in six of the last seven matchups. The Coyotes feature the top two scorers in the conference in preseason player of the year Stanley Umude and senior forward Tyler Hagedorn, but a supporting cast is needed for the wins to come.
 
Point guard Triston Simpson, an all-Summit performer, was back in the lineup for conference play after missing seven games with an MCL injury. The Coyotes haven't quite been the same since he went down, winning three of nine following a 6-1 start.
 
Denver is a team that was picked to finish third in the Summit a season ago, but ultimately won just eight games all year and was the only team that failed to qualify for the Summit League Tournament. Senior Ade Murkey and sophomore Jase Towsend, both guards, are back and lead the team in scoring with 15 and 14 points per game, respectively. Denver has been great at guarding the 3, but offensively is averaging a league-low 63 points a contest.
 
Tickets (official link here)
For information on basketball tickets and all other South Dakota athletic events, call 605-677-5959, or email tickets@usd.edu. The Coyotes are home next Saturday, Jan. 11, in a doubleheader against Omaha. The South Dakota – South Dakota State Showdown Series games are Saturday, Jan. 18 (women) and Sunday, Jan. 19 (men). Get your tickets now!
 
Get the Gear
Visit Charlie's, the official online store of South Dakota athletics, for all the best apparel for game days. Go online, or find our store in downtown Vermillion.
 
Back the Pack
Join the team that supports the team by becoming a member of our Howling Pack, which promotes and financially supports the USD athletic department and all individual athletic teams. Click here to learn more.