The Game
No. 21/16 South Dakota returns home to host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. Thursday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D.
The Coyotes
No. 21/16 South Dakota (22-2, 11-0 Summit) returns home after a three-game road trip. The Coyotes have won 22-straight home Summit League games by an average 27-point margin. Six Coyotes –
Ciara Duffy,
Taylor Frederick,
Chloe Lamb,
Hannah Sjerven,
Madison McKeever,
Jeniah Ugofsky – scored in double-figures last time out at North Dakota. Duffy's been in double-figures for 23 of 24 games this season and was recently named a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. Sjerven and Frederick have split court time in the post, with both averaging double-figures in Summit play and leading the league with the top-two field-goal percentage averages. McKeever's reached double-figures in three of the last four games. Ugofsky had a career high against North Dakota for her first double-digit game.
The Leathernecks
Western Illinois (13-11, 7-4 Summit) is 7-1 against Summit foes not located in the Rushmore State this season. All-Summit guard Olivia Kaufmann has been a steadying leader throughout the season for the Leathernecks, averaging 16.7 points per game. Fellow senior Annabel Graettinger was the Leathernecks' second-leading scorer until she went down to injury in the first meeting with the Coyotes. Sophomores Danni Nichols and Evan Zars have stepped up in her absence. The pair combined for 50 of Western's 83 points last time out against Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Series
South Dakota leads the series against Western Illinois 15-3, having won five in a row dating back to WIU's regular season title in 2017. The Coyotes won the first meeting this season 96-65 in Macomb behind 20 points from Lamb.
One Last Thing
The Coyotes are one of 13 teams undefeated in conference play this season. South Dakota has been rolling through the Summit in an impressive fashion, leading the nation in scoring margin for conference play. The Coyotes have bested Summit foes by an average 35.9 points per game, which is more than UConn in the American (33.7), Oregon in the PAC-12 (28.1), Baylor in the Big 12 (27.5) and South Carolina in the SEC (25.4).
