The Game
No. 20/15 South Dakota women's basketball travels to South Dakota State for a game at 2 p.m. Saturday inside Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D.
The Coyotes
No. 20/15 South Dakota (25-2, 14-0 Summit) clinched a share of the Summit League regular season title on Thursday, but looks to take it outright with a win over second-place SDSU Saturday. The Coyotes have been well-balanced throughout Summit League play with four players averaging double-figures. Senior guard
Ciara Duffy's averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists to pace the group in league play. A two-time Academic All-American, she was named Academic All-District earlier this week. Junior center
Hannah Sjerven's averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 boards in Summit action, while junior guard
Chloe Lamb's 11.6 points and senior forward
Taylor Frederick's 10.9 points round out the group in double-figures. South Dakota enters Saturday with 16-straight regular season Summit wins.
The Jackrabbits
South Dakota State (20-8, 12-2 Summit) welcomes the Coyotes for its Senior Day on Saturday. The Jackrabbits fell two games behind the Coyotes in the Summit standings after a 72-62 loss to Denver last week. SDSU could still clinch a share of the Summit title with a pair of Coyote losses in the final two games of the season. Sophomore Paiton Burckhard has stepped up for the Jackrabbits this season with 14.6 points and 5.9 boards per game. Senior Tagyn Larson joins her in double-figures with 11.2 points per game.
The Series
Saturday is the 89th edition of the Yotes vs. the Jacks with South Dakota State leading the series 57-31. This storied rivalry took a unique turn in Vermillion this January as South Dakota handed South Dakota State an 83-48 loss, the Jackrabbits' worst loss in Summit League play (previously 16 at Oakland in 2009). It was also the largest margin of victory on either side in the USD-SDSU series since 1995-96 season and the fifth-largest margin in the series all-time. The Coyotes have won in Frost Arena twice in the last four tries, but the Jackrabbits have a 30-10 home court advantage.
One Last Thing
The Coyotes are one of nine teams in the nation that remain undefeated in conference play this season. Three previously undefeated teams have lost a game in the last week.
