NEW YORK—South Dakota women's basketball ranks No. 17 in the final Associated Press Poll of the season released Tuesday.
No. 17/11 South Dakota completed its season 30-2 and ended the year on a 19-game winning streak. The Coyotes became the first program in Summit League history to run the table in the league regular season and capture the Summit League Tournament. The Coyotes' average margin of victory over Summit foes was more than 30 points per game during that 19-game stretch.
South Dakota was one of many successful women's basketball teams across the country who's seasons came to an abrupt halt last week when the NCAA announced the cancellation of all winter and spring championships. It marks the first time in history that the NCAA Tournament will not be played.
This marks South Dakota's 12th week in the Associated Press Poll, extending the Summit League record for the most weeks in the poll in a single season.
In the final USA Today Coaches Poll announced yesterday, the Coyote women ended the season ranked No. 11 by the coaches. It was the highest that any Summit League team has ranked in either national poll. South Dakota was ranked for 16 weeks in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season, also a league record.
The Coyotes were led by the espnW Mid-Major Player of the Year
Ciara Duffy. She averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists per game in her senior campaign.
Junior center
Hannah Sjerven, another Summit League first team honoree, averaged 12.2 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds and two blocks per game. Junior guard
Chloe Lamb, a second-team all-Summit pick, averaged 11.2 points with a league-best 47.1 percent from 3-point range. Senior forward
Taylor Frederick, the league's Sixth Woman of the Year, finished with 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
South Dakota head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit, a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year, moves to the top of the Summit League charts for winning percentage both overall (.821) and in league play (.887).
No. 17/11 South Dakota reached 30 wins for the third time in program history. The Coyotes' program record of 33 wins was set in 2007-08 when the team finished runner-up at the NCAA Division II Tournament, while USD tallied 32 wins with a Women's National Invitation Tournament title in 2015-16.
|
Record |
Pts |
Prv |
| 1. South Carolina (26) |
32-1 |
746 |
1 |
| 2. Oregon (4) |
31-2 |
724 |
2 |
| 3. Baylor |
28-2 |
676 |
3 |
| 4. Maryland |
28-4 |
654 |
4 |
| 5. UConn |
29-3 |
642 |
5 |
| 6. Louisville |
28-4 |
588 |
6 |
| 7. Stanford |
27-6 |
560 |
7 |
| 8. NC State |
28-4 |
543 |
8 |
| 9. Mississippi St. |
27-6 |
505 |
9 |
| 10. UCLA |
26-5 |
501 |
10 |
| 11. Northwestern |
26-4 |
394 |
12 |
| 12. Arizona |
24-7 |
385 |
13 |
| 13. Gonzaga |
28-3 |
359 |
11 |
| 14. Oregon St. |
23-9 |
321 |
14 |
| 15. DePaul |
28-5 |
298 |
15 |
| 16. Kentucky |
22-8 |
283 |
16 |
| 17. South Dakota |
30-2 |
259 |
17 |
| 18. Texas A&M |
22-8 |
246 |
19 |
| 19. Florida St. |
24-8 |
239 |
18 |
| 20. Indiana |
24-8 |
194 |
20 |
| 21. Iowa |
23-7 |
174 |
21 |
| 22. Princeton |
26-1 |
163 |
22 |
| 23. Missouri St. |
26-4 |
121 |
23 |
| 24. Arkansas |
24-8 |
97 |
24 |
| 25. Arizona St. |
20-11 |
31 |
25 |
