The Game

South Dakota women's basketball faces Omaha in the Summit League Tournament Championship at 1 p.m. Tuesday inside the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. No tickets will be sold for the tournament. The game will be televised nationally by espnU with commentary from Kevin Fitzgerald and Steffi Sorensen. Fans can also tune into the game on the Coyote Sports Network with Carter Woodiel on KVHT 106.3 FM in Yankton/Vermillion, KWSN 98.1 in Sioux Falls or by using the TuneIn app.
 
Stay tuned to GoYotes.com for all of your Summit League Tournament information.
 

The Coyotes

South Dakota (18-5, 12-2 Summit) is playing in its eighth title game in nine years of eligbility. The Coyotes are seeking their third-straight NCAA Tournament berth and third Summit League Tournament trophy (2014, 2020). USD is the defending Summit League Tournament champion and senior Hannah Sjerven is the reigning Summit Tournament MVP. The Coyotes are coming off an 81-55 semifinal victory over North Dakota State. The Coyotes are rolling with back-to-back 20-point wins headed into the final. South Dakota's three all-league picks (Sjerven, Chloe Lamb, Liv Korngable) have combined for 108 of USD's 170 points this weekend. Lamb and Korngable are both shooting above 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3 in the tournament. Lamb enters Tuesday's game 18 points from entering USD's top-10 for career scoring. She would become the third Coyote coached by Dawn Plitzuweit inside the top-10.
 

The Mavericks

Omaha (7-12, 4-8 Summit) is in the midst of a Cinderella story under first-year head coach Carrie Banks. The Mavericks bounced top-seeded South Dakota State with a 52-40 upset in the first round, becoming the first eight seed to win a game in Summit League Tournament history. Omaha followed it up with a 69-55 win over Western Illinois in the semifinals. This marks the first Summit League title game appearance for the Mavericks. The Mavericks have given up just 47.5 points per game in the tournament by slowing down the tempo. Claire Killian (14.5 points) and Josie Filer (13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds) have paced the Mavericks in the tournament. While Banks is new to the Summit League, this isn't her first time facing Plitzuweit's Coyotes. She was on the Ohio State bench last season as the Coyotes defeated the Buckeyes in a nonconference tournament game in Las Vegas.
 

The Series

Due to unusual circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this marks the first meeting between the Coyotes and the Mavericks this season. South Dakota leads the all-time series 49-35 and the two squads have split the two meetings in Sioux Falls. The last time these two teams met was a year ago in this tournament. The top-seeded Coyotes defeated Omaha 99-40 in the quarterfinals.
 

One Last Thing

Two female head coaches will take to the sideline of the Summit League Tournament title game for the first time since 2014.
 

Jack and Charlie's Summit League Challenge

We may not be able to cheer on our teams in person, but that doesn't ruin the rivalry! There's a friendly competition taking place between the Coyotes and the Jacks this week. From now until March 9, every product sold at Charlie's store will "fill a seat" in the virtual scoreboard. Stock up on Coyote gear to support student scholarships and help USD in its race against SDSU. It's a win-win!