SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—Omaha survived a first-quarter knock down, but it was a second-half TKO for South Dakota who won its second consecutive Summit League Tournament title with a 66-43 win in Tuesday's final inside the Sanford Pentagon.
 
Tournament MVP Chloe Lamb hit three 3-pointers and scored 17 points while teammate Hannah Sjerven led all players with 20 points and nine rebounds. South Dakota climbed the Summit with three wins all by more than 20 points. Lamb, Sjerven and Liv Korngable were picked to the all-tournament team.
 
Lauren Frost came off the bench to lead Omaha with 10 points and Elena Pilakouta added nine points. The Mavericks (7-13) were the first No. 8 seed to advance to the championship game.
 
South Dakota (19-5) scored the first 13 points of the game and led 15-5 after one. The Coyotes held Omaha to 2-of-11 shooting and forced four turnovers in the opening frame. Lamb and Korngable combined for 10 first-quarter points.
 
But Omaha countered. Mariah Murdie and Sophie Johnston hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 21-20 with 3:21 to go before halftime. Sjerven scored six points during an 8-1 South Dakota run to close the half and USD led 29-21 at the break.
 
It was a second 13-0 USD run early in the third quarter that sealed the deal. Lamb started it with a 3 and Maddie Krull and Sjerven also connected from downtown during the rally. South Dakota won the quarter 20-9 and cruised to its third consecutive NCAA tournament bid.
 
Omaha made just five field goals after halftime while the Coyotes made 16-of-29. Sjerven had 14 second-half points. Jeniah Ugofsky handed out five of her game-high seven assists in the second half. South Dakota had 19 assists on 26 buckets.
 
The win comes almost exactly one year after the Coyotes beat South Dakota State 63-58 in the final for what was then their second Summit Tournament title. It gave USD a 30-2 record and the program was eyeing a top-four NCAA Tournament seed and a chance to host a tournament game in Vermillion.
 
But of course that turned out to be the final game that squad would play due to COVID-19. One year later, and led by pieces old and new, South Dakota will (hopefully) get a chance to earn its first NCAA Division I tournament victory.
 
Lamb averaged 19 points and shot 61 percent from the floor on her way to being named MVP. She was an all-tournament player last season when Sjerven garnered MVP. Sjerven averaged 16 points and seven boards while shooting 57 percent. Korngable averaged 15.7 points and matched Lamb's 61 percent shooting.