The Game
South Dakota visits Denver for a game at 8 p.m. (CST) Thursday evening inside Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colorado.
Fans can tune into the game on the Coyote Sports Network with Carter Woodiel, carried on KVTK 101.5 FM or 1570 AM in Yankton/Vermillion or by using The Varsity Network app. A live stream of the game is available on DenverPioneers.com.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (12-4, 5-0) defeated in-state rival South Dakota State 65-42 last Saturday for the team's 10th consecutive victory. USD takes the nation's fourth-longest winning streak on the road this week. The Coyotes are led by a trio of three seniors averaging double-figures.
Chloe Lamb averages 15.9 points per game,
Hannah Sjerven adds 14.1 and
Liv Korngable tallies 12.1 per contest. Second-year freshman
Kyah Watson is averaging nearly 10 points and five boards a game in Summit League play. South Dakota's scoring defense ranks 17th in the nation (53.8 points allowed).
The Pioneers
Denver (5-11, 0-5) played its first home game in more than a month on Monday as the COVID-19 pandemic altered the Pioneers' league schedule. Thursday will be Denver's second of four home games within nine days. Junior Uju Ezeudu is the Summit's reigning player of the week following 31- and 28-point performances in the state of North Dakota. Ezeudu is averaging 20 points and 9.4 rebounds in Summit action. Anna Jackson and Meghan Boyd join her in double-figure scoring this season.
The Series
South Dakota leads the all-time series 16-3. The Coyotes have won five-straight in the series and 16 of the last 17 meetings. This marks the latest USD-DU meeting in Summit play since 2015. For the last six years, the teams have met for the first time by Jan. 5.
One Last Thing
Hannah Sjerven sits 19 points shy of 1,500 for her career. Once she joins
Chloe Lamb in reaching that milestone, South Dakota will become one of six schools in the nation with two players with more than 1,500 career points. Sjerven's 1,000th career point came against Denver last year when she scored 48 points in a pair of back-to-back games.
