The Game
South Dakota women's basketball travels to North Dakota State for a game at 7 p.m. Thursday evening inside the Scheels Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
The game will be televised by WDAY XTRA with commentary from Dom Izzo, Amy Ruley and Logan Campbell. That broadcast will also be available for streaming on espn+ (subscription required). Fans can tune into the game on the Coyote Sports Network with Carter Woodiel, carried on KVTK 101.5 FM and 1570 AM in Yankton/Vermillion or by using The Varsity Network app.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (16-4, 9-0) owns the nation's longest winning streak at 14 games. The Coyotes have won 18 in a row against Summit foes. South Dakota's defensive intensity has been leading the way this season, holding foes to 52.6 points per contest (12th in the nation). If sustained, that mark would set a USD program record in the 3-point era. The trio of 'super' seniors in
Chloe Lamb,
Hannah Sjerven and
Liv Korngable pace USD in double-figures. Lamb's been in double-figures for 16 of 18 games and dropped 27 in the last outing with the Bison. Korngable's averaged 17 in the last three games. The 'super' freshmen duo of
Maddie Krull and
Kyah Watson have averaged eight points each in the last 10 games to round out the starters.
The Bison
North Dakota State (8-11, 4-5) sits fifth in the Summit standings entering the second half of league play. The Bison are led by Heaven Hamling and Ryan Cobbins with 13.6 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Hamling ranks 31st nationally with 44 made 3-pointers this season. The Coyotes' defensive goal Thursday night will be to defend the Bison without fouling. NDSU ranks 16th nationally in free throws made.
The Series
North Dakota State leads the all-time series 42-37, a gap the Coyotes have closed with USD winning the last 12 in a row. South Dakota leads the series 21-3 since joining the Summit League. In the first meeting of the season, USD won 65-38 in Vermillion led by 27 points from
Chloe Lamb.
One Last Thing
Perhaps one of the most impressive statistics so far in league play has been USD's 3FG% defense, holding Summit foes to 25.9 percent from deep. The Summit is one of the best 3-point shooting leagues and this year is no exception. The Coyotes are 60th in the nation for 3-pointers made, yet are they are sixth in the Summit. The Bison are one of five teams ahead of them in the nation's top-50 and NDSU's Hamling leads the league in 3-point percentage (.400).
