The Game
South Dakota women's basketball takes on Western Illinois at 3 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The game will be broadcast by Midco Sports with play-by-play from Jay Elsen, color from Greg Stemen and sideline reporting by Elaina Lanson. That broadcast will be available for streaming on espn+ and Midco Sports Plus (subscription required). Fans can tune into the Coyote Sports Network with Carter Woodiel on KVHT 106.3 in Yankton/Vermillion and on KWSN 98.1 in Sioux Falls, or by using the Varsity Network app.
If You Are Going…
Join USD fans, friends and alumni for a pre and postgame social in the Coyote hospitality room in Ballroom A of the Convention Center. The hospitality room opens two hours before and one hour after each game. A bar is available with light snacks provided. Note that all bars at the Convention Center and the PREMIER Center will accept credit card purchases only.
Cheer on the team as the players arrive at the tournament as a part of the Coyote Walk, 90 minutes prior to the game outside the hospitality room by lining the north side of the Convention Center hallway.
The PREMIER Center also has a clear bag policy.
Charlie's offers clear bags for $9.99.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (24-5, 17-1) clinched its share of the Summit League regular season title by traveling to Macomb for a Monday night make-up game versus Western Illinois. The Coyotes are led by Summit League Player of the Year
Chloe Lamb, Summit Defensive Player of the Year
Hannah Sjerven and all-Summit pick
Liv Korngable. The trio account for nearly two-thirds of USD's scoring this season. Second-year freshmen
Maddie Krull and
Kyah Watson join them in the starting line-up this season. Freshman
Grace Larkins was named the Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year, finishing as USD's fourth-leading scorer in Summit play. South Dakota has won the last two Summit League Tournaments (2020, 2021) and advanced to three-straight NCAA Tournaments.
The Leathernecks
Western Illinois (14-14, 5-12) is led by second-team all-Summit pick Danni Nichols and honorable mention honoree Evan Zars. Nichols joined Lamb on the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year midseason watch list. She's averaging 15.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Zars averages nearly a double-double with 10.8 points and nine rebounds per game. Elizabeth Lutz was named to the all-defensive team, leading the league in steals per game (2.2).
The Series
South Dakota leads the all-time series 20-3, with 10-straight wins dating back to the Leathernecks' Summit title in 2017. The Coyotes and Leathernecks have met just once in the Summit League Tournament back in 2014. Raeshel Contreras hit a buzzer-beater against them in the quarterfinals, which began a run to the Coyotes' first Summit League Tournament title. South Dakota defeated Western Illinois 70-53 and 75-48 in the first two meetings of the season.
One Last Thing
Lamb needs six points to tie for third on USD's career scoring charts. Her and Sjerven are moving up career lists in several categories in USD and Summit history.
