SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—Defense won the championship.
South Dakota's big three provided the offense and the Coyotes held South Dakota State to less than 25 percent shooting in a 56-45 victory in the Summit League Tournament championship game Tuesday inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
It is the third consecutive Summit League Tournament title for South Dakota and its fourth overall. The Coyotes (27-5) earn the League's automatic bid and have qualified for The Big Dance for the fourth consecutive year and the fifth time in 10 seasons at the Division I level.
Hannah Sjerven earned her 28
th collegiate double-double and eighth this season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Chloe Lamb added 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Both were named to the all-tournament team with Lamb taking MVP honors.
Liv Korngable, a third super senior, had 11 points and three assists.
But as it has been all season for this Coyote team, the defense shined brightest. South Dakota is the only team this season to hold the Jackrabbits to fewer than 50 points and now it's done it twice. SDSU averaged nearly 80 points per game in conference play while tying the Coyotes for best record. Tuesday, SDSU made 14-of-57 shots. It was the Jacks' lowest shooting percentage in five-and-a-half seasons.
The super seniors were a big part of that, but so were second-year freshmen
Kyah Watson and
Maddie Krull. Watson drew the defensive assignment of 2021 Summit League Player of the Year Myah Selland and won nearly every battle. Selland was 0-of-10 from the field and totaled five points, equaling her lowest scoring output of the season.
Tylee Irwin had 15 points and Paiton Burckhard made four first-half 3-pointers en route to 14 points. The Jacks made 8-of-23 from beyond the arc, but just 6-of-34 inside it.
It you need more proof of this team's defensive prowess, look no further than the fourth quarter. South Dakota made one field goal in the quarter– a Korngable 3-pointer with 6:20 to go – and outscored the Jacks 13-9 in the period anyway. Playing with the lead and making 10-of-14 free throws helped. So did holding the Jacks to 3-of-22 shooting over the final 10 minutes.
The cushion for that final quarter came in the third when South Dakota was able to extend a 23-22 halftime lead to 43-36. The Coyotes made 8-of-12 from the field in the third including a layup from
Grace Larkins as time expired. Lamb, who had seven first-half points, made two 3-pointers and totaled eight points in the third. Korngable made both shots she took for five more. Larkins made three field goals during the game for six points.
Lamb and Sjerven both averaged 18 points during the tournament run while Korngable averaged 10. All three shot better than 50 percent from the field. Sjerven also averaged nine rebounds and led the team with four blocks and six steals.
South Dakota awaits its NCAA Tournament draw with Selection Sunday scheduled for 7 p.m. CT March 13 on ESPN.
