DENVER—Solid defense and a near triple-double by South Dakota guard
Grace Larkins propelled the Coyotes to a 59-50 road win at Denver Monday inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
It was South Dakota's second road win in three days and the Coyotes' eighth straight win in the series. Larkins had 17 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. South Dakota held Denver to its third-lowest point total of the season.
South Dakota (10-10, 6-3 Summit) got another big boost from redshirt freshman
Carley Duffney who matched Larkins' game-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and pulled down five rebounds. Duffney earned her second consecutive start, played a season-high 37 minutes and has averaged 15 points over her last five games.
Duffney scored 10 points in the second quarter while Denver totaled nine on 2-of-10 shooting. The result was a 30-20 South Dakota halftime lead. Duffney had 13 in the first half while Larkins had eight rebounds and six assists to go with six points.
Larkins made back-to-back 3's out of halftime to give USD its largest lead at 36-24 three minutes into the third quarter. But Denver responded with its best push of the game. The Pioneers' top scorer, Emma Smith, had eight points during a 14-4 Denver run that closed the gap to 40-38 with two minutes left in the frame. Larkins made a pair from the free-throw line and setup
Walker Demers for another bucket that gave South Dakota a 44-38 lead thru three.
Demers and
Alexi Hempe made buckets at the start of the fourth to push South Dakota's lead back to 10 and the Coyotes sat down and guarded the rest of the way. Denver mustered two points during a six-minute span and South Dakota knocked down some free throws to close it out.
South Dakota outrebounded Denver 39-27 and the Pioneers didn't score a single second-chance point. Demers had seven rebounds to go with 10 points. Hempe had six boards to go with seven points.
Smith led Denver (7-13, 3-6) with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Ally Haar made three 3-pointers and scored 12 points. Emily Counsel came off the bench to score seven points.
For Larkins, it is the closest she has come yet to a triple double and the fourth time she has flirted with one. The 11 rebounds and nine assists matched her career highs and the four steals are one shy of her best mark. She ranks in the top five of the Summit in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
South Dakota returns home to host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. Thursday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
