VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota women's basketball hits the road for a regular season contest for the first time this season, taking on Kansas State Thursday afternoon in Manhattan, Kan.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
• South Dakota women's basketball will be available to watch on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
• Fans can listen to Coyote women's basketball on the Coyotes Sports Network powered by Learfield on KVHT 106.3 FM with Carter Woodiel on the broadcast.
 
KEY STORYLINES
• For the first time this season, South Dakota is hitting the road for a regular season matchup when they play in Manhattan Thursday afternoon.
• The Coyotes struggled on the road a season ago, picking up one win in true road games and two total wins away from the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
• This is the first time since the 1997-98 season that South Dakota started the season with three straight home games.
• South Dakota is 3-0 to start a season for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
• It's the first time USD has started the season with three straight home wins since the 1972-73 season based on available records.
• Nine different Coyotes have scored in double figures over three games so far this season. The Coyotes had seven different players score in double figures in a game at least once last season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Four Coyotes scored in double figures for a second straight game as South Dakota picked up a 104-54 win over Division III Buena Vista
• Angelina Robles and Elise Turrubiates led the Yotes with 17 points apiece. Joining them in double figures scoring was Josie Hill (14 points) and Olivia Kieffer (12 points).
• The first Coyote double-double of the season was achieved by Josie Hill Monday night, totaling 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
• After hitting four three-pointers in each of the first two games, the Coyotes heated up Monday, sinking 12 triples.
 
INSIDE THE KANSAS STATE SERIES
• The Coyotes and Wildcats meet for the 6th time in series history.
• The Yotes are 0-5 against Kansas State in program history, and are 0-4 in Manhattan.
• The last meeting between these two programs was in Nov. 2015. K-State was victorious 84-81 in overtime.
• Three Coyotes scored in double figures in that game, led by Caitlin Duffy's 21 points and Nicole Seekamp's 20 points and 10 assists. Kelly Stewart had 14 points.
• Both teams found postseason success in that 2015-16 season, as K-State made the second round of the NCAA Tournament and South Dakota won the WNIT.
 
RECORD VS THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE
• The Coyotes have faced Big 12 opponents more than any other Power 4 conference, playing a total of 36 games against the conference in program history.
• South Dakota is 7-29 all-time against Big 12 opponents.
• Five of South Dakota's seven Big 12 wins have come against Iowa State, including the program's first win over a Top 25 team.
• Of the other two wins, only one of the teams still represents the Big 12. USD defeated previous Big 12 member Nebraska once, and Baylor once.
• USD's win over Baylor was the program's last win over a Top 25 team and it came in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, giving USD's it's lone Sweet 16 appearance.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON HONORS
• South Dakota women's basketball was picked fourth in the conference's preseason poll after earning the seven seed in the conference tournament last season.
• Defending regular season and tournament champion South Dakota State was picked to win the conference again, followed by North Dakota State and Oral Roberts.
• With conference Player of the Year, USD's own Grace Larkins, graduating, SDSU's Brooklyn Meyer is the conference's preseason Player of the Year.
• South Dakota's Angelina Robles was named second team preseason all-Summit League.


10 YEARS OF SCSC SUCCESS
• South Dakota women's basketball kicks off it's 10th season in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Monday night.
• USD is 110-24 inside the SCSC since the building opened in 2016.
• The Coyotes have had a winning record in the SCSC in 8 of the 9 seasons played in the SCSC.
• South Dakota has a record of 58-13 against Summit League foes in the SCSC, including a winning record against all eight current foes.
• USD is undefeated against two Summit League opponents: North Dakota (8-0) and Kansas City (4-0)
South Dakota has had two undefeated seasons at home during the SCSC era: 2018-19 and 2020-21.
USD's first win against a Top 25 opponent during the Div. I era came in the SCSC (No. 23/22 Iowa State on Nov. 28, 2018).
 
THE TRANSFER PORTAL ERA
• Over 1,500 women's basketball players entered the transfer portal following the 2024-25 season. USD is one of at least six programs with 13+ newcomers.
• USD is one of at least seven programs with 13+ newcomers.
• USD is one of at least 7 programs with at least 9 transfers.
• Seven of USD's nine transfers come from Div. I programs, including two from Summit League foes.
• South Dakota's transfers hail from 6 states: California (1), Iowa (4), Minnesota (1), New Mexico (1), South Dakota (1), and Washington (1).
 
NEW FACES ON THE BENCH
• Not only did the Coyotes bring in new players, but two new coaches will join Eighmey's staff in year two.
• Paul Fessler comes to USD as an assistant coach after one season at Georgia Southern, but also has strong ties to the Summit League, the Midwest, and to success.
• Fessler was a 16-year head coach of Concordia-St. Paul, where he racked up 326 wins and 10 NCAA Championship bids.
• After moving to the Division I ranks, Fessler coached at Bradley, making the NCAA Tournament in 2021, and at Kansas City before heading south.
• The second assistant coach to join the Yotes is Dalton Smith, a former student assistant for Eighmey's Nebraska-Kearney squads.
• Most recently, Smith was a director of video operations and analytics for Kansas State for the last three seasons.
• Smith was a student assistant for Eighmey and the Lopers, where UNK racked up 62 wins in three seasons.
• He then completed his Master's and was a GA for Wayne State, where he worked with two NSIC South Division Player of the Year athletes.  
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