POCATELLO, Idaho – South Dakota women's basketball looks to conclude their first road trip of the season with a fifth straight win when it hits the floor Sunday at Idaho State.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
• South Dakota women's basketball against Idaho State 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 KVTK 101.5 FM/1570 AM with Carter Woodiel on the broadcast.
 
KEY STORYLINES
• South Dakota is on its first road trip of the season, defeating Kansas State to open the trip Thursday and concluding the trip Sunday in Pocatello.
• South Dakota's first road test of the season was a tough one, but they picked up the 72-71 win in Manhattan Thursday to continue their 4-0 start to the season.
• South Dakota is 4-0 to start a season for the first time since the 2019-20 season (started 5-0).
• Ten different Coyotes have scored in double figures over four 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
• South Dakota picked up their first win over a Power 4 Conference (Big 12, Big 10, ACC, SEC) since the 2021-22 season with Thursday's 72-71 win at Kansas State.
• South Dakota took the lead with 1.6 seconds left on a Patience Williams three-pointer assisted by Alyssa Bartlett.
• Five Coyotes scored in double figures in the win for USD: Tori Schlagel (15 points), Josie Hill (13 points), Jenna Hopp (11 points), Angelina Robles (11 points), and Molly Joyce (10 points).
• It's the first time since Dec. 2024 where USD had five players score in double figures.
• South Dakota forced 19 Kansas State turnovers to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
• USD outscored K-State 25-18 in the fourth quarter to overcome a six-point deficit  entering the final quarter of play.
 
CAREER MARKS
• South Dakota saw a couple of career-highs get set Thursday evening in Manhattan, Kansas.
• Jenna Hopp set career-highs in minutes (34) and blocks (3).
• Hopp also tied career-highs in rebounds (6), free throws (4), and steals (3).
• Tori Schlagel had a career-best 15 points on career-bests in made field goals (5) and three-pointers (3).
• Josie Hill hit a career-high three three-pointers in the win for USD.
 
INSIDE THE IDAHO STATE SERIES
• The Coyotes and Bengals meet for the 4th time in series history.
• The Yotes are 2-1 against Idaho State in program history, and are 1-0 in Pocatello.
• The last meeting between these two programs was in Jan. 2024. South Dakota was victorious 73-47 in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
• Two Coyotes scored in double figures in the last meeting: Grace Larkins with 19 points and Natalie Mazurek with 12 points.
• In USD's lone trip to Pocatello during the 2011-12 season, South Dakota earned a 66-54 victory led by Tempestt Wilson's 19 points.

RECORD VS THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
• The Coyotes have had success against the Big Sky Conference in program history, with even or better records against six of the seven conference members they've faced.
• South Dakota is 17-7 all-time against Big Sky opponents.
• USD is undefeated against two Big Sky Conference foes, Northern Arizona (4-0) and Portland State (2-0).
• South Dakota has two more Big Sky opponents on the regular season slate, as the Big Sky-Summit Challenge returns for a third season.
• USD's last win over Idaho State was a part of the first Big Sky-Summit Challenge that the Summit League won.
 
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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