VERMILLION, S.D. – Coyote women's basketball is off to its best start in over five years and will look to continue that trend 7 p.m. Friday night against Valparaiso.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
• South Dakota women's basketball against Valparaiso will be available to watch on Midco Sports and on the Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus. Jay Elsen is joined by Holly Sivesind on the broadcast.
• Fans can listen to Coyote women's basketball on the Coyotes Sports Network powered by Learfield on KVHT 106.3 FM with the voice South Dakota women's basketball Jerry Palleschi.
 
PROMOTIONS
• It is Wicked Night at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. Come enjoy Wicked themed media timeout entertainment and hear the Sound of USD perform songs from the soundtrack!
 
KEY STORYLINES
• South Dakota returns home from their first road trip of the season and are still unbeaten after picking up two last-second three-pointers to go 2-0 away from home.
• After last second heroics by Patience Williams in Manhattan, Kansas last Thursday at Kansas State, Angelina Robles hit a three-pointer at the buzzer Sunday to give USD a 64-63 win in Pocatello, Idaho against Idaho State.
• South Dakota is 5-0 to start a season for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
• South Dakota's margin of victory at home is 48.7 points per game through three games, compared to just 1 point per game on the road.
• Ten different Coyotes have scored in double figures over five games so far this season.

LAST TIME OUT
• South Dakota picked up a second straight one-point victory Sunday, defeating Idaho State 64-63 on a buzzer-beater from Angelina Robles.
• Three Coyotes scored in double figures in the win for USD: Angelina Robles (14 points), Jenna Hopp (13 points), and Elise Turrubiates (11 points).
• While the Coyotes struggled to find their rhythm offensively, they still won the rebound battle 44-38, including a career-high 18 boards for Patience Williams.
• For the second straight game, South Dakota handed the home team its first loss of the season.
• Idaho State led by six with 5:38 to play, marking the second straight game where USD trailed by two-plus possessions in the fourth quarter and came back to win.

CAREER MARKS
• A few career-highs were set by Yotes in Sunday's win over Idaho State.
• Jenna Hopp scored a career-high 13 points by tying a career-high five made field goals.
• Patience Williams dominated the glass to the tune of a career-high 18 rebounds.
• Williams also tied a career high with five made free throws.
• Elise Turrubiates tied two career-bests in Sunday's win: rebounds (11) and three-pointers made (3).
• Grace Peterson recorded her first career block in the game.
 
INSIDE THE VALPARAISO SERIES
• The Coyotes and Beacons meet for the 4th time in series history.
• The Yotes are 3-0 against Valpo in program history and are 2-0 in Vermillion.
• The last meeting between these two programs was in Dec. 2021. South Dakota was victorious 51-31 in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
• A trio of Coyotes scored in double figures as Chloe Lamb (11), Liv Korngable (10), and Hannah Sjerven (10) combined for 31 of USD's 51 points.
• In two trips of Vermillion, the Beacons have been held to an average of 46.5 points and have been outscored by an average of 19.5 points.

SCOUTING THE BEACONS
• Valparaiso is 0-4 to start the season, and is coming to Vermillion off a close, overtime loss to Milwaukee.
• The Beacons' season is off to a rocky start, falling in their first four games and are being outscored by an average of 30 points per game.
• Valpo does boast size on the roster with four players listed at over 6-2. They average 40 rebounds per game, including 9.5 on the offensive end.
• Friday's contest is Valpo's fourth road game in its first five games.
• The Beacons have two South Dakotans on their roster: Bella Swedlund (Winner, S.D.) and Isabella Anderson (Milbank, S.D.).
 
RECORD VS THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
• South Dakota has plenty of familiarity with the Missouri Valley Conference, with Friday being the 47th game against a member of the conference in program history.
• South Dakota is 28-28 all-time against Missouri Valley opponents.
• USD is undefeated against four MVC foes, Bradley (4-0), Indiana State (1-0), Southern Illinois (1-0), and Valparaiso (1-0).
• The Coyotes have one more Valley foe on the schedule this season as they head to Bradley in December.
• USD's last win over Valpo is the only previous meeting between the two with the Beacons as a member of the MVC. The other two games happened when Valpo was a Horizon League school.
• USD struggled against the Valley last season, losing their only game against the league to Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

MID-MAJOR TOP 25
• South Dakota women's basketball has been ranked No. 1 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 ten times since joining the Division I ranks, and after a pair of road wins last week, the Coyotes have joined the rankings again after their longest stretch not receiving votes in a decade.
• South Dakota is ranked No. 23 in the Nov. 18 Mid Major Top 25 poll.
• The Coyotes jumped from not receiving a vote in the Nov. 11 poll to ranked No. 23.
• It's South Dakota's first ranking in the poll since week 8 of the 2023-24 season (23rd).
• USD is one of two Summit League schools ranked in the Top 25 (SDSU at No. 1). One other conference foe is receiving votes (NDSU).
 
BUZZER-BEATER MAGIC
• In both South Dakota road games last week, the Coyotes hit three-pointers in the final seconds of the game to pick up one-point victories.
• Thursday at Kansas State, The Coyotes used a three-pointer from Patience Williams with just over one second left to take down the Wildcats 72-71.
• The make for Williams was her first of the game, scoring her only three points of the evening.
• It was USD's first win over a Power 4 Conference school since the Coyotes defeated Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
• Sunday, the magic carried over to Pocatello, Idaho, where USD's Angelina Robles buried a game-winning three-pointer to give the Coyotes a 64-63 win.
• Robles led the Coyotes with 14 points in the game, and she went 4-for-6 from three, including two triples in the closing minutes to give the Yotes a win.

10 YEARS OF SCSC SUCCESS
• South Dakota women's basketball kicks off its 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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