PORTLAND, Ore. – South Dakota women's basketball will look to bounce back from a loss for the first time this season when the Coyotes take on Portland State Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT) in Portland.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
• South Dakota women's basketball against Portland State will be available to watch on ESPN+.
• Fans can listen to the Coyotes on KVTK 1570 AM/101.5 FM on the Coyote Sports Network with the voice South Dakota women's basketball Jerry Palleschi.
 
KEY STORYLINES
• The month of November was a successful one for the Coyotes, going 7-0 for the first time since 2002-03 before slipping in the final game of the month Saturday at Wyoming. Now, South Dakota hopes to carry the positive momentum to the final month of 2025.
• USD is 2-1 on the road so far this season, picking up last second wins over Kansas State and Idaho State earlier this season.
• In the season's first NCAA NET Rankings Monday, South Dakota was ranked No. 79. That is USD's highest NET since ending the 2021-22 season at No. 26.
• Ten different Coyotes have scored in double figures so far this season despite using the same starting five in every game.
• This is USD's first Wednesday game of the season. The Coyotes played on every day of the week except Wednesday in the month of November.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Coyotes dropped their first contest of the 2025-26 season with a 66-59 loss at Wyoming Saturday. • The Coyotes are now 0-4 in Laramie against the Cowgirls. South Dakota's last two non-conference losses have been to the Cowgirls.
• Angelina Robles recorded her first career double-double in the loss, totaling 20 points and 14 rebounds (a career high).
• Molly Joyce had her strongest scoring performance as a Coyote Saturday, pouring in 17 points.
• It was the first time this season where the Coyotes trailed at the half and allowed their opponent to shoot over 40% from the field. The Coyotes were also 0-for-11 from three, the team's first time failing to convert a triple since 2020.

INSIDE THE PORTLAND STATE SERIES
• The Coyotes and Vikings meet for the 4th time in series history.
• South Dakota and Wyoming are meeting for the first time in 10 years Wednesday night in Portland.
• The Coyotes have won all three previous meetings, two at home and one on the road.
• USD beat the Vikings 103-61 in Vermillion the last time these two meet.
• In USD's previous trip to the Pacific Northwest, the Coyotes won 86-57 during the 2014-15 season.
 
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
• Portland State is off to a rocky start to the season, sitting with a 2-5 record after the first month of the season.
• The Vikings spent much of the first month on the road, going 0-4 away from Viking Pavillion.
• After starting 2-0 at home, Portland State lost to UC San Diego 94-64 Sunday.
• The Vikings get to the free throw line frequently, leading the Big Sky in attempts and makes.
 
RECORD VS THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
• Round three of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge will take place Wednesday and Saturday.
• South Dakota is 17-7 all-time against the Big Sky.
• USD has gone 2-2 in four previous Big Sky-Summit Challenge games.
• The Coyotes are undefeated against two Big Sky opponents: Portland State and Northern Arizona.
• USD's other opponent for the Big Sky-Summit Challenge is Eastern Washington, a team USD hasn't played previous.

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.
• The Coyotes moved up to No. 16 in this week's poll.
• South Dakota was ranked No. 23 in the Nov. 18 Mid Major Top 25 poll.
• The Coyotes have gone from not receiving a vote two weeks ago to No. 16 now.
• Last week was 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).
 
CRASH THE GLASS
• The Coyotes have placed an emphasis on rebounding this season, and it has paid off so far as USD is one of the top rebounding teams in the country through nearly one month of the season.
• USD is ranked 26th nationally and is atop the Summit League in rebounding at 44.1 rebounds per game.
• The Coyotes are getting it done on both ends of the floor, ranking 82nd in the country and leading the conference offensive rebounds at 14.1 per game, while ranking 29th nationally (third in the SL) in defensive rebounds at 30 per game.
• The Coyotes set an SCSC record with 62 rebounds against Valparaiso.
• One of the rebounders in the country through the first three weeks of the year is Patience Williams, who ranks 43rd in the NCAA in total rebounds (72) and 59th in rebounds per game (9.0).
 
DEFENSE WINS
• Through the first three weeks of the season, South Dakota has been one of the best defensive teams in the country, holding opponents to 52.8 points per game.
• The Coyotes lead the Summit League in scoring defense (52.8), field goal percentage defense (31.4%), and three point percentage defense (23.5%).
• The Coyotes also rank inside the top 30 nationally in all of those category: 9th in FG% defense, 19th in 3PT% defense, and 20th in scoring defense.
• The Coyotes have yet to allow a team to shoot over 35% from three.
• South Dakota has held opponents under 30% shooting in four of their seven games this season.
• USD's strong defense has allowed for them to have one of the nation's best scoring margins as the Coyotes outscore their opponents by an average of 26.8 points per game (21st in Division I).

BUZZER-BEATER MAGIC
• In both South Dakota road games this season, the Coyotes hit three-pointers in the final seconds of the game to pick up one-point victories.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
 
MILESTONE CHASING
• A handful of Coyotes are looking to reach some career milestones this season.
• Josie Hill is nearling 1,000 career points, currently at 889 (59 as a Yotes).
• Hill is also nearing another two milestones. She needs three blocks to get to 150 in her career and needs six more rebounds for 600.
• Molly Joyce could also reach 1,000 career points in just her third collegiate season. She has 855  points between her time at Truman State and USD.
• Angelina Robles needs 15 points for 800 in her collegiate career.
• Elise Turrubiates needs just three rebounds for 500 in her NCAA career. She also needs eight points for 700.
• Turrubiates also reached 100 career steals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
• Alex Flattery needs three rebounds for 100 career boards in just her sophomore campaign.
 
10 YEARS OF SCSC SUCCESS
• South Dakota women's basketball is in its 10th season of calling the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, a building that has treated the Yotes well, home.
• USD is 112-24 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 in the building: 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 Sanford Coyote Sports Center (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).
   
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