VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota women's basketball is set to host South Dakota State at 1 p.m. in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center as a part of the Interstate Series presented by First Interstate Bank. It is Alumni Day as USD welcomes back past players to be honored.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
• South Dakota women's basketball against South Dakota State will be available to watch on Midco Sports Two and on the Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus.
• Fans can listen to the Coyotes on KVHT 106.3 FM on the Coyote Sports Network with the voice of the Coyotes Jerry Palleschi on the broadcast.
 
PROMOTIONS
• Saturday is Alumni Day. Coyote WBB alumni will be honored during the game and there is a postgame social. More info and to RSVP can be found here.
• The National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic will take place prior to Saturday's game, and the clinic attendees will have a pizza party and hear from WBB alum Grace Larkins prior to the game. The attendees are also welcome to join us for starting lineup introductions.
• Fans are encouraged to wear red Saturday!
 
KEY STORYLINES
• As the halfway point of Summit League play is reached this week, South Dakota currently sits third in the Summit League standings with a 6-2 conference record, passing last season's conference win total for the Yotes (5).
• South Dakota rebounded from a loss at North Dakota State Saturday with a 67-55 win over St. Thomas Wednesday. The Yotes led by as much as 26 in the victory.
• Four Coyotes scored in double figures Wednesday night, led by Angelina Robles' 20 points in the first half.
• Two Coyotes recorded double-doubles in the same game for the second time this season: Elise Turrubiates (14p, 15r), and Josie Hill (11p, 10r).
• In USD's 16 wins so far this season, they've won by 20+ points 12 times, meanwhile USD has just two losses of 20+ this season.
• The Coyotes have distributed the wealth on the scoring front this season, with 12 of their 14 players who have played scoring in double figures at least once.
• Two Coyotes are in the top 10 in scoring during conference play. Molly Joyce averages 15.8 points (4th) and Angelina Robles 13.8 points (6th) per game.
• Robles leads the conference in assists during conference play, totaling 34 for a 4.3 per game average. She is fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5.
INSIDE THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SERIES
• The Coyotes and Jackrabbits meet for the 104th time in series history.
• The oldest and most storied rivalry in program history adds another chapter Saturday, as USD and SDSU meet for the 46th time in Vermillion and 104th time overall.
• The Jackrabbits have had the upper hand in the series with a 35-68 record overall, including winning the last seven games in the series.
• Last season's meeting in Vermillion was a 77-59 win for South Dakota State.
• USD's last win in Vermillion was a 65-42 result during the 2021-22 season, with four Coyotes scoring in double figures.
• The Coyotes have a winning record over SDSU in the SCSC (5-3).
 
SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS
• South Dakota State finds themselves in second in the Summit League Standings for the first time since the 2021-22 season but are still off to a strong start with a 17-5 record overall and a 7-1 conference record.
• South Dakota State lost their first conference game since 2022 two weeks ago, a 76-68 result against NDSU in Brookings.
• Since then, the Jacks have been on a roll, going 3-0 with a margin of victory of 36.3 points in that stretch.
• The Jacks offense is one of the most efficient in the country, converting at a 47.5% clip (13th in the NCAA) and 35.2% from three (39th in the NCAA).
• South Dakota State is also eighth in the NCAA and first in the Summit League in fewest fouls per game (12.4).
• Brooklyn Meyer, the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, won her fifth Peak Performer of the Week honor this week. She leads the Summit League in scoring during conference play at 20.9 points per game.

RECORD VS THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
• The Coyotes have five Summit League regular season titles and four tournament championships since joining the conference in 2011 and have finished in the top four in the conference every season except one.
• South Dakota is 194-73 against the Summit League (previously Mid-Continent Conference) in program history.
• USD has winning records against seven of the eight current conference foes as members of the Summit League
• South Dakota has 20 or more Summit League wins against four current members in Summit League play history: Omaha (25), Denver (23), North Dakota State (22), and Oral Roberts (21).
 
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 116-26 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 58-14 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 (9-0) 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 seven programs with at least nine 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).
 
CAREER MARKS
• Career bests set against St. Thomas Wednesday.
• Elise Turrubiates recorded a career best 15 rebounds in a career high 38 minutes.
• Jenna Hopp matched career highs in rebounds (6), and made three-pointers (2).
 
SEASON HIGHS LAST TIME OUT
• Season highs set Wednesday against St. Thomas:
• Josie Hill set or tied season highs in rebounds (10), assists (3), field goals made (5) and minutes (30).
• Elise Turrubiates tied a season high in steals with three.
 
MILESTONE CHASING
• A handful of Coyotes are looking to reach some career milestones this season.
• Molly Joyce passed 1,000 career points in just her third collegiate season. She currently has 253 points as a Coyote.
• She is also nearing 100 career three-pointers, currently at 94.
• Angelina Robles passed 900 career points at St. Thomas, and now sits at 980 on her chase for 1,000.
• She can also pass 300 career rebounds with eight more.
• Josie Hill is nearing 1,000 career points, currently at 970 (140 as a Yote).
• She is also passed 400 made field goals in her NCAA career, currently at 404.
• Turrubiates passed 1,000 career points including NJCAA stats earlier this season, but passed 800 NCAA points at Omaha, currently with 821.
• She needs 16 more rebounds for 600 in her career. She has also passed 200 career offensive rebounds.
• Olivia Moore needs 10 points for 300 in her NCAA career.
• Jenna Hopp is nearing 300 career points, needing just three.
 
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.
• USD is ranked 18th nationally and is atop the Summit League in rebounding at 42.6 rebounds per game.
• The Coyotes are getting it done on both ends of the floor, ranking second in the conference in offensive rebounds at 12.8 per game, and ranking 11th nationally (first in the SL) in defensive rebounds at 29.8 per game.
• USD has outrebounded its opponents in 15 games this season.
• South Dakota broke the SCSC record for rebounds in a game for a second time this season against College of Saint Mary, totaling 63.
• The Coyotes previously set an SCSC record with 62 rebounds against Valparaiso.
• Patience Williams is 7th in the Summit League (128th in the NCAA) in total rebounds with 157. Her 7.5 rebounds per game is 7th in the Summit League and 162nd in the NCAA.
 
DEFENSE WINS
• South Dakota has been the best defensive team in the Summit League this season, holding opponents to 55.8 points per game.
• The Coyotes lead the Summit League in scoring defense (55.7), field goal percentage defense (32.9%), and three-point percentage defense (26.6%).
• The Coyotes also rank inside the top 20 nationally in three categories: 3rd in FG% defense, 11th in defensive rebounds, and 15th in scoring defense.
• South Dakota has held opponents under 30% shooting in eight 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 16.7 points per game (32nd in Division I).
   
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