SDSU women end regular season with 12th straight win

Saturday, March 3

Newark, N.J.

2 p.m. ET

South Dakota State University

NJIT

1/1/1970 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

NEWARK, N.J. -- South Dakota State opened the game by building an 20-2 lead and coasted the rest of the way, defeating New Jersey Tech 72-47 in women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon as both teams wrapped up the regular season.

The Jackrabbits, who won their 12th game in a row, completed a 23-5 regular season. SDSU also extended its winning streak against Division I independents to 18 games, completing its second consecutive undefeated season against fellow independents with an 11-0 mark during the 2006-07 season.

NJIT ended its inaugural campaign at the Division I level with a 4-24 record.

SDSU built a 9-0 lead in the first three-plus minutes before NJIT got on the board with a basket by Jill Dickinson. The Jackrabbits then put together an 11-0 spurt as Jennifer Warkenthien scored six points and Megan Vogel added the other five in the run.

The two squads traded baskets throughout most of the rest of the first half, with SDSU holding a 32-20 advantage at the break.

The Jackrabbits scored the first seven points of the second half and built the lead to 22, 46-24, on a traditional three-point by Maria Boever at the 14:15 mark. SDSU would keep the lead at 20 or more points the rest of the way, leading by as many as 29 on four different occasions, the last at 62-33 with 6:45 left in the game.

Warkenthien led the Jackrabbits in scoring and rebounding for the second straight game, collecting 18 points and nine boards. Boever added 13 points in a reserve role and Vogel, playing her last regular season game, added 10 points, five assists and four steals.

SDSU shot 48.3 percent from the field, 28-of-58, including 4-for-18 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits made 12-of-18 free throw attempts for 66.7 percent.

The Jackrabbits won the battle of the boards, 39-32.

The Highlanders received 13 points from Dickinson and 12 points from Kelly Crowe. NJIT was held to 17-of-52 shooting from the field, 32.7 percent, including 2-of-12 from three-point range. At the line, the Highlanders were efficient, making 11-of-13 attempts, 84.6 percent.

SDSU will await word on a possible berth in the Women’s NIT on March 12.

SDSU Notes: The Jackrabbits lead the all-time series against NJIT 2-0 ... SDSU ended the regular season 20-0 when leading at the half ... in two games this week, Warkenthien averaged 19 points and 10.5 rebounds ... Boever reached double figures in scoring for the eighth game this season and sixth time in her last eight games ... the Jackrabbit bench accounted for 22 points, combining to record double figures in every game this season ... Vogel’s five assists tied a season high and her four steals tied a career high ... Vogel ended the regular season with 486 points for the season and 1,794 for her career, second on the Jackrabbit career scoring list ... SDSU’s 23 victories are the seventh most in a single season ... the Jackrabbits’ 12-game winning streak is their longest since opening the 2002-03 NCAA Division II national championship season with a 19-game streak

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 72 (23-5)
Jennifer Warkenthien 7-10 4-6 18, Courtney Grimsrud 4-7 0-1 8, Andrea Verdegan 3-8 2-2 9, Megan Vogel 3-8 3-6 10, Ashlea Muckenhirn 2-6 0-0 5, Alison Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Ketty Cornemann 1-6 0-0 3, Morgan Meier 0-1 0-0 0, Abby Kratovil 0-0 0-0 0, Maria Boever 6-7 1-1 13, Laura Nielsen 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 28-58 12-18 72.
NJIT 47 (12-16)
Aine O’Dwyer 2-7 0-0 4, Ali Baumlin 1-2 0-0 2, Kelly Crowe 4-10 2-2 12, Colleen Vogel 0-3 3-4 3, Jill Dickinson 6-1 1-2 13, Taiwo Oyelola 2-11 3-3 7, Alison Miller 1-2 0-0 2, Katie Piekielski 0-3 2-2 2, Kathryn Wighton 0-0 0-0 0, Kehinde Oyelola 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-52 11-13 47.
Halftime: South Dakota State 32, NJIT 20. 3-point goals--South Dakota State 4-18 (Cornemann 1-2, Vogel 1-3, Verdegan 1-4, Muckenhirn 1-5, Warkenthien 0-1, Meier 0-1, Anderson 0-2), NJIT 2-12 (Crowe 2-4, Vogel 0-1, O’Dwyer 0-2, Piekielski 0-2, Dickinson 0-3). Fouled out--none. Rebounds--South Dakota State 39 (Warkenthien 9), NJIT 32 (Crowe 7). Assists--South Dakota State 18 (Vogel 5), NJIT 12 (O’Dwyer 7). Blocked Shots--South Dakota State 4 (Grimsrud 2), NJIT 1 (Piekielski). Steals--South Dakota State 13 (Vogel 4), NJIT 8 (Crowe 3). Turnovers--South Dakota State 17, NJIT 21. Total Fouls--South Dakota State 14, NJIT 17. Technical Fouls--none. A-351.