Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 6 Washington on March 20, 2026 , Loss , 54, to, 72


12/16/2009 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the third meeting in as many seasons between Utah and South Dakota State in women's basketball, with each team winning on its home floor.
Utah opened the series with a 67-59 victory on Nov. 28, 2007, in Salt Lake City. Leilani Mitchell led a balanced Ute lineup with 16 points, while Kalee Whipple posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kristin Rotert led the Jackrabbits with 19 points, sinking 5-of-8 three-point attempts.
The Jackrabbits returned the favor with a 70-58 victory at Frost Arena on Nov. 20, 2008. Jill Young came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points for SDSU. Morgan Warburton scored a game-high 25 points for Utah.
JACKRABBITS ONLINE: Audio coverage of Saturday's game is scheduled to be available via subscription service at GoJacks.com, the official website of SDSU athletics. Monthly subscriptions for the Jackrabbit Extra, which includes live audio and video streaming of most Jackrabbit basketball games, are available for $9.95 per month or $79.95 on a limited-time basis for an entire year of coverage. An audio-only subscription also is available for $4.95 per month, with programming consisting only of live radio broadcasts.
Local radio coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. Central Time on the Jackrabbit Radio Network, with Tyler Merriam calling the play-by-play. Brookings-based KJJQ 910 AM will serve as the flagship station of the network, with coverage of Saturday's game also available on WNAX 570 AM in Yankton, KGFX 1060 AM in Pierre and Rapid City-based KRKI 99.5 FM.
Video streaming will be available through a subscription service at www.utahutes.com.
LAST WEEK: South Dakota State put together its best shooting performance in the Division I era, connecting at a 62 percent clip from the field, en route to an 87-61 victory over Middle Tennessee State in women's basketball action Dec. 13 at Frost Arena.
Five players scored in double figures for the Jackrabbits, who improved to 5-4 overall. Middle Tennessee State evened its record at 4-4.
SDSU grabbed control of the game early, erasing a 4-0 deficit with a 17-0 run over nearly an eight-minute span. Kristin Rotert's three-pointer with 17:52 remaining in the first half gave the Jackrabbits the lead for good at 5-4, while Jill Young capped the run with a three-pointer of her own.
The Blue Raiders, who made 20 three-pointers in their last outing, Wednesday at Louisville, missed their first nine attempts from long range on Sunday and were only 5-for-29 for the game.
Middle Tennessee trimmed the Jackrabbit lead to single digits only once the remainder of the first half, 21-12, on a three-pointer by Brandi Brown, before SDSU built the lead back to 15 on a couple occasions.
Jackrabbit reserves played a key role as SDSU took a 40-28 halftime lead. Freshman Ashley Eide scored 10 of her career-high 17 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Middle Tennessee opened the second half with a 10-4 run to pull to within six at 44-38 with just over 17 minutes remaining, but Maria Boever ended the run with five consecutive points to keep the Blue Raiders at bay.
Alysha Clark, who led the nation in scoring last season, did her best to keep the Blue Raiders in the game as she scored13 of her game-high 22 points in the second half before fouling out.
SDSU put together one more decisive run down the stretch as it scored 10 consecutive points to turn a 12-point advantage into a 22-point lead, 76-54, at the 4:55 mark on Rotert's third three-pointer of the day.
The Jackrabbits, who set a season high with their 87 points, shot 68 percent from the field in the second half to finish the game 31-for-50. SDSU was 9-of-15 from three-point range and 16-for-19 on free throws, 84.2 percent.
Eide's 17 points led the Jackrabbits, while Boever and Rotert each tallied 13. Jennie Sunnarborg chipped in with 12 points off the bench, with Young adding 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds to pace SDSU's 32-29 rebounding advantage.
MTSU was limited to 35.6 percent shooting from the floor, 21-of-59, including the struggles from behind the arc. The Blue Raiders converted 14-of-19 free throw attempts, 73.7 percent.
Clark finished with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Brown posted 13 points.
LAST MEETING: Jill Young came off the bench to sink five three-pointers, scoring a team-high 20 points, in leading South Dakota State to a 70-58 victory over Utah on Nov. 20, 2008, at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits hit 11 three-pointers in the contest as they improved to 3-0 overall. Utah dropped to 1-1.
For the third game in a row, SDSU got out of the gates slowly as Utah built a 17-7 lead in the opening seven minutes. The duo of Morgan Warburton and Kalee Whipple combined for all of the Utes' first 17 points - Warburton with nine and Whipple with eight, including a pair of three-pointers.
The Utah lead quickly evaporated as the Jackrabbits strung together a 16-2 run of their own as they began hitting from behind the arc. Ketty Cornemann hit back-to-back three-pointers to pull SDSU within one at 17-16, and Jennifer Warkenthien gave the Jackrabbits the lead with a three-ball from the top of the key.
SDSU's lead eventually grew to 10 points in the closing minutes of the half, forcing 15 first-half Utah turnovers, before taking a 36-28 lead into halftime.
The two teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half before Utah pulled to within one, 50-49, on a Warburton three-pointer at the midway point.
Once again, the Jackrabbits responded from the perimeter, with Young leading the way on a 20-4 Jackrabbit run. Cornemann sparked SDSU with another three-ball before Young, a redshirt freshman from Mitchell, nailed three trifectas and added a pair of free throws over the next three and a half minutes.
Five different players made three-pointers in the contest as the Jackrabbits made 11-of-25 three-point attempts, 44 percent. SDSU's overall shooting percentage was nearly identical, finishing the game 26-of-58, 44.8 percent, from the field. At the line, SDSU made 7-of-11 attempts, 63.6 percent.
The Jackrabbits' depth played a major factor in the game as SDSU's reserves outscored Utah's bench, 32-2. Eight different Jackrabbits logged 10 or more minutes and nine different players scored.
Utah, which was receiving votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, was a tick above the Jackrabbits in shooting percentage at 44.9 percent, making 22-of-49 attempts, including 6-of-12 from three-point range. However, the Utes committed 10 more turnovers, 24-14.
At the line, Utah was 8-of-12, 66.7 percent.
Warkenthien completed a double-double for SDSU with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Cornemann added 11 points.
Warburton ended the night with a game-high 25 points. Whipple added 14 points.
Utah held a 36-29 rebounding advantage, led by Katie King's 11 boards.
OFFENSE CLICKING: As the calendar turned to December, the Jackrabbit offense has heated up.
SDSU has shot 50 percent or better in each of its last three games, including a 62 percent (31-of-50) performance against Middle Tennessee State on Dec. 13 that stands as the best shooting effort in the Division I era. Combined, the Jackrabbits have gone 88-of-163, 54.0 percent, in the month of December, including 24-of-45, 53.3 percent, from three-point range. SDSU, which shot 51 percent at Western Illinois and 50 percent at IUPUI to start the streak, is averaging 82 points per game in posting a 3-0 record so far this month, tallying season highs of 85 and 87 points in back-to-back games.
The Jackrabbits also strung together three games of shooting 50 percent or better during the 2008-09 season, winning Summit League games against Western Illinois (.508), at Southern Utah (.549) and at UMKC (.526) in January.
SUMMIT LEAGUE DOMINANCE: South Dakota State has built an impressive Summit League résumé as it plays its third season in the 10-team conference.
In its two-plus seasons as a league member, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 35-3 record in Summit League regular season games en route to consecutive outright league titles with records of 16-2 in 2007-08 and 17-1 during the 2008-09 season. SDSU has gone a perfect 18-0 at home and has won at least one game on every other Summit League member's home court.
SDSU also is 3-0 in Summit League postseason tournament games after winning the 2009 championship in its first year of eligibility. The Summit League Championship returns to Sioux Falls March 6-9, 2010.
PRESEASON FAVORITES: The South Dakota State University women's basketball team is a near-unanimous pick to repeat as Summit League champions, as selected by the annual preseason poll of league coaches, sports information directors and media, which was released in October.
The Jackrabbits, who return four starters, received 25 of the 27 first-place votes to tally 419 points. Oakland University (Mich.), which lost to SDSU in the Summit League Championship last season, earned one first-place vote and finished second in the poll with 365 points. North Dakota State was third with 318 points, while Oral Roberts (Okla.) picked up the other first-place vote to finish fourth with 289 points.
The Summit League opens its 18-game, double round-robin schedule Dec. 5. The Summit League Championship returns to the Sioux Falls Arena March 6-9.
PRESEASON HONORS: Although South Dakota State does not have a player on the preseason all-Summit League First Team, four Jackrabbit players received preseason accolades by being named to the all-league second team: senior forwards Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann, junior guard/forward Kristin Rotert and sophomore guard Jill Young.
Boever, a 6-foot-1 senior forward from Worthington, Minn., earned honorable mention all-Summit League honors last season after averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures 14 times and added a pair of double-digit rebounding performances.
A 5-11 senior forward, Cornemann earned all-Summit League second-team recognition during the 2008-09 season. One of only two Jackrabbits to start all 35 games, she reached double figures 13 times en route to averaging 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Rotert, a 6-foot junior wing, was another honorable mention all-league performer after averaging 10.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She ranked second on the team with 60 three-pointers and had the tendency to rise to the occasion in big games, posting double figures for scoring 17 times.
Young, a 5-7 sophomore guard, earned Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year honors and a spot on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team after ranking second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game. The Mitchell native established a Jackrabbit freshman record with 82 three-pointers.
UMKC guard Chazny Morris was named the Preseason Player of the Year. She was joined on the first team by North Dakota State guard Inger Hodgson, IPFW guard Chelsey Jackson, Oakland guard Melissa Jeltema, Oral Roberts guard/forward Janae Voelker and IUPUI center Julia Whitted.
DIFFICULT SCHEDULE: The Jackrabbit women's basketball team is playing a difficult slate of non-conference games this season.
Of SDSU's first nine non-conference games, eight are against an opponent that played in the postseason a year ago. Seven of those games are against fellow NCAA Tournament teams as the Jackrabbits met Virginia in the second round of the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
Two of SDSU's opponents are currently ranked in the top 25 of either the Associated Press or ESPN/USA Today preseason poll: Arizona State (14/13) and Virginia (19/17). Gonzaga is receiving votes in this week's polls, while Middle Tennessee dropped out of teams receiving votes.
YOUTHFUL BENCH: While the Jackrabbits return four of their five regular starters from a year ago, SDSU will rely on a number of underclassmen to fill reserve roles this season.
Of the 15 players on the roster, five are true freshmen, one is a redshirt freshman, threeare sophomores, three are juniors and three are seniors.
With reigning Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year Jill Young settling into a starting role, the next top returning scorer off the bench is sophomore Jennie Sunnarborg, who
averaged 3.3 points per game during the 2008-09 campaign, but has upped her scoring output to 6.3 points per game so far this season.
The Jackrabbits will look for an expanded role for sophomore guard Vanessa Johnson, who missed nearly half the 2008-09 season due to injury. Johnson averaged only 0.6 points per game during the 2008-09 season, but provides the Jackrabbits with another perimeter shooting threat.
Other returning bench players include senior point guard Alison Anderson and junior forward Jennifer Schuttloffel.
Of the six players in the freshman class, four are from the state of South Dakota. Ashley Eide (Sioux Falls), Tara Heiser (Watertown) and Steph Paluch (Pierre) will fill guard slots, while Katie Lingle (Pierre) will back up in the post. Heiser is expected to redshirt this season.
Rounding out the freshman class are Jordan, Minn., native Leah Dietel at forward and redshirt freshman post player Cala Westergard. A native of Charles City, Iowa, Westergard played in her first official game since her junior year of high school in the Nov. 15 matchup at Arizona State. Westergard missed her senior year of high school due to injury.
Despite its youth, the Jackrabbit reserves have outscored their counterparts in six of the nine games this season.
DEPTH AND BALANCE: The Jackrabbits have had at least two players score in double figures in all nine games so far this season, and nine different players have tallied double digits for scoring.
Senior forward Maria Boever has led or shared top-scoring honors five times this season, including a season-high 21 points in the season opener against Gonzaga.
A list of double-figure scoring games follows:
Gonzaga • Maria Boever (21), Jill Young (15), Leah Dietel (12), Ketty Cornemann (10)
Arizona State • Kristin Rotert (14), Jennie Sunnarborg (11)
Illinois State • Boever (17), Rotert (15), Sunnarborg (12), Macie Michelson (10)
Western Kentucky • Rotert (16), Michelson (13), Boever (11), Cornemann (10)
Charlotte • Boever (18), Rotert (13), Young (10)
Virginia • Boever (14), Steph Paluch (14), Rotert (14)
Western Illinois • Boever (14), Cornemann (14), Rotert (13)
IUPUI • Cornemann (18), Boever (14), Sunnarborg (13), Young (11)
Middle Tennesee State • Ashley Eide (17), Boever (13), Rotert (13), Sunnarborg (12), Young (11)
100 D-I WINS: Since moving up to the NCAA Division I ranks at the start of the 2004-05 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a winning record against D-I opponents. In its five-plus seasons competing at the Division I level, SDSU has compiled a 107-36 mark (.748 winning percentage) versus D-I opposition. The Jackrabbits have posted victories over 50 different Division I teams representing 18 conferences plus independents.
750 WINS: The Jackrabbits' victory over Oakland in the 2009 Summit League championship game was the 750th in the women's basketball program's history. Since the modern era of women's basketball at South Dakota State University began with a 6-0 mark during the 1966-67 season, the Jacks have gone on to compile an overall record of 756-334 (.694 winning percentage).
SDSU has a streak of 23 consecutive winning seasons.The Jackrabbits' last losing season was an 11-16 campaign during the 1985-86 season.
OPENING SUCCESS: The Jackrabbits' 75-71 overtime victory against Gonzaga in the 2009-10 season opener on Nov. 13 marked the 17th consecutive season SDSU opened with a win.
The last time the Jackrabbits lost a season opener was during the 1992-93 season, when they fell 74-72 to Moorhead State (Minn.).
TOUGH AT HOME: SDSU's loss to Western Kentucky on Nov. 22, was a rarity during the Aaron Johnston era. In his tenure as Jackrabbit head coach, Johnston has led the Jackrabbits to a 118-13 record (.901 winning percentage) at Frost Arena, including a
63-5 mark at home during the Division I era. The Jackrabbits have put together winning streaks of 15, 15 and 22 in the process.
Since the start of the 2001-02 season, SDSU has a 108-8 home record, losing just one game at Frost Arena each full season before capping the 2008-09 regular season with a 14-0 record - a mark that stands as the first undefeated home season in school history. The loss to Western Kentucky snapped a 35-game regular season home winning streak, as well as a 15-game overall winning streak that began after the Jackrabbits lost to Creighton (Neb.) in the opening round of the 2008 Women's NIT.
SDSU is undefeated at home in Summit League play, posting an 18-0 record at Frost Arena since joining the league in 2007-08. The Jackrabbits have won their home conference games by an average of 26.7 points.
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION: Despite returning four regular starters from last year's squad, the Jackrabbit women's basketball team has shaken up the starting lineup this season. Through the first nine games, SDSU has used three different starting lineups, with seven players cracking the starting five. Maria Boever, Macie Michelson and Kristin Rotert have started all nine games so far this season
Gonzaga • Cornemann, Sunnarborg, Boever, Michelson, Rotert
at Arizona State • Cornemann, Sunnarborg, Boever, Michelson, Rotert
at Illinois State • Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
Western Kentucky • Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
vs. Charlotte • Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
vs. Virginia • Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
at Western Illinois • Cornemann, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
at IUPUI • Cornemann, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
Middle Tennessee • Cornemann, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
BOEVER TOPS 1,000: South Dakota State senior forward Maria Boever became the 27th member of the Jackrabbit 1,000-Point Club, accomplishing the feat Dec. 7 at IUPUI.
With 14 points in the game, Boever upped her career total to 1,010 points. She has since gone on to tally 1,023 career points in 100 career games as she moved past Sarita DeBoer (1,003 points from 2002-05) for 26th place.
A senior from Worthington, Minn., Boever finished as the team's second-leading scorer during her sophomore season in 2007-08 with an average of 12.2 points per game, then ranked fourth last year on a balanced Jackrabbit team with 10 points per game.
Two other Jackrabbit players could reach the 1,000-point plateau later this season: senior Ketty Cornemann and junior Kristin Rotert. Cornemann has tallied 767 career points, while Rotert has 749 career points.
100 GAMES: Jackrabbit seniors and three-year starters Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann each played in their 100th career game Dec. 13 against Middle Tennessee State.
During their three-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, SDSU has posted a combined record of 85-20.
SDSU's third member of the senior class, Alison Anderson, has played in 93 games in a Jackrabbit uniform.
CORNEMANN RESPONDS: After coming off the bench in the four previous games, Ketty Cornmenann marked her return to the starting lineup with back-to-back strong performances to kick off Summit League action.
A senior from Yankton, Cornemann averaged 16 points and five rebounds in games at Western Illinois and IUPUI, shooting 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from three-point range. She posted season highs of 18 points and nine rebounds in the win at IUPUI on Dec. 7, then scored eight points in the Dec. 13 victory over Middle Tennessee State.
DOUBLE DUTY: Maria Boever has posted a pair of double-doubles for points and rebounds while leading the team in both categories - 14.7 ppg and 7.1 rpg - through the first nine games.
Boever opened the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opening overtime victory over Gonzaga, then added 11 points and 10 boards in a home loss to Western Kentucky.
YOUNG FOR 3: Sophomore guard Jill Young will attempt to build on a strong showing from behind the three-point arc during her first season in a Jackrabbit uniform.
The Mitchell native ranked third among NCAA Division I players during the 2008-09 season by shooting at a 46.1 percent (82-of-178) clip from three-point range. Young's 82 made three-pointers also set a Jackrabbit freshman record, eclipsing the mark of 58 set by Kristin Rotert during the 2007-08 campaign.
Young comes into Saturday's matchup against Utah with 102 career three-pointers, topping the 100 mark with three triples Dec. 13 against Middle Tennessee State. She has made at least one three-pointer in every game this season and is currently shooting 41.7 percent from behind the arc, making 20-of-48 attempts.
ROTERT CRACKS TOP 10: Junior wing Kristin Rotert joined the Jackrabbit career top 10 for three-pointers made last month at the Junkanoo Jam.
The Salem native shares the team lead with 20 three-pointers so far this season and upped her career total to 138 with three three-pointers in the Dec. 13 victory over Middle Tennessee State. Rotert stands four three-pointers behind Rachel Halsrud (142 three-pointers form 1991-94) for ninth place.
Rotert set a then-freshman record with 58 three-pointers during the 2007-08 season and ranked second on the team with 60 treys last season.
THREE-POINT BARRAGE: As a team, the Jackrabbits ranked fifth among Division I women's basketball teams by making an average of 8.5 three-pointers per game last season.
SDSU tied school and NCAA Tournament single-game records with 16 trifectas in its opening-round win over Texas Christian. The Jackrabbits made 10 or more three-pointers in a game nine times.
The Jackrabbits' 291 three-pointers as a team set a new single-season school record, breaking the mark of 288 set by the 2001-02 squad, which was the first Jackrabbit team to qualify for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
Through nine games this season, the Jackrabbits have made 70 three-pointers, an average of 7.78 per game, while shooting a Summit League-best 40 percent (70-of-175) from beyond the arc. SDSU's opponents are 35-of-115 from behind the arc, 30.4 percent.
LINGLE STEPS UP: Freshman post player Katie Lingle made an immediate impact on the Jackrabbit front line as she saw her first action of the season in the opening weekend of Summit League play.
In her collegiate debut, Dec. 5 at Western Illinois, Lingle scored five points and grabbed three rebounds. She sank a three-pointer, while adding an assist, blocked shot and steal in 13 minutes of action.
Two nights later, at IUPUI, the Pierre native recorded nine points and five rebounds in 10 minutes of court time.
PALUCH PRODUCES: Freshman guard Steph Paluch provided instant offense for the Jackrabbits in their Nov. 27 matchup with Virginia at the Junkanoo Jam.
A Pierre native, Paluch was 5-for-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, en route to 14 points in only 14 minutes of action against the nationally ranked Cavaliers. She also recorded one assist in the game.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Jackrabbit women's basketball team had its streak of winning 36 consecutive games in which it has held a rebounding advantage end in the 81-74 loss Nov. 22 to Western Kentucky. SDSU won the last 10 games of the 2007-08 season, all 25 during the 2008-09 season and the first game of the 2009-10 season in which it held an edge on the boards.
Previously, the last time SDSU lost a game it won the battle of the boards was a 67-60 defeat at Western Illinois on Jan. 14, 2008.
COACH AARON JOHNSTON: Entering his 10th season as head coach of the South Dakota State University women's basketball team, Aaron Johnston has taken the Jackrabbit program to the top of NCAA Division II and is leading SDSU to national prominence at the Division I level.Johnston, who will coach his 300th game Saturday at Utah, has compiled a career record of 230-69 (.769 winning percentage), ranking second on the SDSU career victories list behind his predecessor, Nancy Neiber, who compiled a 301-140 record in 16 seasons from 1985-2000. Johnston posted his 200th career victory on Dec. 4, 2008, when the Jackrabbits defeated Centenary (La.) His career totals have included a 35-3 record (.921 winning percentage) in Summit League regular season games and a 16-5 mark (.762 winning percentage) in postseason games.The Summit League Coach of the Year in each of the Jackrabbits' first two seasons in the 10-team league, Johnston was named a finalist for the 2009 Naismith Award as the nation's top coach. SDSU tied a school record for victories in a season with 32 during the 2008-09 campaign and gained national attention by vaulting into the top 25 in December after non-conference victories over the likes of Wisconsin, Utah, Minnesota and Gonzaga (Wash.). The Jackrabbits were ranked in the final 13 USA Today/ESPN regular season coaches' polls, climbing as high as 14th in the coaches' poll and 16th in the Associated Press poll. SDSU finished the 2008-09 season ranked 19th in the coaches' poll.
THE ROSTER: The 2009-10 SDSU women's basketball roster features 15 players from three different states. Of the 15 players, nine are from South Dakota, five are from Minnesota and one is from Iowa. By class, three are seniors, three are juniors, three are sophomores, one is a redshirt freshman and five are incoming freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue non-conference action with a road game Dec. 22 at Iowa. The Iowa game is scheduled to be streamed at www.bigtennetwork.com, starting at 7 p.m.
SDSU's next home game is scheduled for Dec. 28, when the Jackrabbits host Northern Iowa in a 7 p.m. matchup at Frost Arena.