Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 6 Washington on March 20, 2026 , Loss , 54, to, 72
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FINAL
Women's Basketball
54
vs No. 6 Washington
72
South Dakota State University Athletics
Jackrabbits open weekend series with Oakland
1/21/2010 10:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The South Dakota State University women's basketball team will look to solidify its standing in the Summit League regular season race Saturday as it hosts Oakland (Mich.) in a key conference game.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Frost Arena. The doubleheader concludes with the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
Both teams enter Saturday's matchup with 5-2 records in league play. Overall, the Jackrabbits are 9-8, while Oakland is 8-10 on the season.
In all, four teams, including the Jackrabbits and Oakland, enter play Saturday with two losses in Summit League action. IPFW leads the league race with a 6-1 record.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the sixth meeting between South Dakota State and Oakland in women's basketball, a series that began when the Jackrabbits joined The Summit League at the start of the 2007-08 season.
SDSU holds a 4-1 series advantage after winning two of the three meetings last season.
Oakland won the first meeting of the 2008-09 season, posting a 67-51 victory in Rochester, Mich., on Jan. 5, 2009. The Golden Grizzlies built a 33-15 halftime lead and closed the game with a 16-2 run after the Jackrabbits pulled to within two, 51-49, with 6 minutes and 28 seconds remaining.
Jessica Pike led four players in double figures for Oakland with 17 points. April Kidd and Melissa Jeltema each tallied double-doubles with respective outings of 14 points and 11 rebounds and 12 points and 11 boards. Anna Patritto added 10 points off the bench.
SDSU received a double-double performance from Jennifer Warkenthien, who posted game highs with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Maria Boever contributed 11 points.
The Jackrabbits moved into sole possession of first place in The Summit League by winning the rematch, 88-75, before a crowd of 5,637 at Frost Arena on Jan. 31, 2009.
Warkenthien again turned in a double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Reserves Jill Young and Stacie Oistad each reached double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Oakland was led by Pike with 22 points. Jeltema added 17 points, with Kidd posting another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The two teams met for the third and final time on March 10, 2009, in the Summit League championship game in Sioux Falls.
SDSU overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, outscoring Oakland by 20 points in the second half en route to a 79-69 victory and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Warkenthien, who was named tournament MVP, tallied 23 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. She was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line, leading SDSU's 27-for-32 effort as a team.
Kristin Rotert added 15 points, with Stacie Oistad chipping in with 13 off the bench. Macie Michelson rounded out the double-figure scorers for SDSU with 10 points.
Jessica Pike scored 20 of her team-high 22 points in the first half for Oakland. Hanna Reising added 18 off the bench and Jeltema tallied a dozen points and eight rebounds.
JACKRABBITS ONLINE: Audio and video 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 4:30 p.m. Central Time on the Jackrabbit Radio Network, with Tyler Merriam calling the play-by-play and former assistant coach Laurie Melum providing color commentary. 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 and Rapid City-based KRKI 99.5 FM.
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2009-10 women's basketball season, head coach Aaron Johnston will be a guest on the “Jackrabbit Insider,” a weekly behind-the-scenes look at South Dakota State University athletics.
The half-hour television show which features highlights of SDSU athletic events, as well as interviews with Jackrabbit coaches and student-athletes, airs Sundays at 10:35 p.m., following KSFY ActionNews. The show also can be viewed online at GoJacks.com.
LAST WEEK: South Dakota State shot better than 50 percent in the second half and displayed stout defense throughout to defeat North Dakota State, 67-49, in Summit League women's basketball action Saturday night before a crowd of 2,743 at the Bison Sports Arena in Fargo, N.D.
The Jackrabbits improved to 9-8 overall and 5-2 in The Summit League. SDSU also extended its winning streak against the Bison to nine games. NDSU dropped its third consecutive Summit League game, falling to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
SDSU strung together a 12-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half to take their first double-digit lead of the night at 35-25. The Bison trimmed the lead back to seven with just under 14 minutes to play, only to see the Jackrabbits build the lead back to double digits by scoring the next seven points. SDSU maintained a double-digit lead the rest of way, pulling away by shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field and 17-of-21 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes.
Neither team was able to get into much of a rhythm offensively in the first half as it took more than eight minutes before either team reached double figures on the scoreboard. Trailing 13-12, the Jackrabbits scored six consecutive points and held NDSU scoreless for a six-minute span to build their largest lead of the first half at 18-13. NDSU inched back to within one, 20-19, on a basket by Katie Birkel late in the half, but Ketty Cornemann buried a three-pointer from the left wing on the next trip down the floor to keep SDSU in the lead — one it would not relinquish. The Jackrabbits led 23-21 at the half as each team's shooting percentage hovered around the 30 percent mark.
Ketty Cornemann paced a balanced offensive attack for SDSU with 16 points. Maria Boever tallied 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds to lead the Jackrabbits 44-36 advantage on the boards. Macie Michelson added 11 points and freshman Leah Dietel chipped in with 10 points, going 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
SDSU finished the game 20-of-50 from the field, 40 percent, including 8-for-22 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits finished the game 19-of-24 from the line, 79.2 percent.
Turnovers continued to plague the Jackrabbits, however, as they committed 24 miscues compared to 16 by the Bison.
Defensively, SDSU held the Bison to 25.8 percent shooting from the field, 16-of-62, including 2-for-16 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits contested nearly every NDSU shot in the final 30 minutes, recording a season-high 12 blocked shots. Jennie Sunnarborg posted a career-high six blocks, with Boever adding four.
NDSU, which was led by 12 points from guards Katie Birkel and Inger Hodgson, was an efficient 15-for-16 at the line, 93.8 percent.
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 38-5 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 19-1 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.
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 wrapped up a difficult slate of non-conference games with the Dec. 28 victory over Northern Iowa.
Of SDSU's 10 non-conference games, eight were against an opponent that played in the postseason a year ago. Seven of those games were against fellow NCAA Tournament teams as the Jackrabbits met Virginia in the second round of the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas.
Virginia is currently ranked 22nd and 25th in the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls, respectively. Gonzaga (Wash.) is receiving votes while Arizona State and Middle Tennessee State, which were ranked earlier in the season, have dropped out of consideration.
DEPTH AND BALANCE: The Jackrabbits have had at least two players score in
double figures in all 17 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 seven times this season, while Kristin Rotert has paced the Jackrabbits four times, including a season-high 24 points — the most by an SDSU player this season — Dec. 28 against Northern Iowa.
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)
Utah • Rotert (13), Boever (10), Michelson (10)
Iowa • Young (16), Cornemann (14), Boever (13)
Northern Iowa • Rotert (24), Young (10)
Centenary • Rotert (15), Boever (12), Eide (12), Cornemann (11)
Oral Roberts • Boever (21), Cornemann (14), Young (12)
Southern Utah • Cornemann (15), Rotert (14)
UMKC • Boever (15), Cornemann (13), Rotert (11), Sunnarborg (11)
North Dakota State • Cornemann (16), Boever (13), Michelson (11), Dietel (10)
YOUTHFUL BENCH: While the Jackrabbits return four of their five regular starters from a year ago, SDSU has relied on a number of underclassmen to fill reserve roles this season.
Of the 14 players on the roster, five are true freshmen, three are sophomores, three are juniors and three are seniors.
Reigning Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year Jill Young returned to a reserve role Jan. 16 at North Dakota State after starting the last 14 games. Young averaged 10.2 points per game during the 2008-09 season as she played off the bench in 32 of the team's 34 games. She was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore forward Jennie Sunnarborg.
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 is Jordan, Minn., native Leah Dietel at forward.
Despite its youth, the Jackrabbit reserves have outscored their counterparts in 11 of the 17 games this season. Ashley Eide has been the top scorer off the bench in five of SDSU's last nine games.
FOR STARTERS: 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 17 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 17 games so far this season. The Jackrabbits returned to their original starting lineup in the Jan. 16 game at North Dakota State as Jennie Sunnarborg replaced Jill Young in the starting five.
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 111-40 mark (.735 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 760-338 (.699 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: For the first time since Aaron Johnston's first full season as head coach — 2000-01 — the Jackrabbit women's basketball team has lost more than one home game.
In his tenure as Jackrabbit head coach, Johnston has led the Jackrabbits to a 120-14 record (.896 winning percentage) at Frost Arena, including a 65-6 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 109-9 home record, losing an average of just one game at Frost Arena each full season. The Jackrabbits capped the 2008-09 regular season with a 14-0 record — a mark that stands as the first undefeated home season in school history.
A loss to Western Kentucky earlier this season 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's loss to Oral Roberts on Jan. 4 marked its first home loss to a Summit League opponent. The Jackrabbits are 19-1 at Frost Arena against Summit League foes since joining the league in 2007-08.
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 1,122 career points in 108 career games (10.4 ppg) as she moved past Sarita DeBoer (1,003 points from 2002-05) for 26th place. Boever could move up several spots this week as she trails Dawn Hull (1,125 points from 1993-96) by only four points for the 25th spot and needs only 12 points to move into the 23rd spot by passing Lisa Kannegieter (1,130 points from 1991-94) and Lori Fish (1,133 points from 1987-90).
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 861 career points, while Rotert has 842 career points.
100 GAMES: All three Jackrabbit seniors have reached the 100 games-played milestone during the 2009-10 season. Three-year starters Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann each played in their 100th career game Dec. 13 against Middle Tennessee State,while reserve guard Alison Anderson joined the group Jan. 11 at UMKC.
During their three-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, SDSU has posted a combined record of 89-24.
DOUBLE DUTY: Kristin Rotert turned in her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds Jan. 9 at Southern Utah. It was the third double-double by a Jackrabbit player this season.
Maria Boever posted a pair of double-doubles in November. Boever began the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opening overtime victory over Gonzaga (Wash.) on Nov. 13, then added 11 points and 10 boards in a Nov. 22 home loss to Western Kentucky.
Boever currently leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
THREE-POINT PROWESS: 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 SDSU and Summit League single-records, surpasing the school-record 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 17 games this season, the Jackrabbits have made 117 three-pointers, an average of 6.88 per game, while shooting a Summit League-best 37.3 percent (117-of-314) from beyond the arc. SDSU's opponents are 66-of-240 from behind the arc, 27.5 percent.
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 Oakland with 114 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 15 of the 17 games this season, including a season-best four three-pointers Jan. 4 against Oral Roberts.
For her career, Young is shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range, 114-of-263.
ROTERT CRACKS TOP 10: Junior wing Kristin Rotert joined the Jackrabbit career top 10 this season and is on pace to move up a few more spots this season.
The Salem native leads the team with 33 three-pointers after making three three-pointers in a game seven different times this season. She upped her career total to 151 with one trifecta Jan. 11 at UMKC. Next on the list is Andrea Verdegan, whose eighth-place total of 152 three-pointers was accumulated from 2005-08.
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.
100 3's TIMES THREE: Senior forward Ketty Cornemann became the third current Jackrabbit player to sink 100 career three-pointers, when she sank a trifecta in the first half of the Jan. 16 game at North Dakota State. The Yankton native ranks second in The Summit League for three-point shooting percentage this season, connecting at a 42.6 percent (20-of-47) clip.
Kristin Rotert (151 three-pointers) and Jill Young (114) are the other Jackrabbits to reach the milestone.
JOHNSON JOINS THE CROWD: Sophomore guard Vanessa Johnson became the 12th Jackrabbit player this season to make a three-pointer, when she canned a trifecta from the right wing in the first half of the Jan. 2 game against Centenary. Johnson finished the game with a career-high five points.
SENIOR LEADERS: Through the first seven conference games, Ketty Cornemann and Maria Boever have been consistent performers for the Jackrabbits.
A senior from Yankton, Cornemann has reached double figures for scoring in all seven games, leading the team lead with a 14.4 points-per-game average in league games. She began her streak with 14 points at Western Illinois on Dec. 5, followed by a season-high 18 points Dec. 7 at IUPUI.
Boever is averaging 14.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in league play, while reaching double figures for scoring in six Summit League contests. Boever is shooting 55.6 percent (35-of-63) from the field and 77.1 percent (27-for-35) from the free throw line in league games.
RUNNING THE POINT: Junior point guard Macie Michelson has added to her team-leading assist total with a combined 23 assists and only 13 turnovers in the last six games.
Michelson leads the team with 61 assists and ranks second in The Summit League for assist-turnover ratio.
EIDE OFF THE BENCH: Freshman wing Ashley Eide has given the Jackrabbits a boost off the bench in recent weeks. In three of the last five games, Eide has led Jackrabbit reserves in scoring. She was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field en route to 12 points against Centenary (La.) on Jan. 2, then scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds Jan. 4 versus Oral Roberts. In the Jan. 9 matchup at Southern Utah, Eide tallied seven points and hauled down a career-high nine rebounds.
Eide scored a career-high 17 points against Middle Tennessee State on Dec. 13.
DIETEL STEPS UP: Freshman forward Leah Dietel turned in an impressive performance in the Jackrabbits' victory at North Dakota State on Jan. 16. The Jordan, Minn., native reached double figures for the first time since the season opener Nov. 13 against Gonzaga (Wash.), scoring 10 points, grabbing four rebounds and notching two steals. Dietel was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line after entering the game shooting only 48 percent from the stripe.
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.
The Jackrabbits' victory over Northern Iowa on Dec. 28 marked the first time this season SDSU won a game in which it was out-rebounded.
On their recent road swing to Southern Utah, UMKC and North Dakota State, the Jackrabbits held a plus-37 rebounding advantage in the three games combined.
COACH AARON JOHNSTON: Now in 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 coached his 300th game Dec. 19 at Utah, has compiled a career record of 234-73 (.762 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 38-5 record (.884 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 USAToday/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.
Along the way to a 32-3 overall record, the Jackrabbits received national media coverage from CBS Sports, USA Today, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and The New York Times.
THE ROSTER: The 2009-10 SDSU women's basketball roster features 14 players from three different states. Of the 14 players, nine are from South Dakota and five are from Minnesota. By class, three are seniors, three are juniors, three are sophomores, and five are incoming freshmen.
WESTERGARD LEAVES TEAM: Redshirt freshman center Cala Westergard has decided to leave the team, head coach Aaron Johnston announced this week. A native of Charles City, Iowa, Westergard averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in nine games. She recorded highs of seven points and four rebounds in the Jackrabbits' victory at IUPUI on Dec. 7.
Westergard intends to continue her education at South Dakota State.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits close out their two-game homestand by wrapping up the first half of the Summit League season with a Jan. 25 matchup against league-leading IPFW.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Frost Arena.
SDSU opens the second half of conference play Jan. 30 at Oral Roberts. Game time is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Mabee Center on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Okla.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Frost Arena. The doubleheader concludes with the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
Both teams enter Saturday's matchup with 5-2 records in league play. Overall, the Jackrabbits are 9-8, while Oakland is 8-10 on the season.
In all, four teams, including the Jackrabbits and Oakland, enter play Saturday with two losses in Summit League action. IPFW leads the league race with a 6-1 record.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the sixth meeting between South Dakota State and Oakland in women's basketball, a series that began when the Jackrabbits joined The Summit League at the start of the 2007-08 season.
SDSU holds a 4-1 series advantage after winning two of the three meetings last season.
Oakland won the first meeting of the 2008-09 season, posting a 67-51 victory in Rochester, Mich., on Jan. 5, 2009. The Golden Grizzlies built a 33-15 halftime lead and closed the game with a 16-2 run after the Jackrabbits pulled to within two, 51-49, with 6 minutes and 28 seconds remaining.
Jessica Pike led four players in double figures for Oakland with 17 points. April Kidd and Melissa Jeltema each tallied double-doubles with respective outings of 14 points and 11 rebounds and 12 points and 11 boards. Anna Patritto added 10 points off the bench.
SDSU received a double-double performance from Jennifer Warkenthien, who posted game highs with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Maria Boever contributed 11 points.
The Jackrabbits moved into sole possession of first place in The Summit League by winning the rematch, 88-75, before a crowd of 5,637 at Frost Arena on Jan. 31, 2009.
Warkenthien again turned in a double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Reserves Jill Young and Stacie Oistad each reached double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Oakland was led by Pike with 22 points. Jeltema added 17 points, with Kidd posting another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The two teams met for the third and final time on March 10, 2009, in the Summit League championship game in Sioux Falls.
SDSU overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, outscoring Oakland by 20 points in the second half en route to a 79-69 victory and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Warkenthien, who was named tournament MVP, tallied 23 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. She was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line, leading SDSU's 27-for-32 effort as a team.
Kristin Rotert added 15 points, with Stacie Oistad chipping in with 13 off the bench. Macie Michelson rounded out the double-figure scorers for SDSU with 10 points.
Jessica Pike scored 20 of her team-high 22 points in the first half for Oakland. Hanna Reising added 18 off the bench and Jeltema tallied a dozen points and eight rebounds.
JACKRABBITS ONLINE: Audio and video 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 4:30 p.m. Central Time on the Jackrabbit Radio Network, with Tyler Merriam calling the play-by-play and former assistant coach Laurie Melum providing color commentary. 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 and Rapid City-based KRKI 99.5 FM.
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2009-10 women's basketball season, head coach Aaron Johnston will be a guest on the “Jackrabbit Insider,” a weekly behind-the-scenes look at South Dakota State University athletics.
The half-hour television show which features highlights of SDSU athletic events, as well as interviews with Jackrabbit coaches and student-athletes, airs Sundays at 10:35 p.m., following KSFY ActionNews. The show also can be viewed online at GoJacks.com.
LAST WEEK: South Dakota State shot better than 50 percent in the second half and displayed stout defense throughout to defeat North Dakota State, 67-49, in Summit League women's basketball action Saturday night before a crowd of 2,743 at the Bison Sports Arena in Fargo, N.D.
The Jackrabbits improved to 9-8 overall and 5-2 in The Summit League. SDSU also extended its winning streak against the Bison to nine games. NDSU dropped its third consecutive Summit League game, falling to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
SDSU strung together a 12-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half to take their first double-digit lead of the night at 35-25. The Bison trimmed the lead back to seven with just under 14 minutes to play, only to see the Jackrabbits build the lead back to double digits by scoring the next seven points. SDSU maintained a double-digit lead the rest of way, pulling away by shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field and 17-of-21 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes.
Neither team was able to get into much of a rhythm offensively in the first half as it took more than eight minutes before either team reached double figures on the scoreboard. Trailing 13-12, the Jackrabbits scored six consecutive points and held NDSU scoreless for a six-minute span to build their largest lead of the first half at 18-13. NDSU inched back to within one, 20-19, on a basket by Katie Birkel late in the half, but Ketty Cornemann buried a three-pointer from the left wing on the next trip down the floor to keep SDSU in the lead — one it would not relinquish. The Jackrabbits led 23-21 at the half as each team's shooting percentage hovered around the 30 percent mark.
Ketty Cornemann paced a balanced offensive attack for SDSU with 16 points. Maria Boever tallied 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds to lead the Jackrabbits 44-36 advantage on the boards. Macie Michelson added 11 points and freshman Leah Dietel chipped in with 10 points, going 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
SDSU finished the game 20-of-50 from the field, 40 percent, including 8-for-22 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits finished the game 19-of-24 from the line, 79.2 percent.
Turnovers continued to plague the Jackrabbits, however, as they committed 24 miscues compared to 16 by the Bison.
Defensively, SDSU held the Bison to 25.8 percent shooting from the field, 16-of-62, including 2-for-16 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits contested nearly every NDSU shot in the final 30 minutes, recording a season-high 12 blocked shots. Jennie Sunnarborg posted a career-high six blocks, with Boever adding four.
NDSU, which was led by 12 points from guards Katie Birkel and Inger Hodgson, was an efficient 15-for-16 at the line, 93.8 percent.
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 38-5 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 19-1 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.
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 wrapped up a difficult slate of non-conference games with the Dec. 28 victory over Northern Iowa.
Of SDSU's 10 non-conference games, eight were against an opponent that played in the postseason a year ago. Seven of those games were against fellow NCAA Tournament teams as the Jackrabbits met Virginia in the second round of the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas.
Virginia is currently ranked 22nd and 25th in the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls, respectively. Gonzaga (Wash.) is receiving votes while Arizona State and Middle Tennessee State, which were ranked earlier in the season, have dropped out of consideration.
DEPTH AND BALANCE: The Jackrabbits have had at least two players score in
double figures in all 17 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 seven times this season, while Kristin Rotert has paced the Jackrabbits four times, including a season-high 24 points — the most by an SDSU player this season — Dec. 28 against Northern Iowa.
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)
Utah • Rotert (13), Boever (10), Michelson (10)
Iowa • Young (16), Cornemann (14), Boever (13)
Northern Iowa • Rotert (24), Young (10)
Centenary • Rotert (15), Boever (12), Eide (12), Cornemann (11)
Oral Roberts • Boever (21), Cornemann (14), Young (12)
Southern Utah • Cornemann (15), Rotert (14)
UMKC • Boever (15), Cornemann (13), Rotert (11), Sunnarborg (11)
North Dakota State • Cornemann (16), Boever (13), Michelson (11), Dietel (10)
YOUTHFUL BENCH: While the Jackrabbits return four of their five regular starters from a year ago, SDSU has relied on a number of underclassmen to fill reserve roles this season.
Of the 14 players on the roster, five are true freshmen, three are sophomores, three are juniors and three are seniors.
Reigning Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year Jill Young returned to a reserve role Jan. 16 at North Dakota State after starting the last 14 games. Young averaged 10.2 points per game during the 2008-09 season as she played off the bench in 32 of the team's 34 games. She was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore forward Jennie Sunnarborg.
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 is Jordan, Minn., native Leah Dietel at forward.
Despite its youth, the Jackrabbit reserves have outscored their counterparts in 11 of the 17 games this season. Ashley Eide has been the top scorer off the bench in five of SDSU's last nine games.
FOR STARTERS: 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 17 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 17 games so far this season. The Jackrabbits returned to their original starting lineup in the Jan. 16 game at North Dakota State as Jennie Sunnarborg replaced Jill Young in the starting five.
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 111-40 mark (.735 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 760-338 (.699 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: For the first time since Aaron Johnston's first full season as head coach — 2000-01 — the Jackrabbit women's basketball team has lost more than one home game.
In his tenure as Jackrabbit head coach, Johnston has led the Jackrabbits to a 120-14 record (.896 winning percentage) at Frost Arena, including a 65-6 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 109-9 home record, losing an average of just one game at Frost Arena each full season. The Jackrabbits capped the 2008-09 regular season with a 14-0 record — a mark that stands as the first undefeated home season in school history.
A loss to Western Kentucky earlier this season 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's loss to Oral Roberts on Jan. 4 marked its first home loss to a Summit League opponent. The Jackrabbits are 19-1 at Frost Arena against Summit League foes since joining the league in 2007-08.
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 1,122 career points in 108 career games (10.4 ppg) as she moved past Sarita DeBoer (1,003 points from 2002-05) for 26th place. Boever could move up several spots this week as she trails Dawn Hull (1,125 points from 1993-96) by only four points for the 25th spot and needs only 12 points to move into the 23rd spot by passing Lisa Kannegieter (1,130 points from 1991-94) and Lori Fish (1,133 points from 1987-90).
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 861 career points, while Rotert has 842 career points.
100 GAMES: All three Jackrabbit seniors have reached the 100 games-played milestone during the 2009-10 season. Three-year starters Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann each played in their 100th career game Dec. 13 against Middle Tennessee State,while reserve guard Alison Anderson joined the group Jan. 11 at UMKC.
During their three-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, SDSU has posted a combined record of 89-24.
DOUBLE DUTY: Kristin Rotert turned in her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds Jan. 9 at Southern Utah. It was the third double-double by a Jackrabbit player this season.
Maria Boever posted a pair of double-doubles in November. Boever began the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opening overtime victory over Gonzaga (Wash.) on Nov. 13, then added 11 points and 10 boards in a Nov. 22 home loss to Western Kentucky.
Boever currently leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
THREE-POINT PROWESS: 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 SDSU and Summit League single-records, surpasing the school-record 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 17 games this season, the Jackrabbits have made 117 three-pointers, an average of 6.88 per game, while shooting a Summit League-best 37.3 percent (117-of-314) from beyond the arc. SDSU's opponents are 66-of-240 from behind the arc, 27.5 percent.
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 Oakland with 114 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 15 of the 17 games this season, including a season-best four three-pointers Jan. 4 against Oral Roberts.
For her career, Young is shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range, 114-of-263.
ROTERT CRACKS TOP 10: Junior wing Kristin Rotert joined the Jackrabbit career top 10 this season and is on pace to move up a few more spots this season.
The Salem native leads the team with 33 three-pointers after making three three-pointers in a game seven different times this season. She upped her career total to 151 with one trifecta Jan. 11 at UMKC. Next on the list is Andrea Verdegan, whose eighth-place total of 152 three-pointers was accumulated from 2005-08.
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.
100 3's TIMES THREE: Senior forward Ketty Cornemann became the third current Jackrabbit player to sink 100 career three-pointers, when she sank a trifecta in the first half of the Jan. 16 game at North Dakota State. The Yankton native ranks second in The Summit League for three-point shooting percentage this season, connecting at a 42.6 percent (20-of-47) clip.
Kristin Rotert (151 three-pointers) and Jill Young (114) are the other Jackrabbits to reach the milestone.
JOHNSON JOINS THE CROWD: Sophomore guard Vanessa Johnson became the 12th Jackrabbit player this season to make a three-pointer, when she canned a trifecta from the right wing in the first half of the Jan. 2 game against Centenary. Johnson finished the game with a career-high five points.
SENIOR LEADERS: Through the first seven conference games, Ketty Cornemann and Maria Boever have been consistent performers for the Jackrabbits.
A senior from Yankton, Cornemann has reached double figures for scoring in all seven games, leading the team lead with a 14.4 points-per-game average in league games. She began her streak with 14 points at Western Illinois on Dec. 5, followed by a season-high 18 points Dec. 7 at IUPUI.
Boever is averaging 14.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in league play, while reaching double figures for scoring in six Summit League contests. Boever is shooting 55.6 percent (35-of-63) from the field and 77.1 percent (27-for-35) from the free throw line in league games.
RUNNING THE POINT: Junior point guard Macie Michelson has added to her team-leading assist total with a combined 23 assists and only 13 turnovers in the last six games.
Michelson leads the team with 61 assists and ranks second in The Summit League for assist-turnover ratio.
EIDE OFF THE BENCH: Freshman wing Ashley Eide has given the Jackrabbits a boost off the bench in recent weeks. In three of the last five games, Eide has led Jackrabbit reserves in scoring. She was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field en route to 12 points against Centenary (La.) on Jan. 2, then scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds Jan. 4 versus Oral Roberts. In the Jan. 9 matchup at Southern Utah, Eide tallied seven points and hauled down a career-high nine rebounds.
Eide scored a career-high 17 points against Middle Tennessee State on Dec. 13.
DIETEL STEPS UP: Freshman forward Leah Dietel turned in an impressive performance in the Jackrabbits' victory at North Dakota State on Jan. 16. The Jordan, Minn., native reached double figures for the first time since the season opener Nov. 13 against Gonzaga (Wash.), scoring 10 points, grabbing four rebounds and notching two steals. Dietel was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line after entering the game shooting only 48 percent from the stripe.
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.
The Jackrabbits' victory over Northern Iowa on Dec. 28 marked the first time this season SDSU won a game in which it was out-rebounded.
On their recent road swing to Southern Utah, UMKC and North Dakota State, the Jackrabbits held a plus-37 rebounding advantage in the three games combined.
COACH AARON JOHNSTON: Now in 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 coached his 300th game Dec. 19 at Utah, has compiled a career record of 234-73 (.762 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 38-5 record (.884 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 USAToday/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.
Along the way to a 32-3 overall record, the Jackrabbits received national media coverage from CBS Sports, USA Today, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated and The New York Times.
THE ROSTER: The 2009-10 SDSU women's basketball roster features 14 players from three different states. Of the 14 players, nine are from South Dakota and five are from Minnesota. By class, three are seniors, three are juniors, three are sophomores, and five are incoming freshmen.
WESTERGARD LEAVES TEAM: Redshirt freshman center Cala Westergard has decided to leave the team, head coach Aaron Johnston announced this week. A native of Charles City, Iowa, Westergard averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in nine games. She recorded highs of seven points and four rebounds in the Jackrabbits' victory at IUPUI on Dec. 7.
Westergard intends to continue her education at South Dakota State.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits close out their two-game homestand by wrapping up the first half of the Summit League season with a Jan. 25 matchup against league-leading IPFW.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Frost Arena.
SDSU opens the second half of conference play Jan. 30 at Oral Roberts. Game time is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Mabee Center on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Okla.
Players Mentioned
PLAYER
/ Women's Cross Country
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballSaturday, March 21
Friday, March 20
Monday, March 09
Monday, March 09