Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Augustana (Exhibition) on October 29, 2025 at 6 p.m.
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6 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Augustana (Exhibition)
South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks return to Summit slate, Utah
12/28/2010 10:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With a week to regroup, the South Dakota State University women's basketball team will attempt to get back on the winning track Wednesday as it travels to Southern Utah for a Summit League matchup.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Mountain Time (8 p.m. Central) at Centrum Arena on the SUU campus in Cedar City, Utah.
The Jackrabbits, 4-8 overall and 0-1 in The Summit League, will be playing their second consecutive game in the state of Utah and enter the game in the midst of their longest losing streak since the 1994-95 season. SDSU's skid reached four games with a 60-57 loss at Utah State on Dec. 20.
At 7-5 overall, Southern Utah has already matched its win total from a season ago under second-year head coach JR Payne. The Thunderbirds are 1-1 in The Summit League after splitting a road series to open league play, falling 68-39 at Oakland on Dec. 2, before posting a 69-66 victory Dec. 4 at IPFW to start their current five-game win streak.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Mountain Time (8 p.m. Central) at Centrum Arena on the SUU campus in Cedar City, Utah.
The Jackrabbits, 4-8 overall and 0-1 in The Summit League, will be playing their second consecutive game in the state of Utah and enter the game in the midst of their longest losing streak since the 1994-95 season. SDSU's skid reached four games with a 60-57 loss at Utah State on Dec. 20.
At 7-5 overall, Southern Utah has already matched its win total from a season ago under second-year head coach JR Payne. The Thunderbirds are 1-1 in The Summit League after splitting a road series to open league play, falling 68-39 at Oakland on Dec. 2, before posting a 69-66 victory Dec. 4 at IPFW to start their current five-game win streak.
THE SERIES: Wednesday's game will mark the seventh meeting between South Dakota State and Southern Utah, a series that began when the Jackrabbits joined The Summit League at the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
SDSU ran its record to 6-0 against the Thunderbirds with a 59-45 victory in Cedar City on Jan. 9, 2010, followed by a 93-59 drubbing at Frost Arena on Feb. 8, 2010.
In the first meeting, the Jackrabbits overcame a cold shooting night with a strong defensive effort to post a 59-45 victory. Ketty Cornemann led SDSU with 15 points, while Kristin Rotert turned in her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
SDSU shot only 34 percent (18-of-53) from the field, including 1-of-11 from three-point range, but held a 52-32 rebounding advantage and limited SUU to 29 percent (19-of-65) shooting.
Challis Pascucci led the Thunderbirds with 14 points and 10 rebounds, with Caitlyn Sears adding 11 points.
In the rematch a month later, SDSU went on runs of 10-2 and 20-0 in the second half to win going away. The Jackrabbits led by only three points at halftime, 36-33.
Cornemann led SDSU's balanced scoring attack with 21 points, with Jill Young sinking four three-pointers en route to 15 points off the bench. Rotert and Jennie Sunnarborg each added 10.
Sears paced SUU with 12 points, while Pascucci turned in another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Tayler Andersen chipped in with 10 points for the T-Birds.
JACKRABBITS ONLINE: Audio and video coverage of Wednesday's game is scheduled to be available through the Jackrabbit Extra subscription service at GoJacks.com, the official website of SDSU athletics. Monthly subscriptions are $4.95 for audio only and $11.95 for both video and audio.
Radio coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. Central Time on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, with Tyler Merriam calling the play-by-play. Network stations carrying Wednesday's game include WNAX 570 in Yankton and KJJQ?910 AM in Brookings.
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2010-11 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 interviews with Jackrabbit coaches and student-athletes, airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on Sioux Falls-based KTTW?FOX?7. The show is also broadcast on FOX Sports North at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and on FOX?College Sports Central at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Online, the show can be viewed at GoJacks.com.
SCHEDULE CHANGE: The women's basketball game between South Dakota State and Arkansas-Little Rock slated for Jan. 4 in Little Rock has been dropped from the teams' 2010-11 schedules due to a scheduling conflict. The Jackrabbits and UALR have agreed to play a home-and-home series during the 2011-12 season.
UALR and South Dakota State originally signed a contract in May which would bring South Dakota State to Little Rock during the 2010-11 season, and have the Trojans make a trip to Brookings. in 2011-12. At that time, the Trojans were scheduled to play at Denver on Saturday, Jan. 1. In August, Denver moved the game to Sunday, Jan. 2 because of scheduling conflicts, and UALR and South Dakota State had been working to reschedule their matchup since that time.
The Jackrabbits' first action of the new year now will take place Saturday, Jan. 8, when SDSU hosts Oral Roberts (Okla.) in a rematch of last season's Summit League championship game.
COMING UP SHORT IN CRUNCH TIME: Each of the Jackrabbits' last six losses have been in games not decided until the final minutes:
• Nov. 30 at Manhattan, Kan. - Kansas State 56, SDSU 51: SDSU led 46-42 with 6:26 to play, but was outscored 14-5 the rest of the way;
• Dec. 4 at Frost Arena - North Dakota State 78, SDSU?71: Game was tied at 65 with 3:03 to play before NDSU went on 10-1 run;
• Dec. 11 at Cedar Falls, Iowa - Northern Iowa 81, SDSU 60: SDSU led 46-44 with 12 minutes to play, then was outscored 37-14;
• Dec. 16 at Frost Arena - Arizona State 63, SDSU 52: Jackrabbits limited to four field goals in the second half and only one point in final 5:48 after pulling to within two at 53-51;
• Dec. 18 at Frost Arena - Iowa 65, SDSU 54: Iowa scored 13 straight points after Jackrabbits got to within one, 52-51, with 5:54 to play;
• Dec. 20 at Logan, Utah - Utah State 60, SDSU 57: SDSU led 51-50 with 4:18 to play until Utah State gained the advantage.
SUMMIT LEAGUE DOMINANCE: South Dakota State has built an impressive Summit League résumé during its tenure in the 10-team conference.
Since joining the league at the start of the 2007-08 season, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 47-8 record in Summit League regular season games en route to outright league titles with records of 16-2 in 2007-08 and 17-1 during the 2008-09 season. SDSU also is a perfect 6-0 in Summit League postseason tournament games, winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Note: the Jackrabbits were not eligible for the conference tournament in 2008 as it was completing its final season of transition to Division I status.
In addition, SDSU has gone 26-2 at home against league foes and has won at least one game on every other Summit League member's home court.
SUMMIT?LEAGUE POLL: The South Dakota State University women's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the Summit League preseason poll, which was released in October.
Defending league regular season champion Oral Roberts (Okla.) received 26 of 30 first-place votes to take the top spot with 438 points in the poll conducted by league coaches, sports information directors and select media. SDSU tallied the other four first-place votes to place second with 393 points. Oakland (Mich.) was third with 336 points, followed by IPFW in fourth with 285 points and North Dakota State fifth with 274.
The bottom half of the conference consists of UMKC (253), Southern Utah and Western Illinois tied for seventh (162), IUPUI (99) and Centenary (La.) 48.
During the 2009-10 season, the Jackrabbits finished the regular season tied with Oakland for second place with a 14-4 mark. SDSU later knocked off top-seeded Oral Roberts in the finals of the Summit League Championship, 79-75 in overtime, to earn its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
SDSU guard Kristin Rotert was the lone Jackrabbit player on the preseason all-league team. A senior from Salem, Rotert is the Jackrabbits' top returning scorer after averaging 12.6 points per game during the 209-10 season.
MID-MAJOR POLL: After beginning the season ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25, the South Dakota State University women's basketball team has fallen into the list of teams receiving votes in the weekly poll.
Wisconsin-Green Bay earned 23 first-place votes and 765 points to remain in the top spot in the balloting conducted among mid-major women's basketball head coaches. Bowling Green (Ohio) received 11 first-place votes to place second in the poll with 746 points.
Two SDSU opponents are currently ranked in the mid-major top 25: Middle Tennessee is ranked sixth and Illinois State checks in at No. 10. Summit League rival Oakland, as well as recent non-conference opponent Northern Iowa also are receiving votes.
The Jackrabbits began the season ranked 15th in the poll and climbed to as high as 11th after wins over Utah Valley and Hampton (Va.) in the Preseason WNIT.
Following is a week-by-week look at the Jackrabbits' showing in the mid-major poll:
Preseason • 15th
Nov. 16 • 11th
Nov. 23 • 13th
Nov. 30 • 14th
Dec. 7 • 21st
Dec. 14 • RV
Dec. 21 • RV
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits close out their first Summit League road trip of the season by playing a late-afternoon matinee at UMKC?on New Year's Eve. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City, Mo.
SDSU's next home action is Saturday, Jan. 8, when the Jackrabbits host Oral Roberts in a rematch of last year's Summit League championship game. Start time for the opening game of a doubleheader is 5 p.m. at Frost Arena, followed by the men's game between SDSU and ORU at 7:30 p.m.
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