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 make way to Marquette
12/19/2011 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The South Dakota State University women's basketball team wraps up a string of four consecutive games against NCAA?Tournament qualifiers from a year ago Monday night, when it travels to Marquette for a non-conference matchup.
Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center on the Marquette campus in Milwaukee, Wis.
The Jackrabbits will be in search of the 800th win in program history in Monday's game. SDSU is 2-1 through the first three games of its stretch against postseason teams to enters the matchup with a 7-4 overall mark. SDSU sandwiched a home-and-home series sweep over Arkansas-Little Rock around a home loss at the hands of Kansas State on Dec. 10. In their last outing, Dec. 16 at Frost Arena, the Jackrabbits rallied to defeat UALR, 64-55.
Marquette, meanwhile, has not played since routing Iona (N.Y.), 93-44, at home on Dec. 10 to improve to 6-5 overall. The Golden Eagles have alternated wins and losses in their last eight games.
The two squads have had one common opponent so far this season in Washington State. SDSU defeated the Cougars, 63-58 on Nov. 20 in Brookings, while the Golden Eagles fell to Washington State, 65-52, in the opening game of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov. 24.
THE SERIES: Monday's matchup will mark the third meeting between South Dakota State and Marquette in women's basketball. The Golden Eagles won each of the first two matchups, winning 67-55 on Dec. 21, 2005, in Milwaukee, followed by an 80-63 victory at Frost Arena on Dec. 31, 2006.
In the last meeting, the 20th-ranked Golden Eagles extended their winning streak to 12 games and ended SDSU's 15-game home-court winning streak behind 33 points from Krystal Ellis. A guard, Ellis was 5-of-7 from three-point range and made all 10 free-throw tries, while also contributing seven assists and five steals.
Marquette made 24-of-50 shots from the field, including 11-of-18 from three-point range, 61.1 percent. At the line, Marquette made 21-of-28 attempts for 75 percent.
Three Jackrabbit players scored in double figures. Megan Vogel led SDSU with 20 points - 10 in each half. Andrea Verdegan tallied 14 points and Jennifer Warkenthien added 10.
The Jackrabbits ended the game 23-of-61 from the floor, 37.7 percent, and made just 4-of-22 three-point attempts. SDSU also struggled from the free throw line, making 13-of-25 attempts for 52 percent.
SDSU is in search of its first win over a BIG?EAST?opponent, going 0-4 since moving to the Division I ranks at the start of the 2004-05 season. The Jackrabbits are facing their second BIG?EAST?opponent this season after dropping a 55-22 decision to Cincinnati (Ohio) in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 24.
Following is a list of Jackrabbit records versus BIG?EAST foes:
* Cincinnati 0-1
* Marquette 0-2
* Rutgers 0-1
MEDIA COVERAGE: Audio coverage of Monday's game is scheduled to be available via the Jackrabbit Extra 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 select contests are available for $11.95 per month or $99.95 for an entire year of coverage.
Local radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, with J.J. Hartigan calling the play-by-play. Besides network flagship WNAX 570 AM, the game can be heard on the following Jackrabbit Sports Network affiliates:
* KJJQ?910 AM-Brookings
* KRKI 99.1 FM-Rapid City
* KGFX 1060 AM-Pierre
* KSDR 1480 AM-Watertown
Video coverage will be available online at GoMarquette.com.
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2011-12 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.
LAST?TIME OUT: After trailing most of the night, the South Dakota State University women's basketball team ended the game with a 20-6 run to defeat Arkansas-Little Rock, 64-55, Dec. 16 at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits, who defeated UALR for the second time in 10 days, improved to 7-4 overall. UALR dropped its fourth consecutive game, falling to 3-8 overall.
Trailing 49-44 after consecutive three-pointers by the Trojans' Janette Merriex and Taylor Gault, SDSU turned the tide after switching to a trapping zone defense. Over the final 11 minutes, UALR committed nine turnovers and went 2-of-10 from the field.
SDSU, meanwhile, began to find its stride offensively. Jill Young started the comeback with a three-pointer and gave the Jackrabbits a 52-51 lead with two free throws with 5 minutes and 2 seconds left in the game. Moments later, Young scored on a layup that beat the shot clock and Steph Paluch added a putback and layup to push the SDSU advantage to 60-53 with under two minutes to play.
The Jackrabbits trailed 10 points, 18-10, in the first eight minutes of the game, before trimming the margin to a basket, 21-19, following a three-pointer by Rachel Walters. However, UALR would score the next 10 points over a four-minute span to take its largest lead of the night, 31-19, with 2:50 to play in the opening half. Ashley Eide's traditional three-point play with 2.2 seconds remaining brought the Jackrabbits to within 32-28 entering halftime.
Eide finished the game with 14 points, while Young tallied a team-high 17. The Jackrabbits ended the night 21-of-56 from the field, 37.5 percent, including 5-of-15 from three-point range. SDSU made its final nine free throw attempts of the evening to finish 17-of-27, 63 percent.
Gault scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the first half to lead UALR. Merriex added 14 points, while Marian Kursh tallied 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
UALR shot 18-of-51 from the field, 35.3 percent, including 4-of-13 from behind the arc. The Trojans were 15-of-21 at the free throw line, 71.4 percent.
The Jackrabbits won the battle of the boards, 41-36, with four different players pulling down five rebounds.
OPENING SUCCESS: The Jackrabbits' 74-35 victory over St. Cloud State in the 2011-12 season opener at Frost Arena on Nov. 11 marked the 19th 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.).
NEW LOWS: The Jackrabbits' 22 points in a loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 24 was by far the lowest point total by an SDSU squad during the Division I era and the lowest with a shot clock in use. The previous low was 40 points - also in a 33-point loss - at Purdue (Ind.) on Nov. 18, 2010, in the semifinals of the Preseason Women's NIT.
Overall, the 22 points were the third fewest in a game in school history. Ironically, the Jackrabbits won both of the games in which they scored fewer points:?an 18-14 decision over Buena Vista (Iowa) during the inaugural 1966-67 season and a 19-6 victory over Huron during the 1967-68 campaign.
Against Kansas State on Dec. 10, the Jackrabbits could muster a shooting percentage of only 21.6 percent - their worst shooting performance in the Division I era. SDSU missed its first 16 shots from the field and finished the first half 2-of-25 from the floor.
RECEIVING VOTES: South Dakota State received votes in two different national preseason polls. The Jackrabbits received three votes in the Nov. 15 ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, and tallied 27 points in the Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll conducted by collegeinsider.com.
The Jackrabbits dropped out of consideration in the most recent mid-major poll, which is sprinkled with SDSU opponents. In the Dec. 13 poll, Summit League favorite Oral Roberts was ranked 14th, Marist (N.Y) held the 16th spot, and Middle Tennessee checked in at No. 19. Also receiving votes were Summit League opponents South Dakota and Oakland.
799 AND?COUNTING: SDSU's 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 799-362 (.688 winning percentage).
In addition, SDSU has posted 25 consecutive winning seasons between competing at the NCAA Division II and Divsion I levels.The Jackrabbits' last losing season was an 11-16 campaign during the 1985-86 season.
NEARING 150 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 seven-plus seasons competing at the Division I level, SDSU has compiled a 149-61 mark (.710 winning percentage) versus D-I opposition. The Jackrabbits have posted victories over 54 different Division I teams representing 20 conferences plus
independents.
TOUGH AT HOME: The Jackrabbit women's basketball team has gained a decisive home-court advantage at Frost Arena over the past decade.
In his tenure as Jackrabbit head coach, Johnston has led the Jackrabbits to a 140-22 record (.864 winning percentage) at Frost Arena, including an 85-13 mark (.867 winning pct.) at home during the Division I era. The Jackrabbits have put together winning streaks of 15, 15 and 22 in the process. SDSU's current home winning streak is seven games.
Since the start of the 2001-02 season, SDSU has a 129-17 home record (.883 winning percentage), losing an average of about two games 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 early in the 2009-10 campaign snapped a 35-game regular season home winning streak, as well as a 15-game overall winning streak that began after SDSU lost to Creighton (Neb.) in the first round of the 2008 Women's NIT.
SDSU's loss to Oral Roberts on Jan. 4, 2010, marked its first home loss to a Summit League opponent.
TOEING?THE?LINE: After some struggles from the free throw line early in the season, the Jackrabbits have made the most of their free throw opportunities in recent games.
SDSU entered their Nov. 30 matchup at Western Illinois shooting only 63.8 percent (95-of-149) from the free throw line, but has gone a combined 85-of-108 (78.7 percent) over the last five games.
SDSU has made at least 80 percent of its charity tosses in four of the last five games. The Jackrabbits were a perfect 9-for-9 in the Nov. 30 matchup at Western Illinois, then made 25-of-30 free throws at IUPUI. SDSU closed the road swing with a 14-of-17
performance, including 8-of-8 in the closing minutes, at UALR. In a losing effort against Kansas State on Dec. 10, the Jackrabbits converted 20-of-25 attempts -?80 percent - at the stripe.
Although SDSU struggled throughout much of their Dec. 16 game against UALR, the Jackrabbits made their final nine attempts at the line to seal a 64-55 victory. SDSU finished the game 17-of-27, 63 percent, to end their streak of four games of 80 percent or better at the line.
The Jackrabbits feature two of the top free throw shooters in The Summit League this season. Jill Young leads the way at 93.5 percent (29-of-31), followed by Jennie Sunnarborg at 84.2 percent (32-of-38).
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Jackrabbits enter the week as the top rebounding team in The Summit League, out-rebounding their opponents by 7.0 boards per game.
SDSU has held a rebounding advantage in nine of its 11 games this season, posting a 7-2 record when winning the battle of the boards. The Jackrabbits have held a double-digit rebounding advantage five times this season, including each of their first two Summit League games. SDSU put together a dominating 46-22 advantage against Western Illinois on Nov. 30 and held a 41-29 edge versus IUPUI in their Dec. 2 matchup.
RACE TO 50?: In each of their four losses this season, the Jackrabbits have been held to under 50 points. SDSU has scored at least 60 points in each of its seven victories.
BENCH POINTS: South Dakota State reserves have played a key role in the Jackrabbits starting the season with a 7-4 record. A relatively young and inexperienced Jackrabbit bench has outscored the opponents's reserves in six games this season, including holding a 24-7 advantage in a Dec. 6 victory at Arkansas-Little Rock. Overall, the Jackrabbits have outscored opposing reserves by five points, 174-157, thus far during the 2011-12 season.
Junior forward Leah Dietel has been the top scorer off the bench four times this season for the Jackrabbits.
SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: 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 61-13 record (.824 winning percentage) 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. In addition, SDSU has gone 31-5 at home against league foes and has won at least one game on every other Summit League member's home court.
YOUNG REACHES 1,000: Senior guard Jill Young became the 30th member of the Jackrabbit Women's Basketball 1,000-Point Club when she sank a first-half three-pointer during South Dakota State's win over Washington State on Nov. 20.
Young enters Monday's game against Marquette in 28th place on the Jackrabbit career scoring chart with 1,071 points, after passing former Ketty Cornemann, who tallied 1,042 points from 2007-10, in the Dec. 6 game at Arkansas-Little Rock. Next on the list is Dawn Hull, who scored 1,125 points from 1993-96.
Young has been a top-notch long range shooter for the Jackrabbits throughout her collegiate career and enters the week in sole possession of third place on the SDSU career three-point field goal chart with 245, trailing co-leaders Brenda Davis (250 three-pointers from 2001-04) and Kristin Rotert (250 treys from 2008-11) by five.
She also ranks sixth in Summit League history for three-pointers made after canning 20 treys through the first 10 games of the season. Young tied a career high with seven three-pointers in the Nov. 11 season opener against St. Cloud State and added three triples two days later in a home victory over Utah State.
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.
For her career, Young is shooting 41.0 percent from three-point range, 245-of-598, including a team-best 78-of-188 - 41.4 percent - last season to rank 21st nationally for three-point percentage.
SUNNY SIDE UP: Senior forward Jennie Sunnarborg has led the Jackrabbits in scoring in six of their last nine games, averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds during that span. In her best outing of the season, Sunnarborg recorded a season-high 23 points and added five rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot in an SDSU victory at IUPUI on Dec. 2.
Also during the streak, Sunnarborg compiled 22-point, four-rebound performance against Washington State on Nov. 20, in which she made the go-ahead basket with 1:05 remaining in the game. She also was 12-for-14 at the free throw line in the Jackrabbit victory.
A native of Osseo, Minn., Sunnarborg enters the weekend leading the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game. She also is shooting 84.2 percent (32-of-38) from the free throw line and contributing a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game.
On the career charts, Sunnarborg ranks seventh in blocked shots at South Dakota State with 102. She also is on pace to reach the 1,000-point mark, starting the week with 883 career points.
EIDE ON THE MARK: Junior guard Ashley Eide put together a strong opening weekend for the Jackrabbit women's basketball team.
The Sioux Falls native tied a career high with six assists in the season-opening win over St. Cloud State on Nov. 11, then poured in a career-high 27 points with eight rebounds in the Jackrabbits' victory over Utah State. Eide did not miss a two-point shot in the two games, going a combined 11-for-11. She also was 3-of-8 on three-point attempts to finish the weekend 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) overall from the field.
Eide continued her strong play by averaging 11 points and 3.5 rebounds during the opening week of Summit League play. She scored nine points at Western Illinois on Nov. 30, then went 5-of-7 from the field en route to 13 points in the Dec. 2 victory at IUPUI.
PALUCH AT THE POINT: Junior Steph Paluch has handled the bulk of the point guard duties for the Jackrabbits through the first month of the 2011-12 season.
A Pierre native, Paluch leads the team with 25 assists (2.3 apg), including recording a career-high eight assists in SDSU's 63-58 win over Washington State on Nov. 20. Paluch also has contributed averages of 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Her five steals Dec. 2 at IUPUI established a new career high and are the most by a Jackrabbit player this season.
Paluch scored a season-high 13 points in SDSU's victory over Utah State on Nov. 13, making all six free throw attempts.
COACH AARON JOHNSTON: Now in his 12th full 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 enters Monday's game against Marquette with a career record of 273-94 (.744 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, against Centenary (La.) and No. 250 on Nov. 24, 2010, versus Illinois State. His career totals have included a 61-13 record (.824 winning percentage) in Summit League regular season games and a 16-7 mark (.696 winning percentage) in postseason games. He is 0-2 against Marquette.
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.
Along the way to a 32-3 overall record, the Jackrabbits received national media coverage from CBS Sports, USA Today, ESPN.com and The New York Times.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: The South Dakota State women's basketball team continued to make the grade during the 2010-11 season.
For the fourth time in its six-year history at the Division I level, the Jackrabbits posted the highest grade-point average in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Academic Top 25 Honor Roll, topping the chart with a 3.666 team GPA. Overall, SDSU ranked second across all divisions of women's college basketball.
"This is a really exciting accomplishment for the team," Jackrabbit head coach Aaron Johnston said. "This group has talked about getting back to that top spot over the past couple years and it is good to see this group of new players help us reach that goal. I'm proud of all the sacrifice and effort the players have put forward to accomplish this goal."
Individually, 11 Jackrabbit women's basketball players were honored on the all-Summit League Academic Team.
To be honored on the Academic All-Summit League Team, student-athletes must have a 3.0 or better grade-point average in the semester of their championship event and must use a year of eligibility. Student-athletes are recognized as a Distinguished Scholar by compiling a 3.6 GPA or higher, with nine Jackrabbit players earning that distinction.
Overall, Jackrabbit student-athletes garnered a conference-best 148 Academic All-Summit League awards during the spring semester.
In addition, eight Jackrabbits players were honored on the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence by The Summit League. With the eight selections - 64 percent of the squad - the Jackrabbits were honored with a Team Academic Achievement Award from the league.
In order for a student-athlete to be selected to the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence, he or she must carry at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average, achieve sophomore academic standing at the institution, have used a year of eligibility and be on the squad list in the sport in which he or she is nominated. Transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates must have completed one academic year at the nominating institution. True freshmen, redshirt freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible for the award.
THE ROSTER: The 2011-12 SDSU women's basketball roster features 13 players from two different states. Of the 13 players, seven are from Minnesota and six are from South Dakota. By class, two are seniors, four are juniors, three are sophomores, one is a redshirt freshman and three are incoming freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits close out the non-conference portion of their schedule Wednesday night with their lone matchup of the season against a Big Ten Conference opponent, at Nebraska. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.
SDSU resumes Summit League action Dec. 29 by hosting Oakland in a 7 p.m. matchup at Frost Arena. The Jackrabbits complete the homestand New Year's Eve with a 2 p.m. contest against IPFW.
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