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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks wrap up non-conference slate
12/20/2011 5:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The South Dakota State University women's basketball team puts a bow on the non-conference portion of its schedule Wednesday night, when it travels to nationally ranked Nebraska.
Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.
The Jackrabbits enter the matchup with a 7-5 overall record. SDSU opened its two-game road trip with a 59-51 loss at Marquette Monday night (Dec. 19) in Milwaukee, Wis.
Nebraska, meanwhile, has returned to national prominence after going through a rebuilding season in 2010-11. The Cornhuskers, who are in their first year as a Big Ten Conference member, are off to a 10-1 overall start and are ranked 24th in this week's Associated Press poll and are the top team receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Nebraska has won its last four games, including a 94-41 rout of Vermont on Dec. 18, since its lone loss of the season - a 73-57 setback at Georgia Tech on Nov. 30.
Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.
The Jackrabbits enter the matchup with a 7-5 overall record. SDSU opened its two-game road trip with a 59-51 loss at Marquette Monday night (Dec. 19) in Milwaukee, Wis.
Nebraska, meanwhile, has returned to national prominence after going through a rebuilding season in 2010-11. The Cornhuskers, who are in their first year as a Big Ten Conference member, are off to a 10-1 overall start and are ranked 24th in this week's Associated Press poll and are the top team receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Nebraska has won its last four games, including a 94-41 rout of Vermont on Dec. 18, since its lone loss of the season - a 73-57 setback at Georgia Tech on Nov. 30.
THE SERIES: Wednesday's matchup will mark the third meeting between South Dakota State and Nebraska in women's basketball. The series, which dates back to a 94-39 Nebraka victory during the 1978-79 season, is tied at a game apiece.
The last meeting between the two teams came on Nov. 19, 2005, in Lincoln. In the season opener for both teams, the Jackrabbits made 13 three-pointers en route to a 68-49 victory. SDSU led 37-18 at halftime, holding the Cornhuskers to 21 percent (6-of-28) shooting in the first half.
Heather Sieler paced SDSU with 15 points, including three three-pointers, and added five assists and four steals. Ashlea Muckenhirn was 4-for-5 from long distance en route to 13 points and Megan Vogel canned a pair of treys as she finished the afternoon with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.The Jackrabbits held a 52-32 rebounding advantage.
Kelsey Griffin led Nebraska with 18 points and seven rebounds.
The Jackrabbits have had success against Big Ten Conference opponents during the Division I era, holding a 6-5 record since the 2004-05 season. However, SDSU has lost its last three games to Big Ten foes, falling once at Purdue and twice to Iowa. The Jackrabbits own two victories over both Minnesota and Wisconsin and one win apiece versus Illinois and Indiana.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Audio coverage of Wednesday'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
Wednesday's game is scheduled to be televised on Nebraska Educational Television, with additional video coverage available online via subscription service at BTN.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.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Since moving to Division I at the start of the 2004-05 season, the Jackrabbits have faced 13 nationally ranked opponents. SDSU has compiled a 2-11 record against ranked opponents, dropping the last five games - three of which have been in NCAA Tournament games (to Baylor in 2009, Oklahoma in 2010 and Xavier (Ohio) in 2011).
The Jackrabbits' last win over a ranked opponent was a 65-55 victory at 25th-ranked Minnesota on Dec. 9, 2008. SDSU's other win over a ranked foe was a 67-63 victory over No. 19 Southern California on Nov. 17, 2006, at Frost Arena.
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 799-363 (.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 149-62 mark (.706 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 93-of-122 (76.2 percent) over the last five games.
SDSU has made at least 80 percent of its charity tosses in four of the last six 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 individual 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 85 percent (34-of-40).
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Jackrabbits entered 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 each of the last seven games and 10 of its 12 games this season, posting a 7-3 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 60?: In each of their five losses this season, the Jackrabbits have been held to under 55 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 7-5 record. A relatively young and inexperienced Jackrabbit bench has outscored the opponent's reserves in seven games this season, including each of the last four. Overall, the Jackrabbits have outscored opposing reserves by 32 points, 194-162, 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 Wenesday's game against Nebraska in 28th place on the Jackrabbit career scoring chart with 1,080 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 248, trailing co-leaders Brenda Davis (250 three-pointers from 2001-04) and Kristin Rotert (250 treys from 2008-11) by two.
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 40.8 percent from three-point range, 248-of-608, 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 throughout much of the 2011-12 season. A native of Osseo, Minn., Sunnarborg leads the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game. She also is shooting 85 percent (34-of-40) from the free throw line and contributing a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game.
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. Sunnarborg also compiled a 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.
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, entering Wednesday's game with 887 career points.
EIDE ON THE MARK: Junior guard Ashley Eide has put together a strong season for the Jackrabbit women's basketball team, ranking third on the squad in scoring with 9.7 points per game and tying for second in rebounding at 4.8 boards per game.
The Sioux Falls native was impressive in the season opening weekend, tying a career high with six assists in the season-opening win over St. Cloud State on Nov. 11, then pouring 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.
Starting with the two Summit League contests, Eide is averaging 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds over the last six contests.
PALUCH AT THE POINT: Junior Steph Paluch has handled the bulk of the point guard duties for the Jackrabbits through the first six weeks of the 2011-12 season.
A Pierre native, Paluch leads the team with 26 assists (2.2 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 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-best 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 273-95 (.743 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 1-0 against Nebraska.
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 resume 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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