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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks host IPFW on New Year's Eve
12/30/2011 4:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The South Dakota State University women's basketball team closes out the calendar year Saturday by hosting IPFW in a New Year's Eve matinee.
Tipoff for the Summit League matchup is slated for 2 p.m. at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits enter the game as one of only two unbeatens remaining in Summit League play. SDSU improved to 3-0 in conference games and 8-6 overall with a 62-52 victory over Oakland Thursday night.
IPFW, meanwhile, suffered its first league loss and fifth consecutive setback overall with a 77-70 defeat at North Dakota State on Thursday. The Mastodons are 4-9 overall and 2-1 in The Summit League.
Erin Murphy led IPFW?with 23 points, while Amanda Hyde added 16 and Anne Boese chipped in with 12.
Tipoff for the Summit League matchup is slated for 2 p.m. at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits enter the game as one of only two unbeatens remaining in Summit League play. SDSU improved to 3-0 in conference games and 8-6 overall with a 62-52 victory over Oakland Thursday night.
IPFW, meanwhile, suffered its first league loss and fifth consecutive setback overall with a 77-70 defeat at North Dakota State on Thursday. The Mastodons are 4-9 overall and 2-1 in The Summit League.
Erin Murphy led IPFW?with 23 points, while Amanda Hyde added 16 and Anne Boese chipped in with 12.
THE SERIES: South Dakota State has dominated the all-time series against IPFW, holding a 14-1 advantage since the two programs first met during the 2004-05 season.
The Jackrabbits won each of the first 12 meetings before IPFW cracked the win column with a 70-67 overtime victory on Jan. 22, 2011, at Frost Arena. Kayla Drake nearly recorded a triple-double for the Mastodons, tallying game highs of 27 points and 10 steals to go along with eight rebounds. Kristin Rotert and Macie Michelson led SDSU with 15 points each.
Both of the two other meetings during the 2010-11 season also were decided by three points. On Feb. 21, the Jackrabbits returned the favor by holding off IPFW?for a 50-47 victory in Fort Wayne. Jill Young posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Michelson scored 10 points, including a key basket down the stretch to give SDSU the victory.
The rubber match between the two squads took place March 7 in the semifinals of the Summit League Championship in Sioux Falls. The Jackrabbits led by as many as 11 points in the closing minutes, only to hold on for the win as IPFW?missed a last-second three-point attempt. Tournament MVP Kristin Rotert hit 6-of-8 three-point attempts en route to a game-high 24 points and Michelson again came through in the clutch with 15 points. Stephanie Rosado paced IPFW?with 16 points and six rebounds, while Anne Boese added 12.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Audio and coverage of Saturday'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.
A pay-per-view option also is available through the Jackrabbit Extra. Cost is $4.95 for single contests and $7.95 for doubleheaders.
Local radio coverage begins at 1:30 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
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.
NEW RADIO SHOW DEBUTS: South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston also will be a weekly guest on the "Jackrabbit Hardwood Hoops Hour," which will debut Monday (Jan.) on the Jackrabbit Sports Network. The radio show, which will air live from Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings, will run from 5 to 6 p.m.
For the remainder of the basketball season, the show will air from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. An audio stream of the show also will be available via the Jackrabbit Extra.
LAST?TIME OUT: South Dakota State controlled the final seven minutes of each half, defeating visiting Oakland, 62-52, in Summit League women's basketball action Thursday night at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits recorded the 800th victory in program history, improving to 8-6 overall and staying unbeaten in league play at 3-0. OU dropped to 5-7 overall, 1-2 in The Summit League.
SDSU got off to a quick start, scoring the first five points of the game and leading by five on three occasions in the opening five minutes before the Golden Grizzlies countered with an efficient display of offense. In one stretch, Oakland scored on eight consecutive trips down the floor to wrest the lead away.
Oakland led 24-15 after two Malika Glover free throws with 7 minutes, 18 seconds to play in the first half, but the Golden Grizzlies went scoreless over the next six-plus minutes while the Jackrabbits began to hit their stride offensively. Ashley Eide scored six points as part of a 13-0 SDSU outburst that was punctuated by a three-pointer from the right wing by Jill Young. The Jackrabbits extended their lead to 32-27 on a runner by Steph Paluch with two seconds remaining in the first half.
In the second half, Oakland regained the lead at 34-33 on a free throw by Julia Vestin with 16:36 to play. However, the Golden Grizzly lead would last all of 16 seconds as Jennie Sunnarborg put SDSU out front for good with a basket in the paint.
Oakland stayed within a point on two more occasions before the Jackrabbits put together one final surge. Sunnarborg, who scored a game-high 21 points, put SDSU up seven, 49-42, with 7:25 to play and gave the Jackrabbits their largest lead of the night, 58-47, with a basket a tick under the three-minute mark.
Eide finished with 17 points, while Young scored 12 as she sank a pair of three-pointers in setting the Jackrabbit career three-point record with 251.
SDSU finished the night 21-of-52 from the field, 40.4 percent, including 5-of-16 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits were effective at the free throw line, making 15-of-19 attempts for 78.9 percent.
Oakland was led by Bethany Watterworth's 13 points. Sharise Calhoun added 11. The Golden Grizzlies made 22-of-51 attempts from the field, 43.1 percent, including 4-of-10 from long range. OU struggled at the line, however, converting only 4-of-11 attempts, 36.4 percent.
The Jackrabbits dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle by a 41-27 count. Leah Dietel, who made her first start of the season for SDSU, hauled in a season-high nine rebounds to lead all players. Zakiya Minifee led Oakland with six 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 continue to receive votes in the most recent mid-major poll, which is sprinkled with SDSU opponents. In the Dec. 27 poll, Middle Tennessee State checked in at No. 17, Summit League favorite Oral Roberts was ranked 18th and Marist (N.Y) held the 22nd spot. Also receiving votes was Summit League opponent South Dakota.
800 AND?COUNTING: SDSU's victory over Oakland on Dec. 29 was the 800th 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 800-364 (.687 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.
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 150-63 mark (.704 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 141-22 record (.865 winning percentage) at Frost Arena, including an 86-13 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.
Since the start of the 2001-02 season, SDSU has a 130-17 home record (.884 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.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Jackrabbits enter the weekend as the top rebounding team in The Summit League, out-rebounding their opponents by 6.2 boards per game.
The Jackrabbits had their streak of holding a rebounding advantage end at seven games in the Dec. 21 loss at Nebraska, but again controlled the boards in their Dec. 29 matchup against Oakland. Overall, the Jackrabbits have out-rebounded their opponents in 11 of their 13 games this season, posting an 8-3 record when winning the battle of the boards.
The Jackrabbits have held a double-digit rebounding advantage six times this season, including each of their first three Summit League games. SDSU put together a dominating 46-22 advantage against Western Illinois on Nov. 30 and held a 41-27 edge versus Oakland in their Dec. 29 matchup.
BENCH POINTS: South Dakota State reserves have played a key role in the Jackrabbits starting the season with an 8-6 record. A relatively young and inexperienced Jackrabbit bench has outscored the opponent's reserves in eight games this season, including five of the last six. Overall, the Jackrabbits have outscored opposing reserves by 39 points, 217-178, thus far during the 2011-12 season.
Junior forward Leah Dietel and freshman wing Rachel Walters have been the top scorer off the bench four times each 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 62-13 record (.827 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 32-5 at home against league foes and has won at least one game on every other Summit League member's home court.
YOUNG REACHES MILESTONES: Senior guard Jill Young has reached a pair of milestones during the 2011-12 season.
The Mitchell native 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 Saturday's game against IPFW in 28th place on the Jackrabbit career scoring chart with 1,100 points, after passing former Ketty Cornemann (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 throughout her collegiate career and set a new Jackrabbit standard with 251 career three-pointers in the Dec. 29 game against Oakland. The previous record of 250 was held by both Brenda Davis (2001-04) and Kristin Rotert (2008-11).
Through the first 14 games of the season, Young leads the squad with 29 three-pointers. She 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 40.7 percent from three-point range, 251-of-616, including a team-best 78-of-188 - 41.4 percent - last season to rank 21st nationally for three-point percentage.
Young also has been an 82 percent (180-of-230) career shooter from the free throw line. She has shot well above her career average this season, making 91.9 percent (34-of-37) of her attempts.
DUELING THREE-POINTERS: Saturday's game features two of the most prolific three-point shooters in the history of The Summit League.
IPFW?senior Anne Boese sank two three-pointers Dec. 29 at North Dakota State to up her career three-pointer total to 258 and pass former UMKC player Katie Houlehan (257 three-pointers from 2001-05) for second place in the league annals. Boese stands four treys away from tying the all-time Summit League record of 262 set by Brenna Doty of Buffalo (N.Y) from 1994-97.
Meanwhile, SDSU's Jill Young enters play Saturday in fourth place with 251 career three-pointers. After making two three-pointers in the Dec. 29 contest with Oakland, Young passed both former teammate Kristin Rotert (250 treys from 2008-11) and former IPFW guard Jordan Zuppe (250 three-pointers from 2008-11).
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 has upped her scoring average to 12.1 points per game after back-to-back 20-point games. She also is shooting 81.5 percent (44-of-54) from the free throw line and contributing a team-best 5.8 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.
Sunnarborg broke out of a four-game slump with a 20-point, seven-rebound performance against nationally ranked Nebraska on Dec. 21, followed by a 21-point, six-rebound night against Oakland on Dec. 29. Her latest performance marked the fourth time this season and 13th time in her career she reached the 20-point mark in a game.
In three Summit League games, Sunnarborg is averaging 20 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest, while shooting 52.2 percent (24-of-46) from the field.
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 Saturday's game with 928 career points.
EIDE ON THE MARK: Junior guard Ashley Eide has put together a strong season for the Jackrabbit women's basketball team, ranking second on the squad in scoring (11.0 points per game) rebounding (4.8 rpg) and assists (1.93 apg).
Eide was named Summit League Player of the Week following her 21-point, five-rebound performance at nationally ranked Nebraska on Dec. 21. She was 9-of-14 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three-point range as she reached the 20-point mark for the second time this season. Eide added two assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action.
She tallied double figures for the fourth consecutive game with 17 points in the Dec. 29 win over Oakland. Eide made a pair of three-pointers and was 7-of-10 at the free throw line.
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 first two Summit League contests, Eide is averaging 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds over the last eight contests.
PALUCH AT THE POINT: Junior Steph Paluch has handled the bulk of the point guard duties for the Jackrabbits through the first half of the 2011-12 season.
A Pierre native, Paluch leads the team with 31 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 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-best 1.5 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.
DIETEL CLEANS THE GLASS: Junior forward Leah Dietel has set a season high for rebounds in back-to-back games to help lead the Jackrabbits lead The Summit League in the category this season.
A native of Jordan, Minn., Dietel grabbed seven rebounds in a losing effort at Nebraska on Dec. 21. In her first start of the season, Dec. 29 against Oakland, Dietel pulled down nine rebounds and tied a career high with two blocked shots in a Jackrabbit victory.
Dietel currently ranks fourth on the squad with an average of 3.9 rebounds per game.
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 Saturday's game against Oakland with a career record of 274-96 (.741 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 62-13 record (.827 winning percentage) in Summit League regular season games and a 16-7 mark (.696 winning percentage) in postseason games. He is 14-1 against IPFW.
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.
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 will be on the road next week for a pair of Summit League contests: Jan. 7 at Oral Roberts and Jan. 9 at Southern Utah. The matchup with ORU?is slated for a 2:05 p.m. start at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla.
SDSU's n
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