Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 6 Washington on March 20, 2026 , Loss , 54, to, 72
/
FINAL
Women's Basketball
54
vs No. 6 Washington
72
South Dakota State University Athletics
WNIT Round of 16
3/26/2014 2:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
           BROOKINGS, S.D. — Thirty-six years. That is how long it has been since the South Dakota State women's basketball team has hosted the University of Minnesota in the friendly confines of Frost Arena. Thursday at 7 p.m. the Jacks and the Golden Gophers meet in the round of 16 of the Women's NIT.               Â
            The Jackrabbits advanced to the third round with a 62-51 win over Creighton University Sunday. Senior Steph Paluch led three Jackrabbits in double figures in scoring with game-high 19 points.
           Minnesota defeated SMU, 77-70, Sunday. Senior Sari Noga led five Gophers in double digits in scoring with a team-high 22 points.
           The winner of Thursday's game faces the winner of the Indiana vs. Northwestern game in the WNIT's quarterfinals March 29-31. Location and time is yet to be determined. The WNIT Championship is April 5 at 2:30 p.m. CT on the CBS Sports Network.      Â
TICKETS
-General admission tickets and reserved tickets are on sale. Reserved tickets are $20, and general admission tickets are $20 for adults and $7 for youths (K-12).
-Tickets from Thursday's game can be purchased at the Jackrabbit Ticket Office and by calling 1-866-GoJacks or 688-5422 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are also available 24/7 online at jackrabbittickets.com.Â
-SDSU is providing the first 500 student tickets free of charge with a valid student ID. Student tickets are $5 per ticket after the allotment is claimed.
TRACKING THE JACKRABBITS
Live Radio - Audio coverage via the Jackrabbit Extra subscription service at GoJacks.com with play-by-play commentator J.J. Hartigan and former Jackrabbit Jill Sargent with the color commentary.
WNAX 570 AM - FlagshipKJJQ 910 AM - Brookings
KORN 1490 AM - Mitchell
KGFX 1060 AM – Pierre
KJOE 106.1 FM – Pipestone, Minn.
KSDR 950 AM – Watertown
Live Video – GoJacks.com and Midco Sports Net (626 HD channel, standard channel 26)
Live Stats - GoJacks.com
JACKRABBITS ON TWITTER
Jackrabbit Athletics - @SDSU_Jacks
Jackrabbit Women's Basketball - @JackrabbitWBB
THE JACKRABBITS ON FACEBOOK
Jackrabbit Athletics: SDSU Jackrabbit Nation
Jackrabbit Women's Basketball: South Dakota State University Women's Basketball
SETTING THE SCENE
-For the first time in 36 years, the University of Minnesota will play in Brookings. The Jackrabbits have played the last two games vs. the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.
-South Dakota State is one of seven teams hosting a third WNIT home game. Indiana, South Florida, Bowling Green, Rutgers, Mississippi State and UTEP are also 2-0 on their home courts.
-The Jackrabbits have an opportunity to knock off its second Big Ten team of the season Thursday. They upset then-No. 12 Penn State, Dec. 11, 2013.
-SDSU can make school history Thursday by winning its third postseason game. The 2007 Jackrabbits lost at Wyoming, 70-59, in the WNIT third round.
-South Dakota State is the fourth team in Summit history to win two games in the same postseason. Valparaiso won twice in the 2002 WNIT, Oral Roberts in 2011 WNIT and South Dakota in the 2013 Women's Basketball Invitational.
-The Jackrabbits have eight student-athletes from the state of Minnesota while the Gophers have seven.
-SDSU sports a 4-1 record vs. WNIT teams in Frost Arena with its lone loss to Creighton in the first round of the 2008 WNIT.
-The Jackrabbits sport a 16-0 record in the friendly confines of Frost Arena this year and own a 19-game home win streak that ranks tied for third in the NCAA. Notre Dame has won 26 in a row and Stanford 24. The last time they lost in Frost was Jan. 19, 2013, to IUPUI.
-With its two wins, South Dakota State also ranks ninth in the nation for current win streaks. UConn leads the NCAA with a 41-game win streak.
-Thursday's game is the second-latest date the Jacks have played in school history. The 2002-03 Jackrabbits won the Division II National title March 29, 2003.
-SDSU is ranked 12th in the latest CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll.
WNIT FIELD
-The 64-team field was cut to 32 teams March 21 and then to 16 Monday. Still in the tournament on SDSU's quarter of the bracket are Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern. In the top portion of the bracket, Washington, San Diego, Colorado and UTEP are among the round of 16 and potential opponents.
-There are three teams from the Big 10, two from the Pac-12, SEC and C-USA and one team from the WCC, Atlantic 10, MAC, American and Big East Conferences.
-Seven of the top-50 teams in the country started in the 64-team field. Additionally, 35 have at least 20 wins and 10 won league titles.
QUICK GLANCE AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
-Head coach Aaron Johnston's probable starters vs. Minnesota are senior Hannah Strop (4.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg), junior forward Mariah Clarin (8.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg), junior guards Megan Waytashek (11.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Gabrielle Boever (6.2 ppg, 2.5 apg) and senior guard Steph Paluch (10.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg). The lineup sports a 20-8 record.
-Waytashek has scored in double figures in 20 of 33 games, and eight other Jacks have posted double-digit scoring games. Waytashek, Paluch, junior Megan Stuart and freshman Kerri Young have SDSU's only 20-plus point games this season. Clarin registered the Jacks' fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Butler Thursday. The forward has three double-doubles on the season.
-SDSU is shooting 40.6 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from three-point range and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Jacks are also averaging 70.5 points per game and limiting opponents to 66.1 points per outing.
-The Jacks have a deep squad with nine players averaging at least 13 minutes per game. Their bench averages 29.3 points per outing this season.
A GLANCE AT MINNESOTA
-Minnesota advanced to the third round of the WNIT after defeating SMU, 77-70, March 23, in Minneapolis and a come-from-behind 62-60 win over Green Bay March 19. The Golden Gophers are 3-2 all-time in the WNIT. This season marks the second-straight WNIT appearance for the Golden Gophers. They also appeared in the then-National Women's Invitation Tournament in 1978 and 1979.
-In the win over SMU, senior guard Sari Noga led five Gophers in double-digit scoring with 22 points. Minnesota shot 47 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three-point range and just 53.8 percent from the free-throw line.
-Minnesota finished the regular season 20-12 overall and 8-8 in the Big Ten Conference. The Gophers lost to Nebraska, 80-67, in the Big Ten Tournament March 7.
-The Jackrabbits and the Gophers have four common opponents on the season, Horizon League member Green Bay, Missouri Valley member Northern Iowa, Big East member Creighton, and Big Ten member Penn State. SDSU went 4-1 vs. the group while Minnesota finished 2-2.
-The Gophers are 4-7 on the road this season, and are 3-2 on the road in their last five outings.
-Junior Rachel Banham leads the team and the Big Ten Conference by averaging 22 points. Freshman Amanda Zahui B. averages 14.8 points and a team- and conference-best 11.6 rebounds per game. Banham was a unanimous pick for the All-Big Ten First Team, while Zahui B. was named the conference freshman of the year.
-As a team, Minnesota averages just 68.9 points per game, but is the best three-shooting team in the Big Ten, sinking 39.5 percent for the season. Defensively, the Gophers are limiting foes to 63.3 points per outing and lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (30.6).
THE MINNESOTA SERIES
-Thursday's game vs. Minnesota marks the sixth meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Golden Gophers.
-South Dakota State is 4-1 vs. Minnesota, winning the last two games. The last time the teams met was Dec. 9, 2008, in Minneapolis. The Jackrabbits upset the then-25 ranked Gophers, 65-55. Former Jack Kristin Rotert poured in a career-high 27 points in the win.
-The game most Jackrabbit fans remember is the Jan. 14, 2007, win in Minnesota. SDSU's Maria Boever scored on a layup as time expired to give the Jackrabbits a 59-58 win in front of 7,568 fans.
-According to the 2008-09 Minnesota media guide, "South Dakota State won, 59-58, on January 14, 2007, in Minneapolis. The Jackrabbits hit a shot as time expired. The officials counted the basket giving SDSU the victory. Later it was ruled that the basket should not have counted, but the result still stands as a Minnesota loss."
-South Dakota State and Minnesota first met in 1974-75 in Brookings, with the Jacks won 46-42. The Golden Gophers' lone win in the series was an 81-56 victory Jan. 28, 1978, in Frost Arena.
-SDSU is 11-11 vs. Big Ten teams. The Jackrabbits beat the then-12 ranked Penn State Dec. 11, 83-79 in Frost Arena.
-Minnesota assistant coach Kelly Roysland was an assistant coach at North Dakota State from 2008 to 2010.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball Postgame Press Conference (03.20.2026)
Saturday, March 21
Women's Basketball Pregame Press Conference (03.19.2026)
Friday, March 20
Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs North Dakota State (03.08.2026)
Monday, March 09
North Dakota State Women's Basketball Press Conference (03.08.2026)
Monday, March 09