Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 6 Washington on March 20, 2026 , Loss , 54, to, 72
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FINAL
Women's Basketball
54
vs No. 6 Washington
72
South Dakota State University Athletics
Must Win Week
2/25/2015 2:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game #27
South Dakota State Jackrabbits (19-8, 10-4) vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks (17-10, 9-5)
Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in Frost Arena (6,100) in Brookings, S.D.
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Video: | GoJacks.com |
| Audio: | GoJacks.com |
| Live Stats: | GoJacksLive.com |
| Twitter: | @GoJacksSDSU; @GoJacksWBB |
| Radio: | Jackrabbit Sports Network with Brad Peterson on WNAX 570 AM. |
| Records: | South Dakota State is 19-8, 10-4. |
| Western Illinois 17-10, 9-5 | |
| Rankings: | South Dakota State is ranked No. 21 in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll and Western Illinois is not ranked. |
| Coaches: | South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston (Gustavus Adolphus '96) is 360-125 in 15 seasons with the Jackrabbits. |
| Western Illinois's JD Gravina (William Jewell '00) is 57-61 in his fourth season with the Leathernecks. | |
| The Series: | 17th meeting. SDSU leads 15-1. |
 Must Win Week
- With just two regular-season games left, the South Dakota State women's basketball team has a chance to improve its Summit League standings when it hosts Western Illinois Thursday at 7 p.m. in the friendly confines of Frost Arena.
- Currently second in the league race, SDSU trails South Dakota by one game. If the teams finish in a tie, SDSU holds the tiebreaker due to having a better record against whichever team finishes in third place. Both teams finish the season playing Western Illinois and IUPUI. The Jackrabbits and the Coyotes have both beaten Western Illinois and lost to IUPUI this season.
- SDSU is 19-8 overall and 10-4 in league play after winning its 10th overall and 6th Summit League home game Jan. 21, defeating in-state rival South Dakota, 77-67, in Frost Arena.
- Senior Megan Waytashek scored a game-high 18 points to lead four Jackrabbit starters in double digits in scoring vs. the Coyotes.Â
- South Dakota State will be protecting a modest eight-game home winning streak and a 6-0 league record in Frost. It last lost at home Dec. 10, 2014.
- SDSU will be looking to extend a seven-game home winning streak vs. the Leathernecks. The Jackrabbits won the season's first meeting, 74-61, in Macomb Jan. 21.Â
- Western Illinois, 17-10 overall and 9-5 in league play, defeated Denver, 75-56, Feb. 21 in Macomb.
- The Leathernecks enter Thursday's game with a 7-6 overall road record and a 4-2 road record in Summit League games. Their league road losses were at Omaha (54-51) Feb. 8 and at Oral Roberts (76-73) Jan. 17.
- Thursday's game marks the 17th meeting between South Dakota State and Western Illinois. SDSU leads the series 15-1.
Noteworthy
- With its win vs. South Dakota Feb. 21, SDSU is one game behind South Dakota in The Summit League standings. It needs defeat both Western Illinois Thursday and IUPUI Saturday and have the Coyotes lose one of their final two games to claim the Summit League regular-season title.
- The Jackrabbits have won seven of their last eight games. They have won by an average of 14.6 points, outrebounded their opponents by 9.5 and four of the Jacks' starters average 10-or-more points per game.
- SDSU has used four different lineups this season. The latest has seniors Mariah Clarin and Megan Waytashek, sophomore Kerri Young and freshmen Ellie Thompson and Macy Miller. Thompson stepped into the lineup Feb. 8, replacing sophomore Chynna Stevens who has a foot injury. No timetable has been given for her return.
- South Dakota State is 59-6 (.907) all-time at home in Summit League contests and has won 30 of its last 31.
- The Jackrabbits are 112-22 (.835) overall in Summit League games since joining the league in 2007-08. The Jacks have won 15 of their last 19, dating to a 71-60 win over Omaha Feb. 13, 2014.
- SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston, who won his 350th game Dec. 29, enters Thursday's game with a 360-125 (.742) overall record and a 112-22 (.835) league mark.
- SDSU has had a player score 20-or-more points in 16 of its 27 games and in 15 of the last 22 outings.
- Waytashek has scored in double figures in 20 of 25 games, made at least one three-point field goal in 28 of her last 35 games and enters Thursday's game with 1,306 career points and 19th on the South Dakota State 1,000-point list. She needs 29 points to move into 18th past Pat Dobratz (1970-73).
Tracking the Jacks
- The Jackrabbit Sports Network with Brad Peterson will broadcast Thursday's game.
- The free live audio stream can be heard on GoJacks.com and on WNAX-AM 570, KSDR 1480 AM, KORN 1490 AM, KJJQ 910 AM and KJOE 106.1 FM.
Jackrabbits in Mid-Major Poll
- South Dakota State jumped three spots to 21st in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll released Tuesday.
- SDSU has been ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll 61 of the last 62 weeks.
- The Jackrabbits finished ninth in the final 2013-14 poll.
A Quick Glance at South Dakota State
- Fielding lineups of either a freshman, two sophomores and two seniors or two freshmen, a sophomore and a pair of seniors, the Jackrabbits have a 19-8 overall record with a win at then-No. 25 Arkansas and victories over two top-10 CollegeInsider Teams and a 10-4 Summit League record.
- Statistically, South Dakota State's biggest strengths have been rebounding (the Jacks outrebound opponents by 8.8 boards per game) and free-throw shooting (.774) in Summit League-only games.
- Megan Waytashek (14.1 ppg and 39.3 three-point percentage) is having an all-league season so far. She has five 20-plus point outings, a double-double, scored in double figures 20 times and ranks eighth in overall and 10th in league-only scoring (13.8) in the Summit League.
- Macy Miller (14.0 ppg and 50.8 field goal percentage) is one of the top freshmen in The Summit League, ranking ninth overall and seventh in league-only scoring (15.1).
- Senior Mariah Clarin (11.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg) and freshman Ellie Thompson (5.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) are in the frontcourt for the Jacks. Overall, Clarin is 12th in scoring and fifth in rebounds and in league play, 11th (13.1) in scoring and fourth (7.7) in rebounds.
- Miller and sophomore Kerri Young (9.6 ppg and 2.8 apg) give the Jacks a pair of 6-footers in the backcourt. Both have the ability to get to the basket and hit the three-pointer.
- Four reserves have been key to SDSU's success. Sophomore Clarissa Ober (4.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) leads all non-starters in scoring and gives the Jacks size in the middle. Senior Rachel Walters (3.6 ppg, 37.7 3FG%) is another three-point threat for the Jacks. Junior Chloe Cornemann (1.3 ppg) and freshman Alexis Alexander (1.7 ppg, 1.5 apg) are solid guards who add a strong defensive presence.
A Glance at Western Illinois
- Western Illinois sits in a tie for third in The Summit League standings with records of 17-10 overall and 9-5 in league play after defeating Denver, 75-56, in Macomb Feb. 21.
- Summit League Preseason Player of the Year junior forward Ashley Luke leads Leathernecks and the league in scoring, averaging 19.5 and 22.6 points per game, respectively. Senior guard Tori Niemann and junior forward Sophie Reichelt are chipping in 10.9 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Western Illinois is scoring at a 73.7 clip and has a 8.1 scoring margin.
- On the boards, three Leathernecks average 4-or-more rebounds per game led by Luke's 11.4 average.
- Junior guard Michelle Maher dishes a team-best 4.2 assists per game.
- The Leathernecks are shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 33.4 percent from three-point range and 73.0 percent from the free-throw line.
- WIU is in league-only games in free throws per game (17.0) and free-throw attempts per game (22.7) and is second in rebounds per game (40.4).
The Western Illinois Series
- Thursday's game is the 17th meeting between SDSU and Western Illinois, and the Jacks lead the series 15-1.
- The Fighting Leathernecks won the initial meeting, 67-60, Jan. 14, 2008, in Macomb, Ill., but SDSU has since gone on to win the last 15 meetings, including the last seven in Frost Arena.Â
- Megan Waytashek averages 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 45.6 percent from the field in her five games vs. the Fighting Leathernecks. Mariah Clarin averages 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 52.8 percent from the field in seven games vs. WIU.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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