Jackrabbits Advance to Semifinals

Saturday, March 7

Sioux Falls, S.D.

2:30 PM

South Dakota State University

Denver

3/7/2015 6:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Denver Box Score WBB vs Denver (03.07.2015)

By: SDSU Sports Info

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—Senior Megan Waytashek scored a game-high 21 points to help lead the South Dakota State women's basketball team to a 79-61 win over Denver Saturday in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Championship at the Premier Center.

With the win, the Jackrabbits (22-8) advance to the semifinals Monday at 2:30 p.m. vs. the winner of the No. 3 Oral Roberts and No. 6 North Dakota State game.

Waytashek (Lino Lakes, Minn.) was 5 of 13 from the field, 4 of 6 from three-point range and 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. Classmate Mariah Clarin (Princeton, Minn.) scored 13 points and freshman Macy Miller (Mitchell) added 11 points and tied a career high with six assists. Waytashek grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Morgan Van Riper-Rose led Denver with 19 points and Jacqlyn Poss came off the bench for 14 points.

Playing in front of a Summit League session record 8,171 fans, the Jackrabbits opened the game with an 8-0 run fueled by Waytashek, who had sank back-to-back three-pointers.

Denver responded with a 15-4 run to take a 17-15 lead. Waytashek again sank a pair of three-pointers to put SDSU up 23-19 at 8:06. The Pioneers tied the game at 4:53, but the Jackrabbits outscored DU 13-6 to close the half up 41-34.

After a slow start to open the second half, the Jackrabbits used a 21-7 run to take its first double-digit lead, 62-50, at 6:43. SDSU's largest lead in the half, 77-58, came on a three-point field goal at 1:21 by Chloe Cornemann (Yankton). Cornemann came off the bench to make a career-high tying two three-point field goals.

SDSU shot 52 percent (13-25) from the field in the second half and limited Denver to eight field goals (8-27, .296). The Jacks also outrebounded the Pioneers, 40-31, and collected 22 assists.