Women's Basketball Returns to Iowa

Thursday, December 1

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Northern Iowa

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

11/30/2016 9:09:00 AM | Women's Basketball

GAME 6: RV/RV South Dakota State [4-1] vs. Northern Iowa [4-2]

When	Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 l 7 p.m.
Where	McLeod Center I Cedar Rapids, Iowa
TV	ESPN3 I Brad Wells and Nate Clayberg
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 104.1 FM I Jackrabbit All-Access I Brad Peterson
Live Stats	GoJacks.com
SDSU Links	Game Notes
Northern Iowa Links	Game Notes
Summit League Links	Weekly Notes I Website
Social Media	Twitter I #EarsUp

After taking down Iowa on a buzzer beater last week, the South Dakota State women's basketball team returns to the Hawkeye State to take on Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. Thursday in the McLeod Center.

The Jackrabbits had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 74-60 loss at No. 13/12 Oklahoma Nov. 23. Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Macy Miller had a game-high 17 points while senior Clarissa Ober snared a team-best 10 rebounds.

Northern Iowa won the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 25-26. The Panthers defeated Idaho (76-74) and Summit League member Denver (79-68).

Thursday's game is the 11th meeting between the Jackrabbits and Panthers. State leads the series 7-3 and has won the last four outings.
The Jackrabbits are 62-29 against teams from Iowa and 11-6 vs. Missouri Valley Conference teams.

Noteworthy

South Dakota State is 11-14 in away nonleague games in the last five years.
SDSU picked up 10 votes in the Associated Press poll Monday and 20 votes in the USA Today Sports Coaches poll Tuesday.
South Dakota State was ranked first in Graham Hays' espnW mid-major poll Nov. 22.

Poll Positions

South Dakota State received seven votes in the Associated Press poll Monday and 20 votes in the USA Today Sports Coaches poll Tuesday.
The Jackrabbits received 5 votes in the AP preseason poll and 28 in the preseason Coaches poll.
The last time the Jacks were ranked in either preseason poll was Nov. 9, 2009.
The Jackrabbits' votes are the first since the Jackrabbits received votes in the Jan. 11, 2016, AP poll and April 6, 2016, Coaches polls.
The highest SDSU has ever been ranked is 16th in the AP poll March 9, 2009, and 14th in the Coaches poll March 2, 2009.

Jackrabbits in Mid-Major Poll

South Dakota State is ranked first in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll this week after earning the top spot in the preseason poll.
SDSU has been ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll 85 of the last 86 weeks.
With its 26 first-place votes in the preseason poll, SDSU is the first team in The Summit League history to earn a top national preseason ranking.
The Jackrabbits were ranked first in the final 2015-16 poll, their highest-ever ranking.

A Quick Glance at South Dakota State

Seventeenth-year head coach Aaron Johnston's probable starters for the second consecutive year are:

            - Macy Miller, point guard
            - Madison Guebert, guard
            - Kerri Young, guard
            - Ellie Thompson, forward
            - Clarissa Ober, forward

The starting lineup is 4-1 this season and 31-8 overall. Of the eight losses, half were against ranked opponents.
The starting lineup is shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from 3-point range and 70.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Miller is SDSU's leading scorer and ranks third in The Summit League, averaging 17.0 points per game.
Thompson (11.6), Guebert (11.6) and Young (10.6) are the other Jacks averaging double digits in scoring.
SDSU averages 71.0 points per game, and three different Jackrabbits have led the team in scoring in the first five games of the season.
State has held four of its five opponents to less than 65 points.
There have been at least three Jackrabbits scoring in double digits in four of the five games.
On the boards, Ober grabs a team-leading 8.0 caroms an outing and ranks fourth in the league. SDSU is outrebounding opponents by 3.2.
The Jackrabbits' top 3-point threat is Guebert, who is sinking 3.0 treys per game and shooting 46.9 percent.
Young is the Jacks' top playmaker, dishing 3.2 assists per game.
Four Jackrabbits are dishing two-or-more assists a game and the team has a plus-0.9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Jackrabbits are shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from 3-point range and 67.6 percent from the free-throw line.
SDSU is ranked 25th in the NCAA for the fewest fouls, committing just 73 or 14.6 per game.

Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa is 4-2 on the season after winning the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. The Panthers defeated Idaho, 76-74, and Denver, 79-68.
The Panthers' leading scorer is senior Madison Weekly. The guard is averaging 17.0 points per game while sophomore guard Ellie Herzberg is scoring 10.5 points per game.
On the boards, UNI is outrebounding opponents by 3.3 boards a game. Senior forward Hannah Schonhardt averages a team-leading 7.0 caroms an outing.
Sophomore guard Mikaela Morgan is the Panthers' top 3-point threat, sinking 12 of 26 threes (46.2). UNI averages 8.5 treys per game.
Weekly dishes 4.1 assists per game.
UNI has eight players averaging 5.0-or-more points and nine averaging 10-or-more minutes per game.
The Panthers are shooting 40.2 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from 3-point range and 64.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Northern Iowa is outscoring its opponents by 0.5 points per game and averaging 70.2 points an outing while giving up 69.7 points per game.

Northern Iowa Series

Thursday's game vs. Northern Iowa marks the 11th meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Panthers.
South Dakota State holds a 7-3 series lead. The Jacks are 3-1 vs. the Panthers in Cedar Rapids. SDSU won the last game on the road, 74-60, Dec. 29, 2014.
SDSU is 11-6 vs. Missouri Valley teams and 62-29 against teams from Iowa.

UNI Connections

South Dakota State assistant coach Katie (Miller) Falco was a standout player at Northern Iowa from 1999-2003, ending her career fifth on the career scoring charts with 1,343 points.
A first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference performer in 2003, she finished second in the league with 18.2 points per game in leading the Panthers to their second Women's NIT appearance in three years. She set a UNI record for career free-throws made with 411 and free-throw percentage at 82.4. Additionally, Falco made a MVC-record 53 consecutive free throws during her freshman season.
Falco was a Panther when current Northern Iowa head coach Tanya Warren was an assistant coach.

For more information on the South Dakota State women's basketball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksWBB) or like South Dakota State women's basketball on Facebook.

-GoJacks.com-