Title On the Line Tuesday

GAME 32: No. 2 seed South Dakota State [25-6] vs. No. 1 seed South Dakota [26-5]

When	Tuesday, Mar. 6, 2018 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Denny Sanford PREMIER Center \| Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM I Jackrabbits All-Access I Scotty Kwas & Brad Peterson
Television	ESPNU \| Clay Matvick & Joan Bonvicini
Live Audio	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| South Dakota \| Summit League
Social Media	Twitter I #EarsUp

After winning its semifinal game Monday, the No. 2 seed South Dakota State women's basketball team (25-6) takes on No. 1 seed South Dakota (26-5) Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the championship game of The Summit League Championship at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.

If the Jackrabbits win Tuesday, it will be their eighth Summit League tournament title in 10 years.

SDSU advanced to the finals with an 80-51 win over No. 3 seed Western Illinois Monday. Madison Guebert led four Jacks in double figures with a game-high 20 points.

The Summit League Championship game will air on The Jackrabbits Sports Network with Scotty Kwas and Brad Peterson calling the action. The championship game can be seen live on ESPNU and ESPN3.

Summit League Championship

South Dakota State is the No. 2 seed for the third time (2015, 2016) in the Summit League Championships. It sports a 24-2 (92.3) championship record, the best winning percentage among current league members.
It has won at least one tournament game in nine of 10 Summit League Championships it has been eligible for. The Jackrabbits have won seven tournament titles (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), the most in league history.
SDSU has played in eight of 10 title games and has won titles as the top seed (2009, 2012, 2013), second seed (2015, 2016) and third seed (2010, 2011).
The Jackrabbits are 3-0 against No. 1 seeds and 7-0 in final game.

History in Sioux Falls

The Summit League Championship is held at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls for the fourth time. The championship was held in the Sioux Falls Arena for the first six years, starting in 2009. The Jackrabbits were 15-1 in that arena.
Two of the SDSU's Summit League Tournament titles were won in the PREMIER Center. It won the 2015 and 2016 titles as the No. 2 seed, defeating top-seeded South Dakota, 72-57, in 2015, and 61-55 in 2016.

Five Top Storylines

South Dakota: The Jacks are 2-3 against South Dakota in the last five games, but hold a 56-28 all-time series advantage. State has two regular-season sweeps of the Coyotes since they joined The Summit League in 2011-12. The two teams have played each other in postseason play in four of the last five years and met in the championship game three times. The Coyotes beat the Jackrabbits twice in regular season in 2016, but SDSU won the league title that year. The Jacks also won the 2015 title after splitting the regular-season games.
Defense: Defense has been a key element in the Jackrabbits' success, as the team is 15-2 when holding an opponent to 70 points or less. State has limited 20 of its 31 opponents to 65 or fewer points, including six to less than 50. South Dakota State has held 23 of its 31 opponents to a lower scoring output than they averaged coming into the game. Fourteen of 30 opponents were limited to single-digit scoring quarters, including six quarters against league teams.
Offense: SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston thinks this year's team is his most offensive-minded squad. The Jackrabbits are second in overall games (78.8) in scoring. In the last five games, the Jackrabbits are averaging 77.8 points per game and giving up just 58.0 an outing. SDSU ranks 23rd in scoring offense and 16th in scoring margin (16.4) in the NCAA.
3-Point Shooting: State is one of the top teams in The Summit League in 3-point shooting, sinking 9.0 treys per game while shooting 36.8 percent. It ranks in the NCAA:

            - 17th in 3-point field goals per game (9.0);
            - 18th in 3-point field goals made (278);
            - 29th in 3-point field goals attempted (755); and
            - 34th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.8).
            Leading the way are guards Madison Guebert and Macy Miller. The duo is shooting a combined 41.0 percent (136-329) this season.
            Guebert, who ranks fifth in career 3-pointers in the league and second at SDSU, is third in 3-pointers per game (2.6) in The Summit
            League and Miller is second in percentage (46.2).

Balanced Scoring: The Jackrabbits are known for balance, playing an average of nine players per game. At least three Jackrabbits have scored in double digits in 22 of 31 games. They have had five or more scoring in double figures in six games and six or more twice. Four of the five starters have led State in scoring, including a team-best 21 times by Macy Miller. All five starters are shooting 40 percent or higher, led by Miller's 49.6 shooting percentage.

Noteworthy

Madison Guebert ranks sixth in free-throw per centage (92.8) in the NCAA statistics.
In the last five games, three Jacks are averaging double figures, led by Macy Miller's 18.4 ppg.
Miller has scored 20 or more points 13 times.
Already The Summit League's all-time wins leader, head coach Aaron Johnston moved into fourth in overall Summit League games coached.

A Quick Glance at South Dakota State

Eighteenth-year head coach Aaron Johnston's probable starters for the South Dakota game are:

            - Alexis Alexander, point guard
            - Madison Guebert, guard
            - Macy Miller, guard
            - Tagyn Larson, forward
            - Ellie Thompson, forward

The starting lineup is 12-2 overall this season.
Summit League Player of the Year Macy Miller is currently SDSU's and The Summit League's second-leading scorer (18.1). Madison Guebert averages 15.1 points per game.
SDSU averages 78.8 points per game and limits foes to 62.0 points per outing.
On the boards, Tagyn Larson is SDSU's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.8 caroms an outing. The Jackrabbits are outrebounding opponents by 7.5.
The Jackrabbits' top 3-point threat is Guebert, who is sinking 2.6 treys per game.
Miller is the Jacks' top playmaker, dishing 3.1 assists per game.
The Jacks have a plus-1.3 assist to turnover ratio and 1.6 turnover margin.
SDSU is shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from 3-point range and 78.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Previewing South Dakota

Regular-season Summit League champions South Dakota reached the finals with a 83-32 win over Fort Wayne March 3 and a 65-53 victory against Oral Roberts Monday. The Coyotes are 26-5 overall and have won their last 20 games and have the country's sixth-longest winning streak.
USD is led offensively by Ciara Duffy. The guard is averaging 11.7 points per game. Allison Arens is averaging 11.6 points per game and Jaycee Bradley 10.3.
The Coyotes average 75.1 points per game and give up 58.2.
Arens averages a team-leading 4.8 rebounds. The Yotes are outrebounding opponents by 2.0 caroms a game.
Madison McKeever and Arens are each dishing 2.4 assists per game and six Coyotes have 50 or more assists.
Jaycee Bradley is USD's top 3-point threat, sinking 43.0 percent (64-149) of her shots.
The Yotes are shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from 3-point range and 80.9 percent from the free-throw line.

This Year vs. the Coyotes

South Dakota State lost both games against the Coyotes this season—67-61 Jan. 25 in Brookings and 80-75 Feb. 21 in Vermillion.
In Frost Arena, the Jackrabbits were within three points, 62-59, with 3:35 to play, but scored just once the remainder of the game.
SDSU shot over 60 percent from the field in the first three quarters, but was limited to just 18.8 percent (3 of 16) in the fourth quarter in Vermillion. It was held without a field goal in the final 3:10 of the game.
In eight career games, Macy Miller is averaging 21.4 points and 7.0 rebounds against the Coyotes. Madison Guebert is scoring 15.9 per game in seven games, while Ellie Thompson is shooting 53.4 percent from the field and scoring 10.7 points and grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game in 10 outings.

South Dakota Series

Tuesday's championship game marks the 85th meeting between South Dakota State and South Dakota, dating to a 35-26 Jackrabbits' victory Feb. 4, 1967, in Vermillion. It was the second game in SDSU's first season as a varsity program.
Overall, the Jackrabbits hold a 56-28 series advantage, winning 38 of the last 52 meetings.
SDSU won the first 14 games in the series before the Coyotes won 18 of 23 matchups between the 1977-78 and 1990-91 seasons. The Jackrabbits followed with 25 consecutive victories.
The Jackrabbits won six meetings in a row, starting with an 87-63 victory in the championship game of the 2003 NCAA Division II North Central Regional at Frost Arena. However, that streak came to an end in 2012 as the two squads split the series in their first year together as members of The Summit League.
In nine of the last 17 games, SDSU has limited USD to 65 or fewer points, including 48 points Feb. 15, 2010, in Frost Arena.

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-

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Alexis Alexander

Madison Guebert

Tagyn Larson

Macy Miller

Ellie Thompson

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