Jackrabbits host Oral Roberts Thursday

Game 16 | South Dakota State (9-6, 1-0) vs. Oral Roberts (5-8, 0-0)

When	Thursday, Jan. 2 \| 6 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Scotty Kwas
Live Video	Midco Sports Network \| Jackrabbits All-Access \| Tom Nieman, Brad Newitt & Elaina Lanson
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Oral Roberts
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball returns to home to host Oral Roberts on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. prior to the men's game (8:15 p.m.).

Thursday's game sponsor is Sanford on #BeatType1 Diabetes Day at Frost Arena. The #BeatType1 initiative is a collaborative effort between the league's nine-member institutions and Sanford Health and administrators from each institution have toured the Sanford Health facilities during visits to Sioux Falls in the past and recorded public service announcements once again that will air at each of their respective institutions during these awareness games.

The Jackrabbits (9-6), under the direction of head coach Aaron Johnston, return home after a pair of road victories. State closed out nonconference play with a win over Green Bay (60-55) before defeating Omaha (68-51) to begin Summit League action.

Oral Roberts is 5-8 on the season after defeating Rogers State, 80-40, in its nonconference finale. Prior to that, the Golden Eagles dropped four straight contests, most recently falling to Oklahoma State, 78-44.

SDSU holds a 19-6 advantage in the all-time series against Oral Roberts. The Jackrabbits have claimed the last 14 contests against the Golden Eagles, most recently defeating ORU in the semifinals of the Summit League Championship (86-55) last season.

About South Dakota State
Myah Selland is averaging a team-best 13.8 points and 3.0 assists per game. She is shooting 55.8 percent (48-of-86) from the field. Selland turned in season-bests of seven assists in the Jacks' win over Notre Dame and 20 points against FGCU. An All-Summit League Preseason First Team honoree, the junior averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while ranking second on the team in assists (108) and blocked shots (18) last season.

Paiton Burckhard is averaging 13.8 points and a team-leading 5.5 rebounds per game. The sophomore scored a career-best 23 points to lead the Jacks to a win over Dakota Wesleyan and has reach double-figures in seven contests. She holds a 55.3 field goal percentage on a team-high 188 total points. She turned in 21 points in the Jacks 68-51 victory over Omaha. Burckhard also tied her career best of nine rebound for the third time this season against Omaha. The sophomore was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team a season ago.

Tagyn Larson is now averaging 13.4 points after going off for a season-best 22 points against Marquette. Larson has reached double figures in six of the last eight contests. She averages 4.6 rebounds per game, while adding 8 steals and 9 blocks. The senior also dished a career-best eight assists in the win over Chattanooga and is averaging 3.2 assists per game. A 2018-19 All-Summit League Second Team and Summit League Championship All-Tournament Team selection, Larson was named to the All-Summit League Preseason First Team. She led the team last season in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and blocked shots (43). The senior averaged 10.5 points per game.

Averaging 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game is Tylee Irwin. The junior scored 11 points in the win over Coppin State and 10 points at No. 3 Oregon. Against then-No. 21/20-ranked South Florida, the junior pulled down a career-best eight rebounds. She blocked a career-best three shots against Omaha. Last season Irwin ranked third on the squad with 15 blocked shots and was fourth in steals (33), rebounding (3.7 rpg), and 3-pointers (22). She was named to the All-Summit League Preseason Second team.

Rylie Cascio Jensen has started all 15 games for the Jacks as she averages 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-best 3.3 assists per game. Cascio Jensen recorded a career-best seven boards in the season opener. In the Summit League opener against Omaha, the senior turned in a career-best 14 points as she went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. She ranked third on the team with 105 assists and fifth on the squad with 20 3-pointers last year, averaging 19.2 minutes per game off the bench.

Lindsey Theuninck is averaging 24 minutes and 4.9 points per game. In the win over Chattanooga, the sophomore scored a career-best 13 points in her first-ever start as a Jackrabbit. She has now started in five contests. She averaged 12.1 minutes and 2.6 points a game for the Jacks last season.

Sydney Stapleton is averaging 16.9 minutes and 6.3 points per game off the bench. The sophomore turned in a career performance against Coppin State, shooting 5-of-10 from the 3-point line and totaling 17 points. She leads the Jacks from beyond the arc with a total of 21 3-pointers.

Sophomores Jordan Ferrand and Addison Hirschman and redshirt freshman, Lauren Rongisch, have each appeared in four games for SDSU.

Rounding out the senior class is Megan Bultsma who has appeared in 10 games, averaging 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 points per game. Against Omaha, Bultsma scored a season-best nine points.

Completing the Jackrabbit roster is a trio of new faces to South Dakota State.

The duo of Kallie Theisen and Tori Nelson have been routinely playing for South Dakota State. Nelson is averaging 22.8 minutes per game and Theisen is averaging 15.9. Nelson posted the squads first double-double of the season in the win over Notre Dame. She also scored a career-best 23 points against Coppin State, while Theisen led the team with a career-best 12 rebounds in the contest.

Regan Nesheim helped lead Johnston High School to three consecutive state tournament appearances. She earned second-team all-state recognition as a senior after averaging 13.1 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots per game. Nesheim will sit out this season as a redshirt

SDSU is shooting 44.2 percent from the field, while averaging 37 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to 59.5 points and a 39.2 FG percentage. State averages 16.3 assists per game and holds an assist/turnover ratio of 1.1.

Scouting Oral Roberts
The Golden Eagles have a pair of players averaging double figures led by Keni Jo Lippe with 18.1 points per game. Lippe also averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Rylie Torrey is averaging 14.1 points per game and is shooting 43.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Montserrat Brotons and Sarah Garvie are averaging 9.4 and 8.1 points per game, respectively.

Oral Roberts averages 68.2 points per game while its opponents score 72.9. The Golden Eagles outrebounded its opposition, 39.8-38.2. ORU is shooting 36.2 from the field and 33.1 from long distance.

Misti Cussen is in her eight season at the helm of Oral Roberts with a record of 109-106.

Last Time Out
OMAHA, Neb. – South Dakota State women's basketball began Summit League action with a 68-51 win over Omaha on Sunday afternoon at Baxter Arena.

The Jackrabbits improved to 9-6 on the season and are now 1-0 in Summit League play, while Omaha fell to 5-9, 0-1 Summit.

Paiton Burckhard led all scorers with 21 points, while tying her career best of nine rebounds for the third time this season. The sophomore added two blocks, two assists and a steal to the Jackrabbits' efforts.

Rylie Cascio Jensen turned in a career-best 14 points as she went 5-of-7 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Tagyn Larson added six point and five rebounds, while Tori Nelson dished a career-best five assists.

Tylee Irwin provided depth defensively, pulling down six rebounds and blocking a career-high three shots. Megan Bultsma and Irwin scored nine and eight points, respectively.

The Jackrabbits edged Omaha 37-34 on the boards, while converting 20 points off of the Mavericks' 16 turnovers.

Omaha opened the game going 3-of-3 from the 3-point line to take an 11-9 advantage over the Jacks. However, SDSU went on a 14-2 run, which included back-to-back 3-pointers from Lindsey Theuninck and Larson, to lead 23-13 at the end of the first quarter.

State continued its run as Cascio Jensen hit a layup and a 3-pointer to help extend the Jacks' advantage to 17. The senior would bury two more 3's in the quarter to put SDSU ahead 44-22 at halftime.

The Jackrabbits carried their momentum into the second half going on a 15-3 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Nelson and Cascio Jensen and an Irwin layup, to gain its largest lead of the game (31 points). Omaha scored 10 unanswered points to close out the frame.

The Mavericks outscored the Jackrabbits 13-9 in the final quarter, but SDSU's advantage was enough to seal a 68-51 Summit League victory.

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 20-6 in the all-time series
Advance the Jackrabbits to 10-6 on the season
Give the Jackrabbits its 15th straight victory over the Golden Eagles

A Loss Would...

Give Oral Roberts its first win over SDSU since 2012

Jackrabbit Basketball Coaches Show
The Jackrabbit Basketball Coaches Show returns to Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings on Dec. 30. The hour-long show covering the 2019-20 basketball season tips off every Monday at 6 p.m. through March 2.

Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the weekly look at the South Dakota State basketball teams features interviews with head men's coach Eric Henderson and head women's coach Aaron Johnston, as well as segments with Jackrabbit student-athletes and members of the coaching staff.

Fans can attend in person and will be eligible for weekly drawings.

The show also airs live on flagship radio station WNAX 570 AM and Jackrabbit Sports Network affiliates, and can be heard live or on-demand for free via Jackrabbits All-Access and the Jackrabbit App.

A Decade of Success
As another decade comes to a close, the women's basketball program has a great amount of accomplishments to look back on.

247 program wins
.729 winning percentage
133 Summit League wins
30 All-Summit League Honorees
14 Individual Summit League Awards
9 wins over ranked opponents
8 Summit League Championships

1,000 Program Wins
The Jackrabbits recently reached the milestone of 1,000 program wins as it defeated Notre Dame, 65-59, at the Cancun Challenge. The Jacks became the 14th NCAA Division I women's team to reach the mark. Head Coach Aaron Johnston is responsible for 474 of South Dakota State's 1,000 wins.

Tough Slate
The Jackrabbits faces two Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) opponents during the 2019-20 season, including Oregon and Notre Dame.

Oregon, who SDSU fell to in the Sweet Sixteen, made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament where it fell to the 2019 National Champions, Baylor, 72-67. Oregon is ranked No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches polls

Notre Dame came up short in the National Championship game to Baylor, 82-81. The Jackrabbits defeated Notre Dame, 65-59, at the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 29.

South Florida was ranked No. 21/20 when the Jackrabbits earned at 61-50 victory over the Bulls.

South Dakota recently entered the rankings as it ranks No. 22 in the Coaches poll and is receiving votes in the AP poll.

Florida Gulf Coast, Marquette and Creighton are all receiving votes.

Preseason Recognition
Tagyn Larson and Myah Selland were named to the All-Summit League Preseason First Team, while Tylee Irwin earned All-Summit League Preseason Second Team accolades.

Jacks Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll
The Jackrabbits claimed a total of 496 points and 13 first place votes in the preseason poll. South Dakota was voted the favorite with 20 first place votes and 527 points, while Denver rounded out the top three with 394 points and a lone first place votes.

Summit League Titles

South Dakota State won its Summit League-leading sixth regular-season title in the program's 12 years in the league with a 15-1 record.
The Jackrabbits last won the regular-season title in 2013-14, finishing the league schedule 13-1.
SDSU also claimed titles in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
State has claimed nine Summit League tournament titles in the past 11 years.

Against Ranked Opponents

South Dakota State is 10-28 vs. ranked foes since 2006-07. It is 6-5 in Frost Arena, 3-14 on the road and 1-9 at neutral sites.
The Jackrabbits' 75-67 win over 12th-ranked Syracuse ties for the highest ranked team they have beaten in program history.
Syracuse was also the highest team South Dakota State has defeated on the road.
SDSU faced its highest-ranked opponent Jan. 2, 2014, when it played then-No. 2 Notre Dame (L, 94-51) in South Bend.
Most recently, South Dakota State defeated No. 21/20-ranked USF, 61-50, and fell to No. 3 Oregon (95-56).

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Megan Bultsma

Paiton Burckhard

Rylie Cascio Jensen

Jordan Ferrand

Addison Hirschman

Tylee Irwin

Tagyn Larson

Tori Nelson

Regan Nesheim

Lauren Rongisch

Myah Selland

Sydney Stapleton

Kallie Theisen

Lindsey Theuninck

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Augustana (Exhibition) on October 29, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at Creighton on November 3, 2025

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Rice on November 7, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Murray State on November 11, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Montana on November 15, 2025 at 6 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. CT

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Gonzaga on November 20, 2025

Completed Event: Women's Basketball at No. 2 [#3/3] UConn on March 24, 2025 , Loss , 57, to, 91

Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 7 [#17/19] Oklahoma State on March 22, 2025 , Win , 74, to, 68

Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 2 Oral Roberts on March 9, 2025 , Win , 84, to, 68

Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 5 North Dakota on March 8, 2025 , Win , 84, to, 55

Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 8 Omaha on March 6, 2025 , Win , 87, to, 67

Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus St. Thomas on March 1, 2025 , Win , 79, to, 46

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