Jackrabbits, Leathernecks meet for round two

Game 23 | South Dakota State (15-7, 7-1) at Western Illinois (11-10, 5-3)

When	Thursday, Jan. 30 \| 5:15 p.m.
Where	Western Hall \| Macomb, Ill.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Brad Peterson
Live Video	ESPN3
Live Stats	GoLeathernecks.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Western Illinois
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball will begin a two-game road stint as it travels to take on Western Illinois Thursday. Tipoff is set for 5:15 p.m.

The Jackrabbits (15-7, 7-1 Summit League), under the direction of head coach Aaron Johnston, rank second in the Summit League standings through the first half of conference action. SDSU has won seven of its eight Summit League contests, most recently defeating North Dakota State 60-52

Western Illinois is 11-10 overall and 5-3 in Summit League action. The Fighting Leatherneck split a pair of games last week, defeating Omaha (83-69) and falling to North Dakota (77-71).

South Dakota State holds a 25-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Fighting Leathernecks. The Jackrabbits have claimed the last six contests against WIU, including earlier this month by a score of 75-45.

About South Dakota State
Paiton Burckhard is averaging a team-best 15.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The sophomore scored a career-best 27 points to lead the Jacks to a win over North Dakota and has reach double-figures in 17 contests, including 20-plus points in six games. She ranks second in the Summit League with a 55.7 field goal percentage on a team-high 319 total points. So far in Summit League play she has scored 152 points (19 ppg) and pulled down 58 rebounds. Burckhard registered her second double-double in the win over North Dakota State with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team a season ago.

Myah Selland is averaging 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.

Tagyn Larson is averaging 11 points on the season after reaching double figures in 10 games, including a season-best 22 points against Marquette. She averages 5.5 rebounds per game, while adding 12 steals and a team-leading 20 blocks. The senior also dished a career-best nine assists in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne and is averaging 2.9 assists per game. Larson is shooting 52.7 percent from the field and ranks fifth in the Summit League with 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. 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.

Rylie Cascio Jensen has started all 22 games for the Jacks as she averages 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and a team-best 3.7 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-high 14 points as she went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. She dished a season-high seven assists against Denver. Cascio Jensen 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.

Averaging 6.8 points and 5 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 North Dakota, Irwin pulled down a season-high 10 boards. She blocked a career-best three shots against Omaha and Western Illinois. 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.

Senior Megan Bultsma has appeared in 17 games and is turning in some impressive minutes off the bench for SDSU as she's averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In the win over Denver, the senior more than doubled her career-best (10 points) as she turned in a team-leading 24 points. Bultsma was the first player since 2015 to score 20-plus points coming off the bench. She has a total of 97 points and is shooting 57.4 percent from the field in Summit League play. She has scored 10-plus points in the last six contests. In the win over North Dakota, the senior tied a career-best nine rebounds and three blocks.

Lindsey Theuninck is averaging 24.9 minutes and 4.9 points per game. In the win over Chattanooga, the sophomore scored a career-high 13 points in her first-ever start as a Jackrabbit. She has now started in 12 contests. Against Denver she made a career-best three 3-pointers. She averaged 12.1 minutes and 2.6 points a game for the Jacks last season.

Sydney Stapleton is averaging 17.5 minutes and 5.9 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 30 3-pointers.

Sophomores Jordan Ferrand and Addison Hirschman have appeared in 10 and nine games, respective, while redshirt freshman Lauren Rongisch has played in seven.

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 22.1 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 be redshirting this season.

SDSU is shooting 44.3 percent from the field, while averaging 37.7 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to 60.4 points and a 38 FG percentage. State averages 16.6 assists per game, while holding an assist/turnover ratio of 1.2.

Scouting Western Illinois
Western Illinois has a trio of players averaging double figures led by Olivia Kaufmann with 16.7 points per game. Kaufmann also averages a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Additionally, Kaufmann averages 17.1 points per game in Summit League contests.

Annabel Graettinger is averaging 13.1 points per game, while Danni Nichols is averaging 11. Evan Zars leads the squad with 10 rebounds per game and is shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

Zars ans Grace Gilmore are averaging 8.1 and 7.6 points per game, respectively. Sam Pryor is also averaging 7.6 points per game and has made a team-best 38 3-pointers.

Western Illinois averages 74.5 points per game while allowing 75.9 points.

The Leathernecks are being outrebounded by their opponents, 47-37.8. WIU is shooting 39.3 from the field and 29.9 from long distance.

JD Gravina is in his ninth season at the helm of Western Illinois with a record of 144-125.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's basketball battled to a 60-52 Summit League victory over North Dakota State on Friday night at Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits advanced to 15-7 on the season and 7-1 in Summit League play, while NDSU fell to 4-14, 1-5 Summit League.

"Well it was a good win. I'm real pleased with the fact we were able to get that done in the fourth quarter," head coach Aaron Johnston. "North Dakota State played very well. They did a lot of nice things to get themselves in position to be there right with us at the end of the game."

The Jackrabbits were led by Paiton Burckhard who registered her second-ever double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Tagyn Larson added 12 points and seven boards, while Tylee Irwin added eight rebounds.

Tori Nelson dished a team-high three assists, in addition to nine points, two steals and two blocks.

The Bison were paced by Michelle Gaislerova with 15 points. NDSU shot 38.9 percent from the field compared to the Jackrabbits at 28.6 percent. SDSU held a 42-36 rebounding advantage in a contest that saw a total of 11 lead changes and five ties.

With both teams scoreless for the first four minutes of play, NDSU got on the board first and quickly pulled ahead, 13-5. A 7-point run capped by a Burckhard 3-pointer put the Jackrabbits within one at the end of the first.

The teams traded baskets in the second quarter, each scoring 12 points on the frame. At the half, North Dakota State held onto a 25-24 advantage.

The third quarter alone saw eight lead changes and three ties. An Irwin basket tied it at 34-34, but the Bison outscored the Jacks 8-4 over the next five minutes to lead 42-38 headed into the final frame.

The Jackrabbits went on a 11-0 run to flip the script for good. Play was back-and-forth the rest of the way, but a series of free throws pushed SDSU to a 60-52 victory.

"In the second half we tried a lot of different things, we actually went small at one point in the second half and that was probably one of our better lineups that I thought gave us a little burst and got us ahead," Johnston said. "I'm glad we were at home, I thought that helped. The crowd was really good and kind of helped will us there at the end, so a good day for us."

Opponent's Last Time Out
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The Western Illinois women's basketball team (11-10, 5-3) nearly erased a 20 point deficit as Danni Nichols set another career-high (26 points) in a 77-71 loss to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (13-8, 4-4) on Sunday (Jan. 26).

"Getting off to a bad start was the worst possible thing we could do," said head coach JD Gravina. "We let them (North Dakota) rush us and we struggled with poise, playing really fast. We just have to do a better job of playing who we are."

The Fighting Hawks owned its largest of the game by 20 points to start the fourth, and the Leathernecks fought back and made it a six-point game twice (66-72) and (71-77) from deep three-pointer by Olivia Kaufmann and a Carla Flores jumper. However, North Dakota used the free-throw line to snap the Western win streak and hold on.

"Our girls aren't one to give up, and they are going to keep fighting and perhaps making the mistake of trying a little too hard. I am encouraged how our team wanted to fight back, and I am told them in the locker room that you got to play very well on the road to win in this league."

In back-to-back road games, Nichols set a new career-high with a 26 point performance. She also tied her season-high in field goals (9) as she hit two threes and got to the free-throw line 10 times.

Kaufmann (18) and Grace Gilmore (10) both finished in double-digits, and each sunk six buckets form the line. Kaufmann was only two rebounds shy of a double-double as on the other side of the ball, Gilmore set a new career-high with five steals.

The Purple and Gold entered the league matchup second in the nation in free-throw attempts. WIU made 41 total visits with Elizabeth Lutz finishing a perfect 4-4.

Shooting woes, fouls and trips to the line was the script of the first half. Neither side shot over 30 percent while there was 28 total fouls and 32 total trips to the free-throw line while Western trailed by nine (25-34).

The matinee in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center totaled 58 fouls and 66 trips to the free-throw line.

Western Illinois drops it's first game since Jan. 4 and returns home for the second go-around in Summit League play against South Dakota State on Thursday (Jan. 30) and North Dakota State Saturday (Feb. 1).

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 26-2 in the all-time series
Advance the Jackrabbits to 16-7 on the season and 8-1 in the Summit League
Give the Jackrabbits its seventh straight win over the Leathernecks

Loss Would...

Improve Western Illinois to 3-25 all-time against South Dakota State

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 a new decade begins, 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 reached the milestone of 1,000 program wins earlier this season 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. 3 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 ranks No. 21 in the AP poll and 18 in the Coaches polls

Florida Gulf Coast is ranked No. 24 in the Coaches poll and is receiving votes in the AP poll.

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) and No. 25/21 South Dakota.

-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

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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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