Jackrabbit women hit the road to take on Denver

Game 18 | South Dakota State (11-6, 3-0) at Denver (7-9, 1-2)

When	Thursday, Jan. 9 \| 8 p.m. CT/7 p.m. MT
Where	Hamilton Gymnasium \| Denver, Colo.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Scotty Kwas
Live Video	DenverPioneers.com
Live Stats	DenverPioneers.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Denver
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball hits the road for a Summit League contest at Denver on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT/7 p.m. MT.

The Jackrabbits (11-6, 3-0 Summit League), under the direction of head coach Aaron Johnston, will begin a two-game roadstand after starting Summit League Play with three consecutive wins. SDSU most recently topped Western Illinois 75-45.

Denver is 7-9 and 1-2 in Summit League action. The Pioneers opened conference play with a 91-82 victory before falling to both North Dakota (90-82) and No. 22 South Dakota (104-61).

SDSU holds a 15-1 advantage in the all-time series over Denver. The Jackrabbits have claimed the last 9 contests against the Pioneers, most recently earning an 83-67 victory at Frost Arena.

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 13.4 points and a team-leading 6 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 12 contests. She holds a 55.6 field goal percentage on a team-high 215 total points. So far in Summit League play she has scored 48 points (21-of-35) and pulled down 28 rebounds. Burckhard registered her first-ever double-double in the win over Western Illinois with 10 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. The sophomore was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team a season ago.

Tagyn Larson is now averaging 12.3 points after reaching double figures in eight games, including a season-best 22 points against Marquette. She averages 5.1 rebounds per game, while adding 8 steals and 15 blocks. The senior also dished a career-best eight assists in the win over Chattanooga and is averaging 2.9 assists per game. Larson is shooting a team-high 57.1 percent from the field and 50 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 17 games for the Jacks as she averages 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and a team-best 3.4 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.

Averaging 6.6 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 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.

Lindsey Theuninck is averaging 24.4 minutes and 4.6 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 seven contests. She averaged 12.1 minutes and 2.6 points a game for the Jacks last season.

Sydney Stapleton is averaging 17.5 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 25 3-pointers.

Rounding out the senior class is Megan Bultsma who has appeared in 12 games, averaging 2.7 rebounds and 4 points per game. Against Oral Roberts and Western Illinois, Bultsma tied her career best of 10 points. She has a total of 29 points in Summit League play.

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

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 be redshirting this season.

SDSU is shooting 43.9 percent from the field, while averaging 37.5 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to a Summit League-best 57.8 points and a 37.3 FG percentage. State averages 16.4 assists per game and holds an assist/turnover ratio of 1.1.

Scouting Denver
Denver has a trio of players averaging double figures led by Madison Nelson with 16.9 points per game. Nelson also averages a team-best 11.2 rebounds per game. The senior has registered 10 double-doubles this season. Nelson has blocked 28 shots and adds 39 steals.

Lauren Loven and Uju Ezeudu are averaging 13.8 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. Briana Johnson has started all 16 contests for Denver and averages a team-best 3.6 assists per game.

Denver averages 77.3 points per game while holding its opponents to 77 points per game.

The Pioneers are outrebounding its opposition 41.9-38.6. The team is shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Jim Turgeon is in his third season at the helm of Denver with a record of 41-36.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's basketball topped Western Illinois 75-45 on Saturday afternoon at Frost Arena in the Lamb Bonanza game.

The Jackrabbits improved to 11-6 on the season and 3-0 in Summit League action, while Western Illinois fell to 7-9, 1-2 Summit League.

The Jackrabbits' balanced attack was led by Tagyn Larson with 21 points. The senior added seven rebounds and two blocks, while shooting 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Rylie Cascio Jensen turned in 11 points and dished a team-high five assists.

Paiton Burckhard registered her first-ever double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Megan Bultsma tied her career-best for the second consecutive game as she scored 10 points. Tylee Irwin added to eight points and seven boards for the Jacks.

SDSU shot 42.1 percent from the field, while holding the Fighting Leathernecks to just 22.9 percent (16-of-70) shooting. The Jacks also held a 49-43 rebounding advantage.

Western Illinois started the game with an early 6-5 edge, but SDSU answered with 12 unanswered points to take the lead for good. A 3-pointer from Sydney Stapleton closed out the first quarter, giving the Jacks a 20-12 advantage.

The Jacks outscored WIU just 12-9 in the second frame, but a Cascio Jensen layup pushed the Jacks' lead to double figures. State went to the locker room ahead 32-21.

The hot-shooting Jacks opened the second half with three consecutive 3-pointers, including two from Irwin and one by Larson, to extend their advantage to 16 points. WIU answered with an 8-0 run of its own to cut the deficit in half. The Jacks outscored the Fighting Leathernecks 13-2 throughout the remainder of the quarter, capped by another Stapleton 3-pointer, to lead 58-39 headed into the final frame.

The Jackrabbits held WIU to just six points in the final quarter. Lindsey Theuninck, Cascio Jensen and Larson hit another trio of 3-pointers to put the Jacks ahead 69-42. Six unanswered points closed out the dominant 75-45 victory for SDSU.

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 16-1 in the all-time series
Advance the Jackrabbits to 12-6 on the season and 4-0 in the Summit League
Give the Jackrabbits its 10th straight win over the Pioneers

A Loss Would...

Give Denver its first win over SDSU since 2015

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 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 AP and Coaches polls

Florida Gulf Coast is receiving votes in the Coaches 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).

Postseason Awards

Three returning Jackrabbits earned Summit League postseason awards.
Tagyn Larson picked up second-team accolades and Myah Selland was on the honorable mention team.
Rookie Paiton Burckhard was named to The Summit League All-Newcomer Team.
At The Summit League Championship, Larson was named to the all-tournament team.

-GoJacks.com-

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

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

South Dakota State University Athletics