JACKRABBITS CONCLUDE ROAD TRIP AT UNI

Game 5 | No. 22/21 South Dakota State (3-1) at Northern Iowa (2-2)

When	Saturday, Dec. 12 \| 3 p.m.
Where	McLeod Center \| Cedar Falls, Iowa
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Scotty Kwas
Live Video	ESPN3 \| Brad Wells and Emily Hoffert
Live Stats	UNIPanthers.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Northern Iowa
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

No. 22/21 South Dakota State women's basketball will wrap up a two-game road swing as it travels to take on Northern Iowa Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. at McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Jackrabbits are now 3-1 after suffering its first loss of the season Thursday at Kansas State, 62-53.

Northern Iowa (2-2) is coming off a double-overtime win over Wichita State, 93-91.

Saturday will be the 13th meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Panthers. The Jackrabbits hold a 9-3 advantage all-time in a series that dates back to 1979. State claimed a 57-47 victory in the last matchup between the two teams on Nov. 30, 2017.

About South Dakota State
Myah Selland leads the team with 17.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. In her first game since Dec. 5, 2019, Selland made an immediate impact as she recorded 19 points, five boards, two assists and two blocks to help the Jacks defeat then-No. 15 Iowa State. In the win over Creighton, the redshirt junior recorded the third double-double of her career as she led the squad with 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Selland carried the Jackrabbits to an overtime win over then-No. 18 Gonzaga with 18 points. She made the game-tying shot that sent the contest into overtime and dished a perfect pass to Lindsey Theuninck who hit the game-winning 3-pointer. In the loss at Kansas State, Selland paced the squad with 15 points and 4 assists. A season ago, she averaged 13.8 points and 3.0 assists per game in the nine contests she played in before suffering a season-ending foot injury. A Preseason All-Summit League First Team honoree for the Jacks, the Letcher native was named Summit League Player of the Week on Dec. 7.

Paiton Burckhard averages 12 points, 4.8 rebounds and 32.3 minutes per game. In the season opener she turned in eight points, three rebounds and two steals, while playing a career-high 35 minutes. Burckhard ranked second on the team with 13 points in the win over Creighton. In the overtime win over then Gonzaga, she recorded 14 points, five rebounds and played a career-high 41 minutes. She was just shy of a double-double with 13 points and a team-leading nine rebounds in the contest at Kansas State. Burckhard averaged a team-best 14.2 points and ranked second on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game after starting all 32 contests that she appeared in last season. The junior reached double-figures in 26 contests, including 20-plus points in seven games. Burckhard has registered three double-doubles in her career. The Aberdeen native earned Preseason All-Summit League First Team honors after being selected to the All-Summit League First Team for the 2019-20 season.

Tylee Irwin is averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds, while adding four blocks and three steals. Against Creighton, she turned in eight points, seven rebounds and tied a career-high three blocks. Irwin played a career-high 37 minutes in the win over Gonzaga as she recorded 16 points, three rebounds and one block off the bench. She earned the starting assignment for the first time this season at Kansas State. Irwin finished second on the team in minutes played for the 2019-20 season, averaging 27.6 minutes per game. Last season, the Wahpeton, N.D. native scored a season-best 18 points in the Jackrabbits' semifinals victory over North Dakota State. Against North Dakota, Irwin pulled down a season-high 10 boards. She blocked a career-best three shots against Omaha and Western Illinois. In Summit League play, the senior averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Irwin earned a spot on the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team for the second consecutive season.

Haley Greer is averaging a team-best 4.3 assists per game, while adding 8.8 points per game. Against Gonzaga, she became the first Jackrabbit since 2000 to dish 10-pluss assists in a game. Greer posted eight points and three assists to help the Jackrabbits to a victory over Creighton. She led SDSU in her debut as a Jackrabbit with a career-best 20 points as she went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to being named Summit League Player of the Week. She joins the Jackrabbits as a graduate transfer after spending four years at Colgate. Greer, a 5-10 guard from Winnetka, Ill., comes in after leading Colgate in 3-pointers made (34) and blocked shots (23) while averaging 8.1 points per game in 2019-20.

Lindsey Theuninck has started all four contests for the Jackrabbits this season. She tallied nine points and a career-high five steals at Kansas State. Against then-No. 18 Gonzaga Theuninck posted six rebounds and 11 points, including the overtime game-winning 3-pointer. She turned in nine points, while tallying a team-best six boards and three assists against Iowa State. In the win over Creighton, she added five points, four rebounds and three assists. Theuninck averaged 24.5 minutes and 4.8 points per game last season. In the win over Chattanooga, the junior scored a career-high 13 points in her first-ever start as a Jackrabbit. At Denver she made a career-best three 3-pointers.

Sydney Stapleton recorded four points, three assists, and two steals against Iowa State. The Blaine, Minn. native added four points to the Jackrabbits efforts against Creighton. She averaged 17.1 minutes and 5.5 points per game off the bench a season ago. The junior turned in a career performance against Coppin State, shooting 5-of-10 from the 3-point line and totaling 17 points. She ranked second on the squad from beyond the arc with a total 38 3-pointers.

The duo of Kallie Theisen and Tori Nelson return for their sophomore seasons.

Nelson recorded 12 points against Iowa State and eight in the win over Creighton. Additionally, against Gonzaga she posted nine points, three rebounds and three assists. She recorded nine points and dished three assists at Kansas State. The reigning Summit League Freshman of the Year, averaged 22.7 minutes per game. 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. She started in 19 games for the Jackrabbits and averaged 10.1 points per game in Summit League action last season.

Theisen appeared in 14 games and averaged 15.9 minutes before suffering a season ending injury last season.

Juniors Jordan Ferrand and Addison Hirschman appeared in 18 games, while redshirt sophomore Lauren Rongisch played in 15 contests. Ferrand made an appearance in the 2020-21 season opener and recorded a block.

A trio of freshmen in Emily Herzberg, Madysen Vlastuin and Mesa Byom will round out the 2020-21 roster. Vlastuin and Byom played 19 and 12 minutes, respectively, in the season opener and recorded two points apiece. In the home victory over Creighton, Byom sank her first collegiate 3-pointer, while Vlastuin made one against Gonzaga.

State is outscoring its opponents 67.5-62.5 and holds them to 38.5 percent shooting, including 22.2 percent from long distance.

Scouting Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa is 2-2 on the season, including 1-0 at home. The Panthers home victory came over Creighton, 55-52. Most recently, UNI edged Wichita State, 93-91, in double overtime.

Megan Maahs is pacing the Pathers with 12.3 points per game on 55.9 percent shooting. She adds 4.5 rebounds per game, five steals and three blocks.

Karli Rucker and Kam Finley are each averaging 11.5 points per game. Rucker has dished a team-best 15 assists.

Bre Gunnels leads the defensive efforts with 6.5 rebounds per game and six blocks.

As a team, UNI is being outscored by its opponents, 81.0-74.3. The Panthers are shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 33 percent from long distance.

Tanya Warren is in her 13th season at the helm of the Panthers with a 245-179 record.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
MANHATTAN, KAN. – No. 22/21 South Dakota State women's basketball suffered its first loss of the season against Kansas State 62-53 Thursday night on the road.

"Really tough start for us," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "One, we didn't make shots, two it was just all jump shots, so nothing really confidently pulling to the basket or making plays that can get you feeling a little bit better. I think Kansas State did a nice job defensively. Really physical, played a lot of man-to-man and just got us out of rhythm early."

For the Jackrabbits (3-1), who shot 38.9 percent from the field, Myah Selland scored 15 points to lead the team. Paiton Burckhard finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Tori Nelson scored nine points, recorded seven rebounds and dished three assists. Lindsey Theuninck added nine points, three assists and and a career-best five steals. As a team, the Jacks recorded 15 steals and scored 26 points in the paint.

After being held scoreless in the opening two minutes of action, Theuninck and Selland hit consecutive 3-pointers to tie the game at six at the 7:31 mark. Burckhard's free throw with 3:37 to play in the opening quarter broke a near four minute scoring drought for the Jacks. Kansas State continued the pressure and closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to hold an early 20-7 lead.

Layups by Madysen Vlastuin and Nelson within the first two minutes of the second quarter cut the Wildcat lead to 26-11. State's defense held tough, not allowing a K-State basket for the next four minutes. Kansas State's offense found its rhythm and went on a 10-4 run to take a 36-17 lead with just over two minutes to go in the half. A quiet end to the half led the Jacks into the locker room trailing 36-18.

The Jacks caught fire in the third quarter, scoring nine unanswered points to cut the K-State lead to 38-27 at the 7:29 mark. The Wildcats responded with a pair of free throws and a layup, however Theuninck's 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the quarter brought the Jacks within 12 (42-30). An 8-3 run featuring a layup by Haley Greer and three consecutive Burckhard layups brought the Jacks back within 11, but a K-State jumper at the buzzer ended the quarter with the Wildcats leading 51-38.

The two teams exchanged baskets to begin the final quarter of play. Three consecutive Jackrabbit layups brought State within single digits (57-48) with 5:02 to play. Selland's 3-pointer with 1:58 to go made it a 60-51 game, however the Jacks weren't able to overcome the deficit despite outscoring K-State 15-11 in the fourth quarter.

"The second half was such a good start, I really felt good about where we were at–thinking we could make a good push–but during the end of that third quarter, I thought we just gave up too many easy baskets and now they were back to a double digit lead and we just never got over that hump, so second half was much better, certainly offensively," Johnston said. "We played with a little bit more poise and composure but we were just too up and down defensively and that first half was too big of a hole to dig ourselves out of."

Opponent's Last Time Out
WICHITA, Kans. – Megan Maahs hit a contested layup with 2.2 seconds remaining to give UNI a 93-91 lead and a double-overtime road win over Wichita State Sunday evening.

The senior scored six of her 17 points in overtime, including the two final field goals of the game to lift the Panthers to the win over the former MVC foes.

Maahs was one of five Panthers to score in double figures, including Bre Gunnels who scored a career-high 18 points, while shooting 10-12 from the free-throw line. Gunnels tallied 11 rebounds for the double-double.

Maya McDermott score 15 points in her Panther debut, including nine points in the third quarter when she was 3-3 from the three-point line. Karli Rucker added 12 points and Nicole Kroeger scored 13.

The Panthers led 67-51 after a strong third quarter, but the Shockers battled back, shooting 11-17 from the field in the fourth. Seraphine Bastin hit a pullup jumper with 58 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.

In the first overtime, the Panthers led late, but Bastin again tied the game, this time on a free throw with 15 seconds remaining. Rucker missed a contested layup in the final seconds.

Wichita State took an early lead in the second overtime, but Gunnels tied the game on a free throw with 2:09 remaining, before Maahs made the first of her final two shots to put UNI up 91-89. Bastin again tied the game up with 24 seconds left with a pair of free throws, but Maahs took her defender to the basket and hit the shot to give UNI the 2-point win. Wichita State went 0-4 from the field over the last 3:00 of the game.

UNI was 34-69 (49.3%) from the field for the game and 10-31 (32%) from the three-point line. The Shockers took seven more shots and had more chances at the free-throw line, but the Panthers made more three-pointers than WSU attempted (nine).

UNI tallied 18 assists on 34 made baskets. Cynthia Wolf led the way with five and Rucker added four.

The win brings UNI back to .500 on the season and is the first road win of the season for the Panthers. The loss is the first for the Shockers who fall to 3-1 on the year.

UNI has now won six straight against Wichita State and has not lost to WSU since the Shockers left the MVC.

UNI is back home for their next game against South Dakota State on Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. No determination has yet been made on whether to allow fan attendance.
--unipanthers.com

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 10-3 all-time against Northern Iowas
Improve the Jacks to 4-1 on the season

A Loss Would...

Improve UNI to 4-9 all-time against the Jackrabbits

Jackrabbits in the Polls
South Dakota State has earned a spot in an Associated Press regular season poll for the first time in 11 years, checking in at No. 22 in the rankings released Monday.

The undefeated Jackrabbits vaulted into the rankings with a pair of home wins over ranked opponents, downing then-No. 15 Iowa State, 76-69, on Nov. 28, and defeating then-No. 18 Gonzaga, 75-72 in overtime, Sunday. SDSU was the top team receiving votes in last week's poll.

State was ranked for 10 weeks during the 2008-09 season, climbing to as high as 16th in the final regular season poll.

On Tuesday, the Jacks entered the USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Poll at No. 21. The last time State earned a spot in the Coaches Poll Top 25 was in the final poll of the 2018-19 season at No. 22 on the heals of the historic Sweet 16 run.

Additionally, the Jackrabbits improved to No. 2 in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll.

Major Win Milestones
The Jackrabbits reached the milestone of 1,000 program wins last 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 495 of South Dakota State's 1,017 wins.

Johnston is just five wins away from claiming 500 career wins. He will be among 33 active Division I coaches to reach the milestone.

Preseason Recognition
Paiton Burckhard and Myah Selland were named to the All-Summit League Preseason First Team, while Tylee Irwin and Tori Nelson earned All-Summit League Preseason Second Team accolades.

Jacks Tabbed Second In Preseason Poll
The Jackrabbits claimed a total of 566 points and 11 first place votes in the Summit League preseason poll. South Dakota was voted the favorite with 25 first place votes and 587 points, while Western Illinois rounded out the top three with 389 points.

2020-21 Summit League Preseason Poll

Rk	Team	Votes (1st)
1	South Dakota	587 (25)
2	South Dakota State	566 (11)
3	Western Illinois	389
4	Oral Roberts	376
5	North Dakota State	371
6	Kansas City	323
7	Denver	300
8	North Dakota	203
9	Omaha	124

Against Ranked Opponents

South Dakota State is 13-32 vs. ranked foes since 2006-07. It is 8-5 in Frost Arena, 3-14 on the road and 1-10 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.
South Dakota State defeated No. 21/20-ranked USF, 61-50, fell to No. 3 Oregon (95-56) and a ranked South Dakota on three occasions last season
Most recently, the Jackrabbits defeated then-No. 15/18 Iowa State (76-69) and then-No. 18 Gonzaga (75-72, OT) at Frost Arena.

2019-20 Postseason Awards

Two returning Jackrabbits earned Summit League postseason awards.
Paiton Burckhard picked up first-team accolades.
Tori Nelson was named Summit League Freshman of the year and received All-Newcomer Team selections.

-GoJacks.com-

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paiton Burckhard

Mesa Byom

Jordan Ferrand

Haley Greer

Emily Herzberg

Addison Hirschman

Tylee Irwin

Tori Nelson

Lauren Rongisch

Myah Selland

Sydney Stapleton

Kallie Theisen

Lindsey Theuninck

Madysen Vlastuin

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