JACKS TURN ATTENTION TO MONTANA STATE MONDAY

Monday, December 21

Bozeman, Mont.

noon MT/1 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Montana State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

12/20/2020 11:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Game 8 | South Dakota State (5-2) at Montana State (2-2)

When	Monday, Dec. 21 \| Noon MT/1 p.m. CT
Where	Worthington Arena \| Bozeman, Mont.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Brad Peterson
Live Video	Pluto TV - Channel 1057
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Montana State
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball is set for its final road game of the non-conference slate as it concludes its two-game road trip Monday at Montana State. Tipoff is slated for noon MT/1 p.m. CT at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Mont.

The Jackrabbits are now 5-2 after defeating its third ranked opponents this season. State upset No. 20 Missouri State, 60-52, on the road Saturday afternoon.

Montana State is closing out their non-conference slate Monday against SDSU. They enter the contest with a 2-2 record, most recently defeating Portland, 80-67.

Saturday will be the third all-time meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Bobcats. State holds a 2-0 advantage all-time. This is the third straight season that the two teams have met. Last season, SDSU defeated Montana State, 60-50, at Frost Arena.

About South Dakota State
Myah Selland leads the team with 17.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while adding 3.3 assists per contest. She is shooting 48.3 percent from the field, including 37 percent from beyond the arc. 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. 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. The redshirt junior registered a double-double as she led the Jacks and tied her career-bests with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Drake. In the win over No. 20 Missouri State she paced the squad with her third double-double of the season with 19 points in 10 rebounds, while adding a season-best six assists and four steals. She has scored in double digits in all seven contests this season. 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 is averaging 12.1 points and 4.9 rebounds, while playing 29.7 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. She paced the team with a season-high 18 points at UNI while adding a team-best eight rebounds. Burckhard posted 13 points and five rebounds in the win at Missouri State. She averaged a team-leading 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 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds, while adding eight blocks and seven 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. She pulled down seven rebounds and blocked a team-best two shots at UNI. Against Drake, she tallied 14 points in the 22 minutes she played off the bench. 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 3.8 assists per game, while adding 7.5 points per game. Against Gonzaga, she became the first Jackrabbit since 2000 to dish 10-plus 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 seven contests for the Jackrabbits this season and leads the squad with a total of 11 steals. She dished a team-best five assists and added 11 points against Drake. 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 has started all seven contests for the Jackrabbits and ranks third on the team with 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She tallied a season-high 18 points against Drake. 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. Nelson tired a career-best three steals at UNI. 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. Additionally, Byom recorded two blocks against Drake and four points at Missouri State.

State is outscoring its opponents 66.4-62.9 and holds them to 38.3 percent shooting, including 25.8 percent from long distance.

Scouting Montana State
Montana State holds a 2-2 record as they are set to close out their non-conference schedule against the Jackrabbits Monday. The Bobcats have captured wins over Portland (80-67) and Summit League foe North Dakota (84-72).

MSU returned just one starters and six letterwinners from team that went 25-6 overall, 19-1 Big Sky last season.

The Bobcats are led in nearly all statistical categories by sophomore guard Darian White. She paces the squad with 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4 steals per game. Additionally, she is shooting an impressive 54.7 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from long distance. Against Portland, she narrowly missed a triple-double as she posted 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Tori Martell and Kola Bad Bear add to the offense efforts averaging 15 and 6.3 points, respectively. Katelynn Limardo records 4.3 rebounds per game, while Lexi Deden has blocked three shots.

Missouri State is narrowly outscoring its opponents 71.3-71.0. They are shooting 36.3 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from long distance. Their opponents hold a 40.5-37.5 advantage on the boards.

Head coach Tricia Binford is in her 16th season at the helm of the Bobcats with a 255-204 record.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - South Dakota State women's basketball won its third game against a ranked opponent this season with a 60-52 road victory over No. 20 Missouri State Saturday afternoon.

The Jacks, now 5-2 on the season, shot 40.8 percent from the field and outscored Missouri State in the paint, 30-24.

"The start was so important just to get settled," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "I think they maybe came out and were very good defensively, but I think we kind of played through some of that and made a few shots, got some transition and just kind of got into the game. Our first quarter, offensively, we were really good and we were good enough in the second quarter too. In the second quarter, we actually missed some really good looks –– Tylee, I thought had threes that were just in and just kind of rattled out. So we played well in both of those quarters. As every team does on the road, the home team makes a run and they made theirs with us. Then it was kind of gut check time. It got scrappy, physical, it was hard. I thought our team hung in there and just kind of found a way to get things done at the end, so really good for them. I'm really happy with what they did."

Myah Selland led all scorers with 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished a season-high six assists. Paiton Burckhard scored 13 points and recorded five rebounds. Regan Nesheim added a career-best six rebounds and five points. Tylee Irwin added seven points, while Tori Nelson tallied six points and four rebounds. Irwin and Nelson both recorded a block in the contest.

After a 7-2 start by Missouri State, the Jacks responded with a 9-0 run to take an 11-7 lead midway through the first. Despite the Lady Bears breaking the run with a layup at the 4:27 mark, SDSU continued to push its lead, scoring five unanswered points to take a 16-9 lead with 1:29 left in the first quarter. A late Missouri State 3-pointer made it a 16-12 game in favor of the Jacks at the end of the first.

The Jacks continued to find success inside during the second quarter. A run of six unanswered points, all coming in the paint, put the Jacks in front 22-14 at the 6:45 mark. Lindsey Theuninck's 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in the half capped off a 7-0 run and pushed the Jacks lead to double digits for the first time (31-20). A Missouri State jumper beat the buzzer, but the Jacks held a 31-22 lead at the half.

State held a double digit lead to open the second half until consecutive MSU layups cut the Jackrabbit advantage to nine with 4:23 to play in the third. Missouri State continued to chip away at the SDSU lead, outscoring the Jacks 11-6 in the final five minutes of the quarter. The Jackrabbits led 46-40 heading into the final frame.

Nine unanswered Jackrabbit points gave SDSU a comfortable 55-42 lead with 6:29 to play. Missouri State wasn't done yet, however, reducing its deficit back to six with a 3-pointer and a pair of jumpers. Despite not making a field goal since the 9-0 run, five made free throws by the Jacks was enough to close out the 60-52 victory. The Jackrabbit defense held Missouri State to just three points in the final three minutes.

Opponent's Last Time Out
Montana State sophomore Darian White narrowly missed her first career triple-double, scoring a career-high 24 points and pulling down a career-best 11 rebounds, while adding nine assists to guide the Bobcats to an 80-67 victory over Portland on Thursday afternoon in Chiles Center.

White, a product of Boise, Idaho, consistently broke a double-team, weaving her way through the full court press to set the tempo for Montana State (2-2). She notched 15 first-half points, connecting on six-of-nine from the field. Portland's (3-3) Maddie Muhlheim's three-pointer with 14-seconds left in the second quarter tied the contest at 32-all heading into intermission.

The Bobcats took a 49-41 advantage at the 3:42 mark of the third stanza as Tori Martell's jumper capped a 12-0 Bobcat run. MSU's lead, however, was short-lived, as the Pilots rattled off an 11-2 run to take a 52-51 cushion into the final frame.

Montana State held a 65-64 advantage with 5:29 left, before a Skye Lindsay jumper, coupled with Leia Beattie's first collegiate three-pointer, ignited a Bobcat run that saw MSU outscore the Pilots 16-3 down the stretch to secure the victory. Lindsay and Beattie posted six and five points, respectively, as the Bobcats notched its first road win of the season.

"It was a great team win," said MSU 16th-year head coach Tricia Binford. "We knew going in that Portland was going to cause a lot of problems. We watched a lot of film, but until you're able to see it in real time and see how active and well-coached Portland is, it takes a bit to become acclimated getting into any kind of offensive flow.

"Fortunately, we have Darian White," Binford said. "She is a tremendous ball-player. Darian handles the pressure well and with her ball-handling skills and speed is very tough to stop. She really elevated her game, and you could see the rest of the team's confidence grow. I thought the fourth quarter was outstanding with contributions from everyone."

Also in double-figures for MSU were Martell, Lindsay and Kola Bad Bear. Martell had just three points at intermission, but poured in 16 points in the second half, including a four-of-four effort from long distance to finish with 19 points. Lindsay and Bad Bear added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

"We challenged our posts to have two in double-figures, and they answered," Binford said. "Tori also did a great job in the second half. Her quick trigger really gave us a spark, and we finally had some other pieces showing."

MSU, who entered the game shooting 32.8% from the field, connected on 30-65 for 46.2%. In addition, the Bobcats went just one-of-12 from three-point range in the first half but went six-of-ten in the final 20-minutes.

The Bobcats outrebounded the Pilots 42-33 as White and Lexi Deden – seven rebounds- controlled the glass. Montana State forced UP into twenty turnovers as White produced a game-high five steals.

Portland, who was ranked No. 21 in the week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, was led by Alex Fowler with 31 points and six rebounds.

MSU will host South Dakota State on Monday at 12 noon in Worthington Arena.

Following guidance from the Gallatin City-County Health Department and Montana State University health officials, Bobcat men's and women's basketball seasons will open without fans. For video streaming and radio of Monday's game visit msubobcats.com.
--msubobcats.com

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State 3-0 in the all-time series over Montana State
Give SDSU its first pair of back-to-back road wins this season
Improve the Jacks to 6-2 on the season

A Loss Would...

Give Montana State its first win over South Dakota State all-time

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 1,018 wins.

Johnston is just three 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-