Jacks turn attention to Purdue Fort Wayne

Game 27 | South Dakota State (18-8, 10-12) vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (5-20, 1-11)

When	Saturday, Feb. 15 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Brad Peterson
Live Video	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN 3 \| David Brown, Greg Stemen and Elaina Lanson
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Purdue Fort Wayne
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball wraps up its homestand as it welcomes Purdue Fort Wayne to Frost Arena on Saturday for its annual Pink game. The Jackrabbits and Mastodons are slated to tip at 1 p.m. The game is sponsored by Biotest.

The Jackrabbits (18-8, 10-2 Summit League), under the direction of head coach Aaron Johnston, fell to Denver 72-62 on Thursday night to snap a four-game winning streak. State ranks second in the Summit League standings.

Purdue Fort Wayne is 5-20 overall and 1-11 in Summit League action. The Mastodons look to break a five-game losing streak. Purdue Fort Wayne's lone Summit League win came against Omaha (58-57). The Mastodons fell to North Dakota State 74-53 on Thursday.

SDSU holds a 35-1 advantage in the all-time series over Purdue Fort Wayne. The Jackrabbits have claimed the last 23 contests against the Mastodons, most recently earning a 100-69 victory in Fort Wayne, Ind. earlier this season.

#IPinkFor
The South Dakota State women's basketball team will be wearing pink jerseys to show support for breast cancer awareness when it hosts Purdue Fort Wayne in its annual Pink game.

A live auction of the Jackrabbits' pink Under Armour jerseys will take place immediately following the game with proceeds benefiting the Edith Sanford Breast Initiative. Burlage Peterson Realty & Auctioneers will run the auction.

"We are looking forward to hosting our annual Pink game in Frost Arena. Our goal is to raise awareness and resources to help support the Edith Sanford Breast Initiative and the individuals who are fighting this difficult disease," head coach Aaron Johnston said.

Last year, jerseys sold for between $475 and $2,300, raising more than $12,000, for Team Edith.

About South Dakota State
Paiton Burckhard is averaging a team-best 14.4 points and 6.2 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 20 contests, including 20-plus points in six games. She ranks fourth in the Summit League with a 53.1 field goal percentage on a team-high 360 total points. So far in Summit League play she has scored 193 points (16.1 ppg) and pulled down 88 rebounds. Burckhard registered her third double-double in the win over Western Illinois with 11 points and a career-best 12 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 11.4 points on the season after reaching double figures in 13 games, including a season-best 22 points against Marquette. She averages 6 rebounds per game, while adding 14 steals and a team-leading 25 blocks. The senior also dished a career-best nine assists in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne and is averaging 3 assists per game. Larson is shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Sioux Falls native turned in her first double-double of the season to lead the Jacks to a victory over Oral Roberts with 17 points and 14 rebounds. 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 26 games for the Jacks as she averages 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and ranks third in the Summit League with a team-best 3.9 assists per game. Cascio Jensen tied her career-best of seven boards in the win over Western Illinois. 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 and Western Illinois. 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 7.7 points and 5 rebounds per game is Tylee Irwin. The junior scored a season-best 14 points in the win at Western Illinois and against Denver. 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 21 games and is turning in some impressive minutes off the bench for SDSU as she's averaging 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. In the win at 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 135 points and is shooting 54.9 percent from the field in Summit League play. She scored 10-plus points in six consecutive contests this season. In the win over North Dakota, the senior tied a career-best nine rebounds and three blocks.

Lindsey Theuninck is averaging 24.7 minutes and 4.8 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 earned a starting assignment in 12 contests. At 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 17.7 minutes and 6.2 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 38 3-pointers.

Sophomores Jordan Ferrand and Addison Hirschman have appeared in 13 and 12 games, respective, while redshirt freshman Lauren Rongisch has played in 10.

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 22.3 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. Nelson has started in 12 games for the Jackrabbits.

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 44.2 percent from the field, while averaging 32.8 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to 60.3 points and a 37.6 FG percentage. State averages 17 assists per game, while holding an assist/turnover ratio of 1.1.

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Hannah Albrecht paces the Mastodons with 13.1 points and 2.6 assists per game. Riley Ott and Anna Lappenkuper are also averaging double figures with 11.5 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.

Sh'Toya Sanders leads the defensive efforts with 9.3 rebounds per game and 44 blocks. Sanders averages 8.8 points per game.

The Mastodons average 57.7 points per game while allowing its opponents to score 70.2.

Purdue Fort Wayne is also being outrebounded by its opponents 30.4-39.1. The squad is shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 31.2 from the 3-points line. Four of the five Mastodons wins have been on their home court.

Niecee Nelson is in her fourth season as the head coach of the 'Dons with a record 21-90.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's basketball fell to Denver 72-62 in a physical battle Thursday night at Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits fell to 18-8 on the season with a 10-2 mark in Summit League play, while Denver improved to 11-14, 5-7 Summit League.

"Well congratulations to Denver," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "They were a better team than we were today, and I mean that. I just thought that they were. They made a lot of effort plays that it takes to win. I thought we were a bit sluggish for most of the game, whether it would be defensively or offensively or rebounding or loose balls. They had a lot of energy, we didn't. There is no good reason for any of those things, we just didn't have it. They were better than we were I thought throughout most of the game. That's not frustration, I think that's reality just watching the game."

Tylee Irwin led the Jackrabbits as she tied her season high of 14 points and added six rebounds. Paiton Burckhard also pulled down six boards while adding 11 points. Tori Nelson turned in 11 points and Megan Bultsma shot 80 percent from the field for a total of eight points. Rylie Cascio Jensen dished a team-best four assists.

The Jacks shot 36.9 percent from the field and outscored Denver in the paint 38-32. Each team had 41 rebounds.

The score was tight through the first five minutes of action with the Jacks holding a 10-8 edge at the first media timeout. Sydney Stapleton broke a 14-14 tie with a transition 3-pointer, followed by a Tori Nelson layup to put the Jacks up five with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Denver grabbed its first lead of the game with 29 seconds left to take a 20-19 lead at the end of the first.

Neither team held more than a four-point lead throughout the second quarter. A pair of free throws by Irwin capped off a 5-0 run that put the Jacks up 37-36 at the break.

Irwin opened the second half with her third 3-pointer of the night. Denver responded with an 11-0 run to take a 47-40 lead with 4:30 remaining in the quarter. Megan Bultsma put an end to the Pioneer scoring run with two consecutive baskets, however Denver took a 53-47 lead headed into the final quarter.

Two layups by Tori Nelson kept it a two-possession game with 6:06 remaining. A 6-0 Denver run stretched its lead to double figures for the first time with 2:26 remaining in the game and put the Jacks out of striking distance for the remainder of the contest.

"We had a lot of good looks. That's been a little bit of our story all year," Johnston said. "It'd be hard to ask for many more wide open shots that we just didn't make in this game, and that would have changed things early, but when we weren't making those, we didn't do enough other things well enough to get ourselves back in the game. Typically, we get to the free throw line a lot, we didn't do that today, either. That's a big part of what we're relying on offensively and those things just didn't happen to make enough shots and get to the free throw line. Denver was able to do those things. It was a tough one for us, but I think it was probably the way it should have played out watching the game."

Opponents Last Time Out
FARGO, N.D. - Despite the most points by Jazzy Hughes since December 4, Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball dropped a league contest at North Dakota State on Thursday (Feb. 13). The Bison took the win 74-53.

Hughes finished with 10 points, which was the most since she had 11 against SIUE. She tied Hannah Hess with 10 points to lead the team in scoring.

The negative temperatures in Fargo did not hold the Bison back from firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter. NDSU hit 7 of its first 11 shots for a 63.6 percent opening quarter. They did this while holding the Mastodons to only one field goal in the first 10 minutes. The second quarter was more of the same, as the Bison hit 6 of 9 to take a 40-19 lead into halftime. The 'Dons did start the second on a 5-0 run after Riley Ott drained two freebies and Jazzy Hughes hit a trey.

NDSU's Michelle Gaiserova had 18 points in the opening 20 minutes, but the Mastodons held her scoreless in the second half. They only allowed her to take one shot from halftime on.

In the third quarter, Michelle Nicholls had all six of her points in a 28-second stretch. She hit two 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions at the 6:35 and 6:07 marks. Ellie Dykstra had five of her six rebounds in that third quarter as well. The 'Dons shot 50 percent from the floor in the third, going 7 of 14, and 3 of 5 from 3-point land for 60 percent. Hess hit her one attempt from the floor in the third quarter, which was a 3-pointer with two minutes left.

The 'Dons held NDSU to its lowest shooting of the night in the fourth quarter, with the Bison making 7 of 19 for 36.8 percent. Jazzy Hughes rebounded six misses in the final 10 minutes, which were all of the boards she collected on the night.

Purdue Fort Wayne had 10 turnovers, which ties a season-low against Division I opponents.

The Mastodons fall to 5-20, 1-11 Summit League while North Dakota State improves to 8-16, 5-7. This win for NDSU clinched them a berth to the Summit League Tournament. The 'Dons are back in action on Saturday (Feb. 13) when they face South Dakota State in Brookings, South Dakota.

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 36-1 in the all-time series
Advance the Jackrabbits to 19-8 on the season and 11-2 in the Summit League
Give the Jackrabbits their 24rd straight win over the Mastodons

A Loss Would...

Give Purdue Fort Wayne its second win all-time over the Jackrabbits and first since 2011.

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 16 in the Coaches polls

Florida Gulf Coast is ranked No. 22 in the Coaches poll and is receiving votes in the AP poll.

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

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