Women's basketball heads for North Dakota

Game 28 | South Dakota State (19-8, 11-2) at North Dakota (14-11, 5-7)

When	Thursday, Feb. 20 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Betty Engelstad Sioux Center \| Grand Forks, N.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Scotty Kwas
Live Video	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN 3
Live Stats	FightingHawks.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball gears up for its first road trip in two weeks as it travels to take on North Dakota in a midweek matchup on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Jackrabbits (19-8, 11-2 Summit League), under the direction of head coach Aaron Johnston, split a pair of contests last week falling to Denver 72-62 and defeating Purdue Fort Wayne 89-43.

North Dakota is 14-11 overall and 5-7 in Summit League action. The Fighting Hawks look to snap a three-game losing streak after most recently falling to Western Illinois, 91-74.

North Dakota holds a 41-26 advantage in the all-time series over the Jackrabbits. The Jackrabbits have claimed the last six contests against the Fighting Hawks. SDSU defeated UND 99-64 earlier this season.

About South Dakota State
Paiton Burckhard is averaging a team-best 14.7 points and 6.1 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 21 contests, including 20-plus points in seven games. She ranks third in the Summit League with a 54.4 field goal percentage on a team-high 383 total points. In Summit League play she has scored 216 points (16.6 ppg) and pulled down 91 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 11.2 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 15 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 3.2 assists per game. Larson is shooting 50.9 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 27 games for the Jacks as she averages 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and ranks third in the Summit League with a team-best 4 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 8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game is Tylee Irwin. The junior scored a season-best 16 points in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne. 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 22 games and is turning in some productive minutes off the bench for SDSU as she's averaging 7.5 points and 4 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 146 points and is shooting 53 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 24.6 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 6.1 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 14 and 13 games, respective, while redshirt freshman Lauren Rongisch has played in 11.

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 22.4 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 44.7 percent from the field, while averaging 39.3 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to 59.7 points and a 37.3 FG percentage. State averages 17.4 assists per game, while holding an assist/turnover ratio of 1.2.

Scouting North Dakota
North Dakota is led offensively by Julia Fleecs who is averaging 12.1 points per game. Jaclyn Jarnot and Melissa Leet are averaging 9.6 and 8.2 points per game, respectively. Leet also has a total of 43 blocks.

Jaclyn Jarnot paces the defensive efforts with 7.1 rebounds per game. Alaina Jarnot dishes a team-best 4.1 assists per game.

Lilly Keplin is averaging 7.5 points per game and has leads the squad with 38 3-pointers.

North Dakota averages 71.7 points per game while its opponents score 70.7. The Fighting Hawks are outrebounding their opposition, 42.1-38.7. UND is shooting 39.2 from the field and 31.6 from long distance.

Travis Brewster is in his eighth season at the helm of North Dakota with a record of 127-116.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's basketball defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 89-43 Saturday afternoon at Frost Arena in the 2020 Pink Game.

The Jackrabbits improved to 19-8 overall and 11-2 in Summit League play, while Purdue Fort Wayne fell to 5-21 overall and 1-12 in league play.

"Well, good win," head coach Aaron Johnston said. "I thought we played in the present here and didn't let a disappointing Thursday turn into a disappointing Saturday. We just kind of cleaned the slate and came back and played much better."

The Jacks shot 56.1 percent from the field, recorded 29 assists and outscored the Mastodons 62-2 in the paint.

"Everything is easier when you are making shots and that's still a big part of that game on Thursday, so I didn't see a carryover there or an issue with it," Johnston said. "Had a really good start with a good finish. Tylee was fantastic. We had some other people score a little bit, but Tylee, I thought, was a really big part of our energy in this game and helped us get going.

Paiton Burckhard led all scorers with 23 points, shooting 78.5 percent (11-of-14) from the field. Tylee Irwin scored a season-best 16 points, added six rebounds and a career-high six assists and four steals. Tori Nelson and Megan Bultsma each had 11 points. Tagyn Larson finished just shy of a triple-double, scoring eight points, while adding seven rebounds and eight assists.

The Jacks dominated from the start, jumping out to a 15-0 lead before the Mastodons scored their first bucket at the 4:01 mark. State grabbed nine offensive rebounds and had 11 second chance points in the first quarter to take a 28-6 lead.

SDSU continued its balanced attack in the second quarter as a 13-2 run, started by two early Burckhard layups, extended State's advantage to 23 points (41-18). Layups by Nelson and Bultsma in the final minute stretched the Jackrabbit lead to 45-20 at the break.

Burckhard scored the first five points to open the second half, which sparked another Jackrabbit run of nine unanswered points, increasing the lead to 54-20. Purdue Fort Wayne outscored the Jacks 10-4 in the final three minutes to close the third quarter, but State remained in control, leading 64-38.

The Jacks grew their largest lead of the afternoon by outscoring the Mastodons 25-5 in the final quarter of play, including a 15-0 run to end the game.

Opponents Last Time Out
MACOMB, Ill. - Recording a fast start and showing its dexterity behind the arc with 10 three-pointers, the University of North Dakota (14-11, 5-7 Summit) could not overcome Western Illinois' (14-12, 8-5 Summit) furious first half as the Leathernecks downed UND, 91-74.

Four Hawks scored in double figures led by Lilly Keplin's 14 points that included four treys, while Jaclyn Jarnot and Julia Fleecs scored 13 points. Jaclyn also pulled down 13 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Kacie Borowicz finished with 12 points as well. North Dakota finished +10 on the boards as well (43-33).

The Fighting Hawks opened with a fiery poise on both ends of the floor, boxing out the Leathernecks and knocking down shots to open the game on an 8-0 run with a 3-of-4 clip from the field. However, the Leathernecks responded with an 8-0 of its own to rally their troops to a 26-18 lead after the first.

That same gusto that Western Illinois performed with at the end of the first resulted in another big run that resulted in a 20-point lead 13:11 into the contest, resulting in a Travis Brewster calling a timeout.

To that point, North Dakota had turned the ball over 10 times and allowed Western Illinois to score 18 points off those turnovers.

Jaclyn Jarnot and Megan Zander were the Fighting Hawks left and right fist on the attack, combining for 14 of UND's final 18 points in the half to close the margin at the break, 48-33. As a result, Jaclyn finished the half with a game-high 12 points and nine rebounds.

The UND defense responded with eight-consecutive stops under Western Illinois' basket but was unable to find a rhythm offensively before the media timeout. After the break, the Hawks offense found its footing as Lilly Keplin scored 11 points in the third quarter alone as she knocked down three treys and a floater in the lane as time expired in the third.

That final shot closed the gap to eight entering the last period, 67-59, as North Dakota went 10-of-17 from the field in the period.

While Keplin once again lifted the Fighting Hawks to within seven early in the fourth, 11 North Dakota personal fouls in the fourth quarter equated to 11 points at the free-throw line and 21 total in the second half on 29 trips.

"You look at where we're at right now with our record, and that's without Melissa Leet in the lineup. There are some things we have to do better, but I'm proud of what this group has accomplished and in some of the things we saw tonight," said Brewster in the postgame.

The University of North Dakota will return to action Thursday, Feb. 20, when it hosts I-29 rival South Dakota State at The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The two teams will tip at 7 p.m.

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 27-41 in the all-time series
Advance the Jackrabbits to 20-8 on the season and 12-2 in the Summit League
Give the Jackrabbits its seventh straight win over the Fighting Hawks

A Loss Would...

Improve North Dakota to 42-26 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. 20 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.

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-

Calendar

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Recent Results

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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Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus St. Thomas on March 1, 2025 , Win , 79, to, 46

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