Jackrabbits fall in championship game

Tuesday, March 10

Sioux Falls, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

23-10,13-3Summit League

No. 1 seed South Dakota

30-2,16-0Summit League

South Dakota St.

South Dakota

Photo by: Jason Salzman

3/10/2020 3:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SIOUX FALLS -- No. 2 seed South Dakota State saw its hunt for a 10th Summit League Championship fall short Tuesday at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, falling 63-58 to No. 1 seed South Dakota.

The Jackrabbits (23-10) shot 46.8 percent as a team and buried 8-of-17 from deep in a physical, back-and-forth game that featured eight lead changes and five ties.

"Well congratulations to South Dakota. Just a great year, not only a great tournament but a great year. Very deserving as they go forward in the NCAAs and I wish them luck. I thought from our perspective, we played really well," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "We played hard and played with a great deal of fight and energy. We made a ton of shots and a ton of plays throughout. It's always hard to express a really good thought here. Disappointed in the outcome but certainly not disappointed in our group."

Tagyn Larson led the Jacks with 16 points while Rylie Cascio Jensen, who drilled 4-of-6 from deep, brought down a team-leading eight boards, dished five assists and tallied 13 points.

Tylee Irwin added 11 points and five rebounds and Paiton Burckhard scored seven.

A flurry of lead changes brought each fan base to life throughout the opening quarter. Down early, a Nelson triple opened an 8-0 Jackrabbit run that gave State a 10-8 lead midway through the first. The teams traded punches from there as the Jacks trailed at reset, 16-15.

A 9-3 Jackrabbit rally midway through the quarter featured 3-pointers from Cascio Jensen, Irwin and Burckhard to give State control the rest of the quarter. Both teams worked through scoring droughts late in the period, as the Jackrabbit defense held firm and sent SDSU to the locker room ahead, 32-27.

Neither offense could find a rhythm out of the break until USD threw the first jab with an 8-0 run to go up 43-38. The Jacks fought back, though, scoring seven unanswered to close the third with a 47-45 advantage.

USD, though, pulled back ahead for good with a run of seven-straight to open the fourth. Although SDSU cut it to one (54-53) after a pair of Irwin free throws near the five-minute mark, the Jackrabbits could not mount a final rally as the Coyotes closed out the win.

"We really played hard and really did a wonderful job out there, so you try to balance those two emotions of a tough loss and also a lot of appreciation for what these young women put in in this tournament, and in this game in particular," Johnston said. "Very proud of them and look forward to what comes next."

Game Notes

South Dakota State is 59-33 all-time against South Dakota and 30-3 in the Summit League Championship.
Rylie Cascio Jensen set a career-high in rebounds and matched her top mark as a Jackrabbit with four 3-pointers.
This was the first time South Dakota State has fallen in the Summit League Championship title game.

Up Next
The Jackrabbits wait for March 16 to learn their postseason placement. SDSU has qualified for postseason play every year since 2007 with nine NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT bids.

-GoJacks.com-