Jackrabbits, Bison meet in semifinals

Game 32 | No. 2 Seed South Dakota State (22-9) vs. No. 6 seed North Dakota State (11-18)

When	Monday, March 9 \| 2:30 p.m.
Where	Denny Sanford PREMIER Center \| Sioux Falls, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Scotty Kwas & Brad Peterson
Live Video	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN + \| Tom Nieman, Brad Newitt & Elaina Lanson
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

No. 2 seed South Dakota State continues its Summit League Tournament run as it takes on sixth-seeded North Dakota State Monday in the semifinals. Tipoff at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls is set for 2:30 p.m.

The Jackrabbits (22-9) advanced to the semifinals of the Summit League Championship on Saturday with a 72-43 win over seventh-seeded North Dakota.

North Dakota State improved to 11-18 on the season as it upset No. 3 seed Denver 72-68 to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.

South Dakota State holds a 53-39 advantage in the all-time series over the Bison. The Jackrabbits have claimed the last nine contests against NDSU. SDSU defeated the Bison on both occasions during the regular season, most recently (85-58) on the road.

About South Dakota State
Paiton Burckhard is averaging a team-best 14.5 points and ranks second with 5.7 rebounds per game. The sophomore scored a career-best 27 points to lead the Jacks to a home victory over North Dakota and has reached double-figures in 25 contests, including 20-plus points in seven games. She ranks third in the Summit League with a 53.4 field goal percentage on a team-high 434 total points. In Summit League play she scored 253 points (15.8 ppg) and pulled down 99 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 and earned All-Summit League first team honors this season.

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. After playing in nine contests early this season, she has been out due to injury. 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 11.9 points on the season after reaching double figures in 17 games, including a season-best 22 points against Marquette. She pulls down a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game, while adding 17 steals and a team-leading 26 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 52.7 percent from the field and 39.1 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. The team captain led the Jacks in its quarterfinal win over North Dakota with 18 points and eight boards. A 2018-19 and 2019-20 All-Summit League Second Team and 2018-19 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 is the only Jackrabbit this season to earn the starting assignment in all 31 games as she averages 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and ranks second in the Summit League with a team-best 3.9 assists per game. The senior leads SDSU with 42 3-pointers this season. 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 8.2 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. In Summit League play, the junior averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. 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 26 games and is turning in productive minutes off the bench for SDSU as she's averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 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 had a total of 169 points and shot a team-high 53 percent from the field in Summit League play. She scored 10-plus points in 10 contests this season. In the home win over North Dakota, the senior tied a career-best nine rebounds and three blocks.

Lindsey Theuninck is averaging 24.5 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 this season. 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 17.3 minutes and 5.8 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 ranks second on the squad from beyond the arc with a total 38 3-pointers.

Sophomores Jordan Ferrand and Addison Hirschman have appeared in 17 and 16 games, respectively, while redshirt freshman Lauren Rongisch has played in 14.

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 17 games for the Jackrabbits and averaged 10.1 points per game in Summit League action.

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 44.9 percent from the field, ranking 22nd nationally, while averaging 38.8 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to 59.7 points and a 37.8 FG percentage. State averages 17.1 assists per game, while holding an assist/turnover ratio of 1.2.

Scouting North Dakota
North Dakota State is led offensively by Michelle Gaislerova who is averaging 13.5 points per game. Emily Dietz and Rylee Nudell are averaging 10.9 and 9.7 points per game, respectively.

Dietz paces the defensive efforts with 7.4 rebounds per game and a total 15 blocks as she has started all 29 contests for the Bison. She is shooting a team-high 52.1 percent from the field.

Sofija Zivaljevic averages a team-best 3.1 assists per game while adding 9.5 points per game.

North Dakota State averages 68.5 points per game while its opponents score 71.2. The Bison are outrebounding their opposition, 39.4-35.7. NDSU is shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 29.9 from long distance.

Jory Collins is in his first season as head coach at North Dakota State.

Trio of Jackrabbits Earn Summit League Honors
SIOUX FALL – Three South Dakota State women's basketball players were honored by the Summit League on Thursday, as the league announced its postseason awards at its annual Summit League Championships tip-off press conference. Tori Nelson was named Freshman of the Year and earned a place on the all-newcomer team. Paiton Burckhard and Tagyn Larson were both selected to All-Summit League teams.

"We are excited to see Paiton, Tagyn, and Tori recognized for their exceptional seasons," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "Each worked very hard throughout the year to continually improve different aspects of their games."

Nelson has started in 16 contests this season for the Jackrabbits. The freshman is averaging 9.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She has scored in double figures in 11 contests this season. Nelson registered a double-double to help the Jackrabbits to a victory over Notre Dame with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Additionally, she scored a career-best 23 points to lead State to a nonconference victory over Coppin State. She ranks third on the squad with 26 steals and 17 blocks.

Burckhard, an All-Summit League first team selection, paces the Jacks this season with 14.5 points per game, including 15.8 points per game in Summit League play. She has reached double figures in 24 contests this season with seven 20-plus point scoring performances. The sophomore is shooting a team-best 53.5 percent from the field and averaged 5.8 rebounds per game.

The Aberdeen, S.D. native has registered a team-high three double-doubles this season. Burckhard has led the Jackrabbits' scoring efforts on 10 occasions this season and adds 49 assists, 19 steals and 10 blocks.

After leading the Jackrabbits with 6.2 rebounds per game and ranking third on the team with 11.6 points per game, Larson was named to the All-Summit League second team for the second time in her career. She has tallied 903 points in her time at SDSU and ranks fifth in the Summit League this season with 3.2 assists per game. Larson has blocked a team-best 26 shots and adds 17 steals.

The Sioux Falls, S.D. native is shooting 52.4 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. She has scored in double figures in 16 contests, including 10 Summit League games. Larson registered a double-double with 17 points and a career-best 14 rebounds to lead the Jackrabbits to a road win over Oral Roberts. Additionally, she dished a career-high nine assists in SDSU's victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
SIOUX FALLS – No. 2 seed South Dakota State women's basketball defeated seventh-seeded North Dakota 72-43 Saturday afternoon to advance to Monday's semifinals.

The Jackrabbits improved to 22-9 on the season, while North Dakota fell to 15-15.

"Well good first win for us. I mean I think everyone watched the same game," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "Our defense was excellent. We rebounded really well, we forced turnovers and that kind of took them out of some rhythm and made their shots really difficult, so our defense was phenomenal."

Tagyn Larson led the scoring efforts with 18 points and tied for the team lead with eight rebounds. Paiton Burckhard added 14 points and five rebounds. Megan Bultsma grabbed eight boards and scored nine points, while Tylee Irwin scored eight and hauled in seven rebounds.

State outrebounded the UND 48-38 and held the Fighting Hawks to just 28.6 percent from the field. Additionally, SDSU held a 48-20 advantage in the paint.

The Jackrabbits led for the entirety of the contest, opening the game with a 13-2 run behind eight points from Burckhard. That margin held through the end of the first quarter with SDSU leading, 19-8.

State used 12 unanswered points to extend the lead to 27-8, holding UND scoreless through the first 5:49 of the second quarter. The Fighting Hawks climbed back with a 10-3 run as SDSU went to the locker room holding a 30-18 lead.

A Burckhard layup capped a 9-0 spurt out of the break, giving the Jacks their first 20-point lead of the game (39-18). Larson scored nine in the third quarter and SDSU took a 50-26 advantage into the final quarter.

A Jordan Ferrand layup pushed the Jackrabbits to a 30-point, 64-34, lead with 3:15 left to play. The two teams traded points the rest of the way as SDSU earned the 72-43 victory.

"Offensively, we just had a hard time getting the ball into the net," Johnston said. "Sometimes that happens but I still thought we were taking good shots in the post, getting things we wanted. Just really couldn't break away offensively the way we had hoped but I still feel really good about the win. I thought our team played well, we played really hard and gives us a chance to play again and that's the goal."

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 54-39 in the all-time series
Advance the Jackrabbits to 23-9 on the season
Give the Jackrabbits its eighth straight win over the Fighting Hawks
Put the Jackrabbits just one games away from reaching the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time.

A Loss Would...

Improve North Dakota State to 40-53 all-time against South Dakota State

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. 17 in the AP poll and 12 in the Coaches polls

Florida Gulf Coast is ranked No. 24 in the Coaches poll and is receiving votes in the AP poll. Additionally, Central Michigan and Marquette are receiving votes in the polls.

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 11-30 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 a ranked South Dakota on two occasions.

-GoJacks.com-

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

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

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