Summit League Championship on tap for Jacks

Game 33 | No. 2 Seed South Dakota State (23-9) vs. No. 1 seed South Dakota (29-2)

When	Tuesday, March 10 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Denny Sanford PREMIER Center \| Sioux Falls, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Brad Peterson & Scotty Kwas
Live Video	ESPNU \| Clay Matvick & Chelsea Shine-Wilson
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| South Dakota
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

No. 2 seed South Dakota State advanced to the Summit League Championship title game for the 10th time in 12 years Monday and is set to take on No. 1 seed South Dakota on Tuesday. Tipoff at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls is set for 1 p.m.

The Jackrabbits (23-9) earned its place in the finals after a 76-56 victory over North Dakota State.

South Dakota is 29-2 on the season and went undefeated (16-0) in Summit League play. The Coyotes defeated Oral Roberts 65-43 in Monday's semifinals game.

The Jackrabbits hold a 59-32 advantage in the all-time series over the Coyotes. When the teams met in the regular season, USD defeated State both on the road (83-48) and at home (77-67).

SDSU is 5-0 against USD in Summit League Championship title games. Additionally, during the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons, The Coyotes swept the Jacks in regular season play, but State defeated USD in the Summit League Championships.

About South Dakota State
Paiton Burckhard is averaging a team-best 14.5 points and ranks second with 5.8 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 26 contests, including 20-plus points in seven games. She ranks third in the Summit League with a 53.6 field goal percentage on a team-high 448 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 11.8 points on the season after reaching double figures in 18 games, including a season-best 22 points against Marquette. She pulls down a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game, while adding 18 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 3.1 assists per game. Larson is shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 38.8 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 32 games as she averages 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and ranks second in the Summit League with a team-best 3.8 assists per game. The senior leads SDSU with 43 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 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game is Tylee Irwin. The junior 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 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 27 games and is turning in productive minutes off the bench for SDSU as she's averaging 7.4 points and 4.2 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 17.1 minutes and 5.5 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 18 and 17 games, respectively, while redshirt freshman Lauren Rongisch has played in 15.

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 28.3 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. She also helped the squad to a semifinals win over North Dakota State with a team-best 21 points. Theisen led the team with a career-best 12 rebounds in the contest. Nelson has started in 18 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 38.6 rebounds per game. The Jackrabbit defense holds their opponents to 59.6 points and a 37.8 FG percentage. State averages 17.1 assists per game, while holding an assist/turnover ratio of 1.2.

Scouting No. 17/12 South Dakota
South Dakota is led on offense by Ciara Duffy who is averaging 16.8 points and 5.1 assists per game. The senior is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and a Summit League-best 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Hannah Sjerven and Chloe Lamb average 12.1 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. Sjerven paces the defensive efforts with 63 total blocks and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Madison McKeever has a team-high 56 steals. Taylor Frederick, the Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year, provides depth to the team, averaging 10.1 points per game off the bench for the Coyotes.

South Dakota sits atop the Summit League standings and is averaging a league-best 82 points per game. The Coyotes are shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from beyond the arc. USD ranks19th in the nation as it allows 55.7 points per game. South Dakota outrebounds its opponents 38-30.8.

Dawn Plitzuweit is in her fourth season as head coach at South Dakota with a record of 109-24.

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 South Dakota State women's basketball will play for its third-straight Summit League Championship title after topping No. 6 North Dakota State 76-56 Monday afternoon.

The Jackrabbits are now 23-9 on the season, while NDSU fell to 11-19.

"Well, fun environment and really proud of our team. I thought they played well out there," said head coach Aaron Johnston. "It was a physical game for both teams. I thought we did a really good job again, for another day, defensively. We forced some turnovers that took them out of some of their rhythm. They did a great job, North Dakota State, the beginning of the year to where they are at now. Just had a really good building year. I'm sure they will continue to improve going forward. They gave us a lot of different looks today and I think it took us a while to get settled in what we needed to do offensively. Credit to them for having that kind of a plan going into it."

Tori Nelson led the scoring attack with 21 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Tylee Irwin scored 18 along with four boards and five assists. Paiton Burckhard led SDSU with eight rebounds and dished out four assists to go along with her 14 points. Tagyn Larson also reached double-digits in scoring for the 18th time this season with 10 points.

After a back-and-forth start, a Nelson 3-pointer midway through the first quarter started a 12-2 run to give the Jacks a 22-13 lead. A stingy SDSU defense held the Bison without a field goal for nearly four minutes, and scoreless for 3:06, to gain separation over that span.

The Jacks held NDSU to a pair of two-plus minute scoring droughts in the second quarter before going up by as many as 13 (36-23) on a Larson jumper with 4:03 to play in the half. The Bison wouldn't give up, though, using a 7-2 spurt to cut the Jackrabbit lead to 38-30 at the break.

SDSU came out firing in the third quarter, extending its lead to 53-34 thanks to a 12-2 run. The teams traded buckets the rest of the quarter and the Jacks took a 58-41 advantage into the final period.

A Burckhard layup gave SDSU its first 20-point lead (62-41) early in the fourth and the Jacks never looked back. The Jackrabbit defense kept NDSU at bay the rest of the way to seal their place in the title game with a 76-56 victory.

"I was really proud of how we played," Johnston said. "Great to see Tori play well. Tylee made some shots too and defended really well and I thought we managed through some foul trouble there. Good win for us. It gives us a chance to play again on Tuesday, which is what we want."

Opponent's Last Time Out
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—South Dakota's inside presence dominated in the Coyotes' 65-43 win over Oral Roberts in the Summit League Tournament semifinals on Monday afternoon inside the Denny Sanford Premier Center.

No. 17/12 South Dakota (29-2) advances to its seventh Summit League Tournament Championship game in eight years. The Coyotes enter the championship match-up riding an 18-game winning streak that ranks fourth in the nation.

"Our effort and awareness defensively was really strong from the start, which allowed us to pull out a really good victory despite not shooting it at a high clip from the arc," said USD head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. "Our team showed a lot of maturity and our ability to make adjustments on the offensive end allowed us to score it more efficiently, especially during the second and third quarter.

"We will now get prepared for whoever our next opponent is and we hope to see the Premier Center painted red with Coyote fans at 1 p.m. tomorrow!"

The Coyotes dominated the inside game, outscoring the Golden Eagles 44-14 in the paint. Senior forward Taylor Frederick and junior center Hannah Sjerven led the charge with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Sjerven tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points, 13 boards, seven blocks and three steals. She tied her career highs for both blocks and rebounds in the game. Sjerven also moved to fourth on USD's career blocks chart.

Frederick finished 8-of-10 from the field, scoring her 16 points in 17 minutes. She also grabbed six boards.

Joining the duo in double-figures for the 30th time this season was senior guard Ciara Duffy with 10 points. Junior guard Chloe Lamb added nine points, six assists and five rebounds.

Oral Roberts was led by all-Summit guard Keni Jo Lippe as the only Golden Eagle in double-figures. She scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

A defensive battle in the first quarter tied it up 10-10 in the first 10 minutes, but the Coyotes came out firing in the second period with 14 unanswered points.

Sjerven scored nine points in the second period as the Coyotes outscored the Golden Eagles 25-5. South Dakota's defense held Oral Roberts to 1-of-20 from the field, with the Coyotes blocking five shots and stealing the ball twice. South Dakota shot a blistering 62 percent for the period.

South Dakota extended its lead to 50-26 at the end of the third. Oral Roberts' starters made a run in the fourth against the Coyote bench to outscore USD by two in the final frame. The Coyotes came away with a 65-43 victory, its third Summit League Tournament semifinal win over Oral Roberts in five years.

USD shot 40 percent (27-of-68) from the field for the game, while holding Oral Roberts to 21 percent (12-of-56). The Coyotes finished with four 3-pointers, although three of them came in the fourth quarter.

A Win Would...

Give the Jackrabbits their 10th Summit League Tournament Championship
Send them to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in the Division I era
Improve South Dakota State to 60-32 against South Dakota
Improve the State to 6-0 against the Coyotes in Summit League Championship title games
Advance the Jackrabbits to 24-9 on the season

A Loss Would...

Improve South Dakota to 33-59 all-time against South Dakota State
Give the Coyotes its first-ever win over the Jackrabbits in the Summit League Championship title game.

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-

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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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