South Dakota State University Athletics
Hall of Fame — Melissa Pater
7/1/2020 4:28:00 PM | General
GRADUATED: 2003
INDUCTED: 2019
Melissa Pater led the charge for a Jackrabbit women's basketball program that won the 2003 NCAA Division II national championship.
A forward from Holland, Minnesota, Pater set a Jackrabbit single-season record with 681 points (19.5 points per game), en route to being named to the Daktronics Division II All-America First Team. She led
all divisions of women's college basketball by shooting 65 percent (267-of-411) from the field during the 2002-03 season and finished with an SDSU-record .572 field goal percentage for her career.
Pater helped lead SDSU to its first NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance during the 2001-02 season as she averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game. During the run to the national title in 2003, Pater averaged 21.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in three Elite Eight games as she was named the tournament's most outstanding player. She scored a career-high 31 points in an overtime victory over Bentley in the national semifinals, then tallied a game-high 22 points in a 65-50 win over Northern Kentucky in the championship game.
The Jackrabbits finished their championship season with a 32-3 overall record and claimed a share of the North Central Conference title for the first time.
A two-time all-North Central Conference selection, Pater ended her career with a then-SDSU-record 1,747 points. That total currently ranked fifth in program history at the time of her induction.
Following her collegiate career, Pater played professionally in The Netherlands.
-GoJacks.com-
INDUCTED: 2019
Melissa Pater led the charge for a Jackrabbit women's basketball program that won the 2003 NCAA Division II national championship.
A forward from Holland, Minnesota, Pater set a Jackrabbit single-season record with 681 points (19.5 points per game), en route to being named to the Daktronics Division II All-America First Team. She led
all divisions of women's college basketball by shooting 65 percent (267-of-411) from the field during the 2002-03 season and finished with an SDSU-record .572 field goal percentage for her career.Pater helped lead SDSU to its first NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance during the 2001-02 season as she averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game. During the run to the national title in 2003, Pater averaged 21.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in three Elite Eight games as she was named the tournament's most outstanding player. She scored a career-high 31 points in an overtime victory over Bentley in the national semifinals, then tallied a game-high 22 points in a 65-50 win over Northern Kentucky in the championship game.
The Jackrabbits finished their championship season with a 32-3 overall record and claimed a share of the North Central Conference title for the first time.
A two-time all-North Central Conference selection, Pater ended her career with a then-SDSU-record 1,747 points. That total currently ranked fifth in program history at the time of her induction.
Following her collegiate career, Pater played professionally in The Netherlands.
-GoJacks.com-
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