JACKS WELCOME LEATHERNECKS TO OPEN SUMMIT SLATE

Friday, January 8

Brookings, S.D.

5 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Western Illinois

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

1/7/2021 10:07:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Games 10 & 11 | South Dakota State (7-2, 0-0) vs. Western Illinois (2-8, 1-1)

When	Friday, Jan. 8 & Saturday, Jan. 9 \| 5 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Brad Peterson
Live Video	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Western Illinois
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

South Dakota State women's basketball is set to open Summit League play as it hosts Western Illinois on Friday, Jan. 8, and Saturday, Jan. 9. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. on both days.

The Jackrabbits head into Summit League action after a successful non-conference slate where they went 7-2 and captured wins over three nationally-ranked opponents. Most recently, the Jackrabbits defeated UNI, 74-62, Dec. 23.

Western Illinois is 2-8 overall and 1-1 in Summit League after splitting its first pair of contests with North Dakota State last weekend. The Leathernecks' only other win on the season came over Bellarmine, 79-57.

Friday will be the 29th meeting between the two programs with the Jackrabbits holding a 26-2 advantage in the all-time series. Additionally, SDSU has won the last seven contests against the Leathernecks. Western Illinois claimed both of its wins over the Jacks in Macomb, Ill. and have yet to win at Frost Arena.

Major Milestones
Head coach Aaron Johnston is just one win away from claiming 500 career wins. He will be the 34th active Division I coach to reach the milestone. Additionally, Johnston is South Dakota State's and the Summit League's all-time winningest women's basketball coach.

Three Jackrabbits are approaching 1,000 point milestones. Myah Selland currently has 945 career points. Tylee Irwin and Paiton Burckhard are at 829 and 767 points, respectively.

About South Dakota State
Myah Selland leads the team with 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while adding 3.3 assists per contest. She is shooting 50.4 percent from the field, including 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. In her first game since Dec. 5, 2019, Selland made an immediate impact as she recorded 19 points, five boards, two assists and two blocks to help the Jacks defeat then-No. 15 Iowa State. Selland carried the Jackrabbits to an overtime win over then-No. 18 Gonzaga with 18 points. She made the game-tying shot that sent the contest into overtime and dished a perfect pass to Lindsey Theuninck who hit the game-winning 3-pointer. The redshirt junior registered a double-double as she led the Jacks with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Drake. In the win over No. 20 Missouri State, she paced the squad with yet another double-double, including 19 points and 10 rebounds, while adding a season-best six assists and four steals. In the win over Montana State, Selland registered her third-straight double-double with a career-best 27 points and 12 rebounds. She has scored in double digits in all nine contests this season. Additionally, she has recorded four double-doubles this season and six in her career. A season ago, she averaged 13.8 points and 3.0 assists per game in the nine contests she played in before suffering a season-ending foot injury. A Preseason All-Summit League First Team honoree for the Jacks, the Letcher native was named Summit League Player of the Week on Dec. 7, 21 and 28 as well as the Summit League December Female Athlete of the Month.

Paiton Burckhard is averaging 12.3 points and 5 rebounds, while playing 28.7 minutes per game. Burckhard ranked second on the team with 13 points in the win over Creighton. In the overtime win over Gonzaga, she recorded 14 points, five rebounds and played a career-high 41 minutes. She was just shy of a double-double with 13 points and a team-leading nine rebounds in the contest at Kansas State. She paced the team with a season-high 18 points at UNI while adding a team-best eight rebounds. Burckhard posted 13 points and five rebounds in the win at Missouri State. Against Montana State, she tallied 14 points and seven rebounds. Burckhard has scored in double figures in seven games this season. She averaged a team-leading 14.2 points and ranked second on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game after starting all 32 contests that she appeared in last season. Burckhard has registered three double-doubles in her career. The Aberdeen native earned Preseason All-Summit League First Team honors after being selected to the All-Summit League First Team for the 2019-20 season.

Tylee Irwin is averaging 10.6 points and 4 rebounds, while adding 10 blocks and eight steals. Against Creighton, she turned in eight points, seven rebounds and tied a career-high three blocks. Irwin played a career-high 37 minutes in the win over Gonzaga as she recorded 16 points, three rebounds and one block off the bench. She earned the starting assignment for the first time this season at Kansas State. Against Drake, she tallied 14 points in the 22 minutes she played off the bench. In the win over Montana State, she tied her career-best of 22 points while adding five rebounds and a team-best five assists. The senior continues to turn in valuable minutes for the Jackrabbits as she tallied 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks to close out non-conference play with a win over UNI. Irwin finished second on the team in minutes played for the 2019-20 season, averaging 27.6 minutes per game. Irwin earned a spot on the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team for the second consecutive season.

Haley Greer is averaging a team-best 3.8 assists per game, while adding 7.5 points per game. Against Gonzaga, she became the first Jackrabbit since 2000 to dish 10-plus assists in a game. Greer posted eight points and three assists to help the Jackrabbits to a victory over Creighton. She led SDSU in her debut as a Jackrabbit with a career-best 20 points as she went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to being named Summit League Player of the Week. She joins the Jackrabbits as a graduate transfer after spending four years at Colgate. Greer, a 5-10 guard from Winnetka, Ill., comes in after leading Colgate in 3-pointers made (34) and blocked shots (23) while averaging 8.1 points per game in 2019-20.

Lindsey Theuninck has started all nine contests for the Jackrabbits this season and paces the squad with 12 steals. The redshirt junior tallied 10 points and five assists in the win over UNI. She dished a team-best five assists and added 11 points against Drake. She tallied nine points and a career-high five steals at Kansas State. Against then-No. 18 Gonzaga, Theuninck posted six rebounds and 11 points, including the overtime game-winning 3-pointer. She turned in nine points, while tallying a team-best six boards and three assists against Iowa State. In the win over Creighton, she added five points, four rebounds and three assists. Theuninck averaged 24.5 minutes and 4.8 points per game last season.

Sydney Stapleton recorded four points, three assists, and two steals against Iowa State. At Montana State, she tallied six points. The Blaine, Minn. native added four points to the Jackrabbits efforts against Creighton. She averaged 17.1 minutes and 5.5 points per game off the bench a season ago.

The duo of Kallie Theisen and Tori Nelson return for their sophomore seasons.

Nelson has started all nine contests for the Jackrabbits and ranks fourth on the team with 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The sophomore paced the squad with 18 points to lead the Jackrabbits to a home victory over UNI. She tallied a season-high 18 points against Drake. Nelson recorded 12 points against Iowa State and eight in the win over Creighton. Additionally, against Gonzaga she posted nine points, three rebounds and three assists. She recorded nine points and dished three assists at Kansas State. Nelson tired a career-best three steals at UNI. At home against UNI, Nelson paced the team with 18 points and a career-best three blocks. The reigning Summit League Freshman of the Year, averaged 22.7 minutes per game and tallied 19 starting assignments last season.

Theisen appeared in 14 games and averaged 15.9 minutes before suffering a season ending injury last season.

Regan Nesheim has made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut. After redshirting last season, she made her first collegiate appearance at UNI where she recorded a steal in the two minutes she played. In the wins over Drake and Missouri State she recorded five points in each contest. At Montana State she played 30 minutes and turned in a solid defensive performance with eight rebounds and two blocks. Nesheim tied her career bests of eight rebounds and five points in the rematch against UNI.

Addison Hirschman and Lauren Rongisch have played in three contests this season, while Jordan Ferrand has appeared in five.

A trio of freshmen in Emily Herzberg, Madysen Vlastuin and Mesa Byom will round out the 2020-21 roster. Vlastuin and Byom are averaging 13 and 7.6 minutes per game, respectively. In the home victory over Creighton, Byom sank her first collegiate 3-pointer, while Vlastuin made one against Gonzaga. Additionally, Byom recorded two blocks against Drake and four points at Missouri State. Herzberg has appeared in three contests

State is outscoring its opponents 69-63.3 and holds them to 37.8 percent shooting, including 27.3 percent from long distance.

Scouting Western Illinois
Western Illinois is 2-8 overall and 1-1 in Summit League play. The Leathernecks opened league action last weekend splitting its series with North Dakota State, defeating the Bison in the first matchup, 77-65, before falling 93-60 the next day.

Senior Grace Gilmore paces the team with 10.9 points and 3.1 assists per game. In the series against North Dakota State, she recorded 14 and 15 points, respectively. In the season opener against Wisconsin she turned in a season-high 19 points while adding four assists and three steals.

Evan Zars is averaging 10.7 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game. She has tallied three double-doubles on the season and pulled down as many as 17 rebounds in WIU's season opener. She leads the squad with 19 blocks. Elizabeth Lutz paces the team with 21 steals.

Danni Nichols is also averaging double figures with 10.6 points per game. She adds 12 steals and has registered one double-double.

As a team, Western Illinois is being outscored by its opponents, 77.7-65.1. The Leathernecks are shooting 37.2 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from long distance.

JD Gravina is in his 10th season at the helm of the Leathernecks with a 150-137 record.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's basketball concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule with its fourth straight victory in a 74-63 win over Northern Iowa Wednesday afternoon.

The Jacks, now 7-2, shot 43.9 percent from the field, outscored UNI 38-20 in the paint and scored 20 points off turnovers.

"Well that was an important win for us to finish off our non-conference schedule," head coach Aaron Johnson said. "I feel really good about today's game. I feel really good about our first nine games of the season. We played really good competition, I thought. To go 7-2 was really impressive for our team. I'm just really proud of them. I really like the effort they put into the entire non-conference schedule."

Individually, Tori Nelson finished with 18 points while Myah Selland followed with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. Tylee Irwin and Paiton Burckhard each scored 12 points and combined for 10 rebounds. Lindsey Theuninck finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a team-best five assists. Regan Nesheim came off the bench, scoring five points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

The Jacks and Panthers exchanged punches early on with the scoring margin staying within three points in the first 5:39. Irwin's 3-pointer at the 5:03 mark started a 10-0 run for the Jacks, putting State ahead 19-12 with 58 seconds to play in the first. Two UNI baskets ended the quarter with the Jacks holding a 19-16 lead.

After the Jacks outscored UNI 5-2 to start the second, the Panthers continued to keep things close while the Jackrabbit offense struggled to get the ball in the hoop. Theuninck's and-one at the 2:54 mark broke a four minute scoring drought and gave the Jacks a 29-21 lead. A Panther 3-pointer with 35 seconds left closed the half with the Jacks in front 31-26.

Opening the second half with seven unanswered points as part of a 9-2 run, the Jacks created separation as they watched their lead grow to 12 at the 7:06 mark with a balanced offensive attack. Six more unanswered Jackrabbit points stretched the lead to 51-33 with 3:32 to play in the third. A Burckhard steal led to a Nelson transition layup to close the quarter with the Jacks in front 57-38.

Despite scoring just three points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Jacks were able to maintain a comfortable lead. A 9-2 run brought the Panthers within 12 at the 1:20 mark, and one final 5-0 UNI run in the final 32 seconds cut the Jackrabbit lead to 11. That was as close as the Panthers would get, leading to the third straight Jackrabbit win.

"Today, it was great to see that first group really play well consistently," Johnston said. "Myah's really good and makes a lot of plays, but having five people in double figures says a lot about the team that we have. Tylee and Lindsey had really good minutes today. Tori, I thought, had her best, most consistent game of the year. She really was assertive offensively and did a lot of good things defensively, too. Paiton continues to get a lot done down there, so that first group was really good today."

Opponent's Last Time Out
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois (2-8, 1-1) and North Dakota State (6-2, 1-1) split the opening Summit League season series as the Bison won 60-93 on Sunday (Jan. 3).

The win for NDSU marked just the third victory ever inside Western Hall and the first since 2014. Danni Nichols (13) and Grace Gilmore (15) finished in double figures in back-to-back games. Evan Zars tied her career-high with five blocks and added nine points.

In the second game of the series, it was NDSU this time that got off to a quick start. The Bison shot 60 percent (9-15) from the field and closed on a 9-0 run to lead 23-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Gilmore and Nichols helped pace the offense in the second quarter as they combined for 13 of WIU's 17 points. They brought the game back to single digits (38-29), but a buzzer-beater three pushed North Dakota State ahead 41-29 into half.

The visitors opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run to eventually take a 19 point lead (48-29) at the 8:30 mark. Freshman Mallory McDermott brought the deficit to 11 (56-45) at 2:05 with a corner three, but another Bison run to start the fourth quarter helped secure the series split.

Western Illinois heads to South Dakota State on Friday (Jan. 8) and Saturday (Jan. 9), both games are set for 5 p.m. and will serve as the league opener for the Jackrabbits. --goleathernecks.com

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 27-2 all-time against Western Illinois
Give head coach Aaron Johnston his 500th career win, all of which have come at South Dakota State

A Loss Would...

Improve WIU to 3-26 all-time against the Jackrabbits and capture is first win all-time in Brookings

In the Polls
South Dakota State has been at least receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY/Coaches Poll all season.

On Dec. 7 after beating then 15th-ranked Iowa State and then-No. 18 Gonzaga, the Jackrabbits entered the AP Poll for the first time in 11 years at No. 22. Additionally, State was tabbed No. 21 in the Coaches Poll that week. The squad has since fallen out of the AP Poll but continues to receive votes.

The Jackrabbits ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll on Dec. 22 and 29. They are currently receiving 55 votes in the most recent poll.

Preseason Recognition
Paiton Burckhard and Myah Selland were named to the All-Summit League Preseason First Team, while Tylee Irwin and Tori Nelson earned All-Summit League Preseason Second Team accolades.

2020-21 Summit League Preseason Poll

Rk	Team	Votes (1st)
1	South Dakota	587 (25)
2	South Dakota State	566 (11)
3	Western Illinois	389
4	Oral Roberts	376
5	North Dakota State	371
6	Kansas City	323
7	Denver	300
8	North Dakota	203
9	Omaha	124

Against Ranked Opponents

South Dakota State is 13-32 vs. ranked foes since 2006-07. It is 8-5 in Frost Arena, 3-14 on the road and 1-10 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.
South Dakota State defeated No. 21/20-ranked USF, 61-50, fell to No. 3 Oregon (95-56) and a ranked South Dakota on three occasions last season
Most recently, the Jackrabbits defeated then-No. 15/18 Iowa State (76-69) and then-No. 18 Gonzaga (75-72, OT) at Frost Arena. Additionally, State captured its third win over a ranked opponent during the 2020-21 season at then-No. 20 Missouri.

2019-20 Postseason Awards

Two returning Jackrabbits earned Summit League postseason awards.
Paiton Burckhard picked up first-team accolades.
Tori Nelson was named Summit League Freshman of the year and received All-Newcomer Team selections.

-GoJacks.com-