JACKS FACE BISON IN FINAL SUMMIT ROAD SERIES

Friday, February 19

Fargo, N.D.

5 p.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Jason Salzman

2/18/2021 9:20:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Games 20 & 21 | No. 23/25 South Dakota State (17-2, 10-0) at North Dakota State (14-4, 9-3)

When	Friday, Feb. 19 & Saturday, Feb. 21 \| 5 p.m.
Where	Scheels Center \| Fargo, N.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network Friday - WNAX 104.1 FM \| Saturday - WNAX 570 AM \| Brad Peterson
Television / Live Video	Friday - Midco Sports Network \| ESPN3 \| Jody Norstedt & Freddy Coleman Saturday - Midco Sports Network \| ESPN3 \| Jody Norstedt & Greg Stemen
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

No. 23/25 South Dakota State women's basketball heads north to face North Dakota State Feb. 19-20 for its final two road games of the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. both nights inside the Scheels Center.

The Jackrabbits, now 17-2 overall and 10-0 in Summit League action, sit at the top of the Summit League standings after sweeping Oral Roberts on the road to remain undefeated in conference play and extend its winning streak to 14 games.

North Dakota State is coming off a bye week and enters the weekend 14-4 overall and 9-3 in conference play. The Bison have won three consecutive games with their last win coming in a 78-63 victory at home against Oral Roberts Feb. 6.

SDSU is 54-39 all-time against North Dakota State with 10 consecutive wins over the Bison. The Jacks defeated the Bison 76-56 last season in the Summit League tournament semifinals, in addition to winning both regular season games.

About South Dakota State
South Dakota State is outscoring its opponents 71.1-59.9 and holds them to 37.9 percent shooting, including 27.2 percent from long distance. Among the 336 Division I programs, the Jackrabbits rank 15th in free throws made with 286. Additionally, their 14-game winning streak ranks sixth and 89.5 winning percentage is tied for 13th nationally.

Myah Selland leads the team with 19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. The Letcher, S.D. native is shooting 52.2 percent from the field, including 33.9 percent from beyond the arc. She is the Summit League leader in points (374), points per game (19.7), and field goals made (131). 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. 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 27 points and 12 rebounds. On Jan. 9, she registered her fifth double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and a career-best 29 points against Western Illinois. In the first game at Omaha, Selland led all scorers with 20 points. Her 10th point in the contest marked her 1,000th career point as she became the 38th Jackrabbit all-time to reach the milestone and currently ranks 32nd on the list. On Jan. 22 against North Dakota, she tallied 19 points on a 63.6 percent shooting performance. Selland led all scorers in both wins over the Coyotes with 17 and 26 points, respectively. In the first game against USD, she also tied a career-best nine assists. Selland dropped a career-high 30 points against Oral Roberts Feb. 14, along with recording eight rebounds and six assists. She has scored 15-plus points in all 19 contests. Additionally, she has recorded five double-doubles this season and seven in her career.

Paiton Burckhard is averaging 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, while playing 28.6 minutes per game. She is shooting 83.6 percent from the free throw line, sinking 46 of her 55 attempts. 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 18 points at and eight rebounds at UNI. Burckhard posted 13 points and five rebounds in the win at Missouri State. Against Montana State, she tallied 14 points and seven rebounds. In the pair of contests against Western Illinois, Burckhard posted back-to-back double-figure contests as she tallied 13 and 10 points, respectively. She tallied 12 points in each of the games at Omaha. In the second game against North Dakota she registered a double-double with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. In the second win over South Dakota, she tallied a season-high 22 points and sank a career-best four 3-pointers. Burckhard has scored in double figures in 14 games this season. She has registered one double-double this season and four 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 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, while adding 14 blocks and 18 steals. As the team's lone senior, Irwin is shooting 89.6 percent from the free throw line. 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. Against Western Illinois, Irwin tallied 12 and 16 points in the pair of contests, respectively. On Jan. 22 against North Dakota, she led all scorers with 20 points. She recorded 12 points in each of the wins over USD. In the first contest she led the team on the boards with seven rebounds. Irwin recorded a season-best three steals against Oral Roberts Feb. 13. Irwin earned a spot on the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team for the second consecutive season.

Lindsey Theuninck has started all 19 contests for the Jackrabbits this season, while averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 assists per game. The redshirt junior pulled down a career-best eight rebounds against North Dakota. Theuninck 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.

Haley Greer is averaging 5.1 points and 2.6 assists 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.

Sydney Stapleton recorded four points, three assists, and two steals against Iowa State. The Blaine, Minn. native added four points to the Jackrabbits efforts against Creighton. At Montana State, she tallied six points. Stapleton posted three points in a contest against both Western Illinois and Omaha. She tallied a season-best 11 points against USD as she went 3-of-3 from long distance. Stapleton hit three 3-pointers for the second time Feb. 13 to make up for her nine points. 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 19 contests for the Jackrabbits and ranks fourth on the team with 9.5 points per game and fourth in rebounds with 4.2 per contest. In round two at Omaha, she tallied 12 points. In the pair of contests against Western Illinois, she posted back-to-back double-figure contests as she tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. 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. She returned to play for the first time in 397 days on Jan. 22 against North Dakota. She pulled down five and two rebounds, respectively, in the pair of games against the Coyotes. Last weekend, Theisen recorded a total nine rebounds in the two wins.

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 six contests this season, while Jordan Ferrand has appeared seven.

A trio of freshmen in Emily Herzberg, Madysen Vlastuin and Mesa Byom will round out the 2020-21 roster. Vlastuin and Byom have boosted the Jackrabbit bench, averaging 13.2 and 7.1 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 six points at Omaha. Vlastuin made nine points at Omaha as she sank three 3-pointers. Vlastuin scored a career-high 10 points against Oral Roberts Feb. 13. The Lennox native has made at least one 3-pointer in eight contests. Herzberg has appeared in six contests.

Selland Honored
Myah Selland was one of 10 women to be named a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats.

Selland has been named the Summit League Player of the Week six times (Dec. 7, 21 and 28, Jan. 11, Feb. 8 and 15) this season, which sets a program record, surpassing Macy Miller's total of five during the 2017-18 season for the most by a Jackrabbit player and is tied for second all-time in Summit League women's basketball history. She was also named the Summit League Athlete of the Month for both December and January.

The Letcher native was a Preseason All-Summit League First Team honoree for the Jacks.

Johnston Named to Naismith Watch List
ATLANTA, Ga. – South Dakota State women's basketball head coach Aaron Johnston is one of 15 head coaches to be named to the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.

In 21 seasons at the helm, Johnston has led the Jackrabbits to 17 20-plus win seasons, including nine straight. He ranks tied for 31st among all active Division I head coaches with 509 career wins. In 2009, Johnston was named one of four Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year finalists.

South Dakota State is ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll and No. 25 in the USA TODAY/Coaches Poll. As a team, the Jackrabbits winning percentage (89.5) ranks 13th nationally, while also ranking 15th in free throws made (286). State is 17-2 overall and lead the Summit League with a perfect 10-0 mark. Johnston has guided the Jackrabbits to three wins over top-20 teams this season, including Iowa State (then-No. 15), Gonzaga (then-No. 18) and Missouri State (then-No. 20).

The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the 10 semifinalists for the award on March 3, and the finalists will be revealed on March 18. The winner of the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year will be announced on April 3.

Major Milestones
Head coach Aaron Johnston reached his 500th career win on Friday, Jan. 8, as the Jackrabbits defeated Western Illinois, 71-61. All of Johnston's wins have come at the helm of South Dakota State. In his 21 seasons, he has led the Jackrabbits to a Division II National Championship, nine Summit League Tournament titles, six Summit League regular season titles, and 13 postseason appearances, including nine NCAA Tournament berths. Johnston is South Dakota State's and the Summit League's all-time winningest women's basketball coach with a record of 509-168.

Myah Selland became the 38th Jackrabbit to join the 1,000 point club with her 10th point of the game on Jan. 15 at Omaha. She currently has 1,150 career points, ranking 32nd all-time. Two other Jackrabbits are approaching 1,000 point milestones. Tylee Irwin and Paiton Burckhard are at 947 and 888 points, respectively.

Scouting North Dakota State
North Dakota State currently sits in third place in the Summit League standings with a 14-4 overall record and 9-3 in conference play. The Bison are 9-1 at the Scheels Center and have won three consecutive games coming into their two contests vs. South Dakota State.

After an 11-19 finish, which included a 7-9 conference record in the 2019-20 season, North Dakota State won five of its first six games in 2020-21. After a loss to open league play against Western Illinois, the Bison won their next five games.

Leading the Bison is Heaven Hamling, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin State, who is averaging 12.1 points per game. Hamling ranks fifth in the Summit League in 3-pointers made with 34. Emily Dietz is averaging 10.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Ryan Cobbins rounds out the double digit scorers with 10.2 points per game. Cobbins also averages 6.1 rebounds a game.

NDSU has the third-best defense in the Summit League, holding opponents to 62.6 points per game.

Head coach Jory Collins is in his second season leading the Bison, posting a record of 25-23 overall and 16-12 in the Summit League.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
TULSA, Okla. - No. 23 South Dakota State women's basketball won its 14th consecutive game Sunday afternoon, defeating Oral Roberts 73-61.

The Jackrabbits improved to 17-2 overall and 10-0 in conference play and shot 43.5 percent from the field. State outrebounded ORU 40-38 and outscored the Golden Eagles in the paint 38-24.

Individually, Myah Selland had a career day with 30 points eight rebounds and six assists. Paiton Burckhard scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished three assists. Tylee Irwin added 11 points and six rebounds. Haley Greer finished with three blocks and Kallie Theisen recorded five rebounds.

SDSU started the game strong with a 9-0 run. The spurt was a part of a larger 16-6 run in the first five minutes of action. The 3-pointers kept falling for Oral Roberts as the Golden Eagles hit four shots beyond the arc in the first six minutes of the quarter. SDSU never trailed in the opening frame despite being outscored 8-4 in the final 3:20 to make it a 22-20 game at the end of the first.

Both teams went back and forth in the opening four minutes of the second. Oral Roberts took its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer at the 7:22 mark to make it 25-24. Selland gave the Jacks back the lead moments later, but only to see another Golden Eagle 3-pointer to follow. State regained separation thanks to an 11-4 run to close the half with a 38-32 lead.

After Irwin started the second half with a 3-pointer, Oral Roberts scored 11 unanswered points to take a 43-41 lead. The score remained locked at 43-41 until Myah Selland's free throws broke nearly a five minute SDSU scoring drought and tied the game back up at 43-all. The two free throws launched a 10-0 run, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers by Greer and Sydney Stapleton to put the Jacks up 51-43 with just under three minutes remaining in the third. Oral Roberts cut the SDSU lead to 56-51 with a 3-pointer to end the quarter.

The squads traded baskets for a majority of the final quarter as the Golden Eagles got as close as 63-61 at the 3:06 mark, but a 10-0 Jackrabbit run closed out the game and clinched a 73-61 victory.

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 55-39 all-time against North Dakota State
Keep the Jackrabbits undefeated in Summit League play
Extend State's winning streak to 15 games

A Loss Would...

Improve NDSU to 40-54 all-time against the Jackrabbits
Snap a losing streak of 10 games against the Jacks for NDSU

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 dropped out of the polls but continued to receive votes for five consecutive weeks. State reentered the AP Top 25 at No. 25 on Jan. 25. In the most recent poll, the Jacks are ranked 23rd.

The Jackrabbits ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll on Dec. 22 and 29. They received votes for six straight weeks before reentering the poll at No. 25 on Feb. 16.

-GoJacks.com-