JACKS FACE ROOS IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

Games 22 & 23 | South Dakota State (19-2, 12-0) vs. Kansas City (10-9, 7-6)

When	Friday, Feb. 26 & Saturday, Feb. 27 \| 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	Friday - Midco Sports Network \| ESPN3 \| Tom Nieman & Jay Elsen Saturday - GoJacks.com/Watch
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Kansas City
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

No. 22/24 South Dakota State women's basketball wraps up the regular season at home against Kansas City Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. Tipoff both nights is set for 5 p.m. inside Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits, now 19-2 overall and 12-0 in Summit League action, sit at the top of the Summit League standings after sweeping North Dakota State on the road to remain undefeated in conference play and extend its winning streak to 16 games.

With the win over North Dakota State Feb. 20, the Jacks clinched at least a share of the Summit League regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the Summit League Tournament. With one win this weekend, the Jackrabbits will be crowned the outright champions.

In its first year back in the Summit League, Kansas City enters the weekend series 10-9 overall and 7-6 in conference play. The Roos have won four of their past six games. Last weekend, Kansas City split with Denver, losing the first game 55-63 but bouncing back to win 85-69 Feb. 20.

The Jacks lead the all-time series vs. Kansas City 13-1. The last meeting between the two programs resulted in a 62-61 Jackrabbit win Feb. 2, 2013 in Kansas City.

About South Dakota State
State is outscoring its opponents 71.7-60.8 and holds them to 38.3 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from long distance. Nationally, the Jackrabbits rank tied for sixth in free throws made with 327. Additionally, their 90.5 winning percentage is tied for seventh nationally. SDSU's 16 game winning streak is currently the fifth longest streak among 336 active Division I programs. The Jacks eight-game road winning streak also ranks fifth nationally, while its 11-game home streak ranks 15th.

Myah Selland leads the team with 19.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. The Letcher, S.D. native is shooting 51.5 percent from the field, including 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. She is the Summit League leader in points, points per game, and field goals made. 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 5.7 rebounds, while playing 28.6 minutes per game. She is shooting 82.3 percent from the free throw line, sinking 51 of her 62 attempts. Burckhard is one of two Jackrabbits to start all 21 games this season. 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, Burckhard tallied a season-high 22 points and sank a career-best four 3-pointers. On Feb. 19 at North Dakota State, she registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while dishing a career-best six assists. Burckhard has scored in double figures in 15 games this season. She has registered two double-double this season and five 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 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest, while adding 17 blocks and 22 steals. As the team's lone senior, Irwin is shooting 88.9 percent from the free throw line which ranks 16th in the nation. 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. She earned Summit League Player of the Week after breaking her career high in scoring both games against NDSU. In the two games in Fargo, Irwin combined to score 56 points while making seven 3-pointers. On Feb. 20, she became the 39th Jackrabbit in program history to surpass 1,000 career points. Irwin earned a spot on the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team for the second consecutive season.

Lindsey Theuninck has started all 21 contests for the Jackrabbits this season while averaging 5 points and 2.2 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. Theuninck provided a spark for the Jacks defensively against NDSU, recording two steals Feb. 19 and three more Feb. 20.

Haley Greer is averaging 5.0 points and 2.4 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. Greer scored 14 points in two games against Oral Robers and recorded a season-high three blocks Feb. 14. 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 19 contests for the Jackrabbits and ranks fourth on the team with 9.4 points per game and fourth in rebounds with 4 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 South Dakota. Theisen recorded nine rebounds in the two wins vs. the Coyotes. Against NDSU, Theisen, who made her first-career start Feb. 20, combined for 11 rebounds and three blocks 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 and 7 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 and made a combined five 3-pointers in the weekend series against NDSU. The Lennox native has made at least one 3-pointer in 11 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, Feb. 17.

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 511-168.

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 1,160 career points, ranking 35th all-time in program history.

Nearly a month after Selland reached 1,000 career points, Tylee Irwin became the 39th player in program history to reach the 1,000 point milestone Feb. 20 after scoring a career-high 31 points at North Dakota State. Irwin currently sits at 1,003 career points, ranking tied for 38th in program history. Burckhard is the next closest Jackrabbit to 1,000 as she currently has 913 career points.

Scouting Kansas City
Kansas City currently sits in fourth place in the Summit League standings. After posting a 3-3 record in the nonconference season, Kansas City opened its conference schedule with a 71-67 overtime victory over North Dakota. After the second game of its series vs. UND was canceled, the Roos have split four of its seven series vs. Summit League opponents.

The Roos rank third in the Summit League in 3-pointers made with 171, averaging nine per contest, and rank second in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Naomie Alnatas ranks third in the Summit League in scoring average, putting up 15.9 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. Alnatas dropped 45 points against Oral Roberts back on Jan. 23, has hit a 3-pointer in 16 consecutive games and finished in double figures in 14 games this season.

Other double-digit scorers include Ravon Nero and Paige Bradford, who score 11.3 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Bradford averages 6.2 rebounds per game and Jonaie Johnson dishes 4.0 assists per contest.

Jacie Hoyt is in her fourth season leading the Roos, who went 21-10 and 13-3 in the Western Athletic Conference, good enough to win the league's regular season title. The team reached the WAC Tournament semifinals before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
TULSA, Okla. - No. 23 South Dakota State woFARGO, N.D. - No. 23/25 South Dakota State women's basketball won its 16th consecutive game and remained undefeated in conference play with a 69-60 win over North Dakota State Saturday night.

The Jackrabbits, who clinched a share of the league regular season title, are now 19-2 and 12-0 in Summit League play. The Jacks shot 47.9 percent from the field, recorded five blocks and won the steal battle, 11-2.

After scoring a career-high 25 points in last night's win, Tylee Irwin came up big once again tonight, scoring 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range and surpassing the 1,000 point mark. Irwin added three rebounds, two assists and two blocks to her statline. Paiton Burckhard scored eight of her 11 points in the second half while recording six rebounds and two steals. Madysen Vlastuin made all three of her 3-point attempts beyond the arch to total her nine points. Lindsey Theuninck and Haley Greer each scored five points, recorded three rebounds, two assists and combined for five steals.

"I thought they played incredibly hard and I thought from the beginning to the end we were incredibly focused, intense and competitive," head coach Aaron Johnston said. "Our defense tonight at times was better than we were last night at times, so I thought they adjusted very well. We had to switch some things up based on how we struggled with North Dakota State's sets yesterday, so we threw a lot at them overnight and our team just handled those things really well. We were locked in and played incredibly hard."

Irwin's career day started in the first quarter, scoring the first four Jackrabbit points and eight of the team's 13 points in the quarter. Four of her eight points came on a 6-0 Jackrabbit run to give SDSU a 13-8 lead with 1:36 to play in the first. NDSU closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 13-all.

The Bison extended their run to seven unanswered to open the quarter, but Irwin ended the spurt with a 3-pointer to put the Jacks back up (16-15) at the 8:13 mark. NDSU held a four-point lead until Mesa Byom's layup launched an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to put the Jacks up 24-20 with 5:20 remaining in the half. Irwin scored the final six Jackrabbit points, all on jump shots, to give the Jacks a 30-24 lead at halftime.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Irwin inside the six minute mark gave the Jacks their largest lead to that point at 40-31. A 5-0 run by NDSU made it a two possession game with 2:31 to play, but Vlastuin responded by hitting a 3-pointer on the next possession to put the Jacks up by seven. State and the Bison went back and forth in the final two minutes to leave the score at 48-43 at the end of the third.

Both teams combined to make just four field goals in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter but the Jacks remained in front 55-51. NDSU came as close as 57-54 with just over four minutes to play, but a 7-0 SDSU run put the Jacks up by double digits for the first time in the game. Five free throws in the final 1:08 secured a 69-60 Jackrabbit win.

"Regan (Nesheim) came back and gave us great minutes, rebounded and defended like crazy," Johnston said "We needed all 31 of (Irwin's) points today, that was fantastic for her to step up. Paiton was really good. So just a lot of people rose to that challenge after a difficult night in dealing with some of the other things that went on so I'm just really happy for the team. I thought their competitiveness was the thing I'm most proud of. Obviously getting a win yesterday, but just the way they responded to some challenges, moving people around and really getting focused for an important game here."

A Win Would...

Improve South Dakota State to 14-1 all-time against Kansas City
Keep the Jackrabbits undefeated in Summit League play
Extend State's winning streak to 18 games
Finish the regular season undefeated at home for the first time since the 2013-14 season

A Loss Would...

Improve Kansas City to 2-13 in the all-time series

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 22nd.

The Jackrabbits ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll on Dec. 22 and 29. They are currently ranked 24th and receiving 92 votes in the most recent poll.

Up Next
The Jackrabbits will prepare for The 2021 Summit League Women's Basketball Championship taking place March 6-9 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Seeding and game times will be announced at the conclusion of all Summit League games this weekend.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Paiton Burckhard

Mesa Byom

Jordan Ferrand

Haley Greer

Emily Herzberg

Addison Hirschman

Tylee Irwin

Macy Miller

Tori Nelson

Regan Nesheim

Lauren Rongisch

Myah Selland

Sydney Stapleton

Kallie Theisen

Lindsey Theuninck

Madysen Vlastuin

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South Dakota State University Athletics