BALANCED JACKRABBITS DOWN COYOTES, 64-45

Friday, February 5

Brookings, S.D.

5 p.m.

South Dakota State University

14-2,7-0Summit League

South Dakota

10-4,6-1Summit League

South Dakota

South Dakota St.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

2/5/2021 8:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

No. 23 South Dakota State women's basketball won its 11 consecutive game with a 64-45 victory over in-state rival South Dakota Friday evening.

The Jackrabbits improved to 14-2 overall and 7-0 in league play, while the Coyotes fell to 10-4, 6-1 Summit League. As a team, SDSU shot 43.5 percent from the field, made eight 3-pointers and dished 15 assists.

Defensively, the Jacks held South Dakota to a 2-of-20 shooting performance from beyond the arc, with both 3s coming in the first half.

Myah Selland scored a team-best 17 points, along with nine assists and five rebounds. Tylee Irwin finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Sydney Stapleton's 11 points and Madysen Vlastuin's eight contributed to a 23-point bench performance. Paiton Burckhard added seven points and five rebounds and Haley Greer recorded five rebounds and three assists.

"Really good win for us," head coach Aaron Johnston said. "I thought we executed our plan offensively and defensively very well. They're a really good offensive team. I thought we did a good job on some of their really key players. Anytime you have that kind of defensive performance, certainly there is some credit on our side, but they also probably missed some shots that I'm sure they feel like they can make next time, so we'll try to work on that a little bit."

After consecutive Selland jumpers gave the Jacks an early 4-0 lead, South Dakota scored five unanswered to take a 5-4 edge at the 6:42 mark. A 10-2 Jackrabbit run, featuring two Vlastuin 3s, put the Jacks up 14-7 with 2:12 remaining in the first. A pair of Coyote jumpers and a Selland free throw ended the first quarter with the Jacks leading 15-11.

After a quiet start to the second quarter, the Coyotes cut the Jackrabbit lead to 20-18 with 7:27 remaining in the half. The Jacks then caught fire, scoring 10 unanswered to take its largest lead of the half (30-18) at the 3:02 mark. South Dakota closed the quarter on a 6-2 run, but the Jacks held a 33-24 lead at the break. SDSU made six three-pointers, including three by Stapleton in the first half.

Irwin continued the hot shooting from beyond the arc on the first play of the second half, putting the Jacks up 36-24. But then the Jacks went cold, making just one of their next eight shots as South Dakota trimmed the State lead to 40-31 at the 4:26 mark. A 14-2 run by the Jacks, featuring nine made free throws, stretched the Jackrabbit lead to 54-33 heading into the final frame.

Irwin scored the first four Jackrabbit points of the quarter as the Jacks held a 23-point lead. Consecutive layups by South Dakota brought the Coyotes within 19, but that was as close as they would get. The two teams exchanged baskets the rest of the way as the Jacks sealed a 64-45 win.

"USD rebounded really well," Johnston said. "We'll have to do a better job of keeping them off the glass but all in all, I thought our defensive plan was really good. I thought our team execution was really good. That part of it was done very well by our players. Great start in the first half for our bench, fantastic effort for them. Then the second half, you saw some of those key players, Myah, Tylee, people like that really stepping up and making some plays. Good win for us and now it's time to kind of turn the page and start moving on to the next one."

Game Notes

South Dakota State holds a 60-33 advantage in the all-time series
Tonight's 19-point win was the largest margin of victory over South Dakota since Feb. 2, 2014 when the Jacks won 88-69.
Stapleton's 11 points and three made 3-pointers are both season highs.
Vlastuin extended her streak of seven consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
Selland's nine assists marks a season high and ties her career high.
South Dakota State's 23 bench points is a season high.

Up Next
South Dakota State hosts South Dakota once again tomorrow evening. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside Frost Arena.

-GoJacks.com-