SOUTH DAKOTA STATE WINS WNIT CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, April 2

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

29-9,17-1Summit League

Seton Hall

24-13,12-8Big East

Seton Hall

South Dakota St.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/2/2022 10:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Very few teams have the opportunity to end its season with a championship game victory on home court in April. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are one of them.

Behind five players in double figures, including double-double performances from Kallie Theisen and WNIT MVP Myah Selland, the Jackrabbits came out on top of a lopsided 82-50 WNIT championship game Sunday afternoon at Frost Arena. This is the first WNIT championship in program history.

The Jackrabbits needed just nine minutes to open up a 20-point lead over the Pirates and never looked back, setting a new WNIT record with a 32-point championship game win. A 21-1 run in the first quarter, sparked by five straight points for Selland, set the tone for SDSU's dominant afternoon. SDSU led 25-7 after 10 minutes, 40-18 at halftime and 62-31 at the end of the third period. The Jackrabbits went up by as many as 37 during the final 10 minutes,

The final box score reflected what SDSU has done all season - put up balanced scoring totals and share the basketball. Theisen led all players with 16 points and 11 rebounds, an outstanding effort off the bench that included six offensive boards and 11 second chance points. She also notched three assists on the afternoon. Selland had 12 points and matched Theisen's 11 rebounds while dishing out a team-high five helpers.

Haleigh Timmer, who joined Selland on the WNIT all-tournament team, had 14 points. Paiton Burckhard chipped in 12 and Tori Nelson added 11. Nelson gave out four assists and Tylee Irwin had three.

South Dakota State dominated the boards, tallying a season-high 57 rebounds. Seventeen Jackrabbit rebounds were on the offensive end, resulting in a 20-6 advantage in second chance points.

Seniors Irwin, Addison Hirschman, Haley Greer and Lauren Rongisch spent one last minute on the floor together in their final game as Jackrabbits before being subbed out to a standing ovation from the crowd of 5,263 fans.

The Jackrabbits end the year 29-9, an incredible turnaround from the 4-7 record SDSU held following the nonconference season. State has won 26 of its last 28 games and has an active 16-game win streak at Frost Arena.

NOTES

Tylee Irwin ends her career as a Jackrabbit with 1,379 career points, good for 18th on SDSU's all-time scoring list.
Two SDSU players had double-doubles for the first time since 2017.

-GoJacks.com-