South Dakota downs Omaha to advance to the semifinals

South Dakota downs Omaha to advance to the semifinals

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South Dakota downs Omaha to advance to the semifinals

Press Conferences: South Dakota Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit | South Dakota Players | Omaha Head Coach Brittany Lange | Omaha Players

The Basics
Score: No. 1 (17/12) South Dakota 99, No. 8 Omaha 40
 Records: South Dakota (28-2), Omaha (7-23)
 Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Top-seeded South Dakota pulled away early and cruised to a 99-40 win over No. 8 seed Omaha on Saturday in The Summit League Championships opener.

The teams traded buckets on their first possessions, but the No. 17/12 ranked Coyotes scored the next seven points to take an early 9-2 lead just over two minutes into the contest. Up 16-6 midway through the first quarter, the Coyotes ended the frame on a 12-0 run, a stretch that hit 15-0 and resulted in a 34-9 USD lead early in the second quarter.

South Dakota added an 11-0 run early in the second and tacked on a 10-0 run at the end of the half before taking a 64-18 lead into halftime.

The lead continued to grow in the second half as the Mavericks could not find a way to chip away at their deficit.

Ciara Duffy led four Coyotes in double figures with 17 points. Monica Arens added 16, Hannah Sjerven chipped in 14 and Chloe Lamb added 11 points in the win. Sjerven also led the contest with eight rebounds.

Ella Ogier led the Mavericks with 13 points with Mariah Murdie added 10 points in the loss.

South Dakota advances to play either No. 2 seed South Dakota State or No. 7 seed North Dakota in the tournament semifinals on Monday at 12 p.m CT.

Turning Point
 Already up 16-6 midway through the first quarter, the Coyotes ended the opening frame on a 12-0 run to push their lead to 31-9 after one quarter of play.

Inside the Box Score

  • USD's 59-point margin of victory marks the most against a Division I opponent this season. The Coyotes beat NAIA Mount Marty, 110-39 (71 points) on Nov. 30.
  • USD's 99 points scored marks the fifth-most in tournament history.
  • South Dakota shot 50.7% for the game, 34-for-67, including a 13-for-23 effort, 56.5%, from 3-point range.
  • The Coyotes went on three double-figure runs in the game, all in the first half (15-0, 11-0 and 10-0).
  • 11 of the 12 Coyotes who played in the game scored.

News & Notes

  • South Dakota improves to 7-1 all-time in the quarterfinals, 7-3 as the top seed and 14-6 in the tournament overall.
  • Omaha falls to an even 2-2 all-time in the quarterfinals, 0-1 as a No. 8 seed and 2-4 all-time in the tournament.
  • South Dakota won each of its last 17 games, with its last loss coming on Dec. 22, 2019, 73-60 at No. 5/6 South Carolina.
  • Omaha's last win in the tournament came in 2017, a 64-58 win over the USD, which also marks the Coyotes' only quarterfinal loss in eight tournaments.
  • USD's Ciara Duffy started her 90th consecutive game, scored in double figures for the 95th time in her career, the 29th time this season and in each of the last 19 games.

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