SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In a little over two weeks eight of our ten teams will be making their journey to Sioux Falls for the 2022 Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship. This week will be critical for some of our teams to help solidify their spot in the championship bracket.
 
This week’s schedule of league play starts Thursday with the first tip coming from the home floors of the Roos and the Leathernecks. Kansas City will host North Dakota and Western Illinois hosts South Dakota State with the start times set for 6 p.m. CT.
 
Around The Summit League (TV/Streaming) | All Game Times Central
Thursday, February 17
North Dakota at Kansas City | 6 p.m.
South Dakota State at Western Illinois | 6 p.m.
South Dakota at St. Thomas | 7 p.m.
North Dakota State at Oral Roberts | 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, February 19
South Dakota State at St. Thomas | 1 p.m.
North Dakota State at Kansas City | 2 p.m.
South Dakota at Western Illinois (E3) | 2 p.m.
North Dakota at Oral Roberts | 2 p.m.
Omaha at Denver (A2) | 3 p.m.
 
Last Week In The League
Thursday, February 10
South Dakota 61, Omaha 35
Western Illinois 61, North Dakota State 59
North Dakota 74, St. Thomas 61
South Dakota State 79, Denver 52
 
Saturday, February 12
North Dakota State 69, St. Thomas 60
Western Illinois 85, North Dakota 73
South Dakota 81, Denver 53
South Dakota State 77, Omaha 62
Kansas City 69, Oral Roberts 63
 
Monday, February 14
Kansas City 69, St. Thomas 53
Oral Roberts 93, Western Illinois 74
 
Rescheduled League Games | All Game Times Central
Monday, January 10
Oral Roberts 62, Denver 53
Kansas City 73, Omaha 64
 
Monday, January 17
Oral Roberts 72, St. Thomas 44
 
Tuesday, January 18
Kansas City 77, Denver 68
 
Monday, January 31
Kansas City 74, Western Illinois 66
 
Monday, February 14
Kansas City 69, St. Thomas 53
Oral Roberts 93, Western Illinois 74
 
Things to Watch

• Preseason Player of the Year Myah Selland was named to the watch list for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
• She currently is averaging 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game so far this season. She is also shooting 50 percent from the field and 86 percent from behind the free-throw line.
• South Dakota's Chloe Lamb and Western Illinois' Danni Nichols were named to the midseason watch list for the 2021-22 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats following impressive starts to the 2021-22 season.
• Lamb is averaging 15.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game so far this season.
• Nichols is currently averaging a team-leading 17.3 points per game, shooting 53 percent from the field and over 67 percent from behind the charity stripe. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds and over two assists per contest.

30-Plus Point Club

• On Nov. 20, Kacie Borowicz had a record-breaking showing to help North Dakota to an 89-85 win over Montana State. Borowicz went a perfect 20-for-20 from the free throw line which beats the prior UND single-game record for most free throws made in a game set back in 1990. She finished the game with a game-high 33 points.
• Denver's Anna Jackson sunk 10 threes and scored a Denver women's basketball Division I school-record 36 points to lead the Pioneers to an 87-65 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Nov. 26.
• On Nov. 27, South Dakota defeated the ACC's Pitt with the help of Chloe Lamb's career-high 30 points. She went 12-for-23 from the field with 10 of her career-high points coming in overtime.
• Omaha picked up its first victory of the season defeating UIC 70-58. Elena Pilakouta led the scoring effort finishing with a career-high 32 points on 14-for-18 shooting from the floor and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe.
• Kansas City defeated UT Arlington on Nov. 28 with the help of Naomie Alnatas' 38-point, seven assists performance. She went 12-for-19 from the field, including 6-for-7 from three-point range, for her second career 35-plus point game.
• On Dec. 4, Hannah Sjerven scored a career-high 35 points to lead the Coyotes to a 71-59 victory over Wichita State. She had equaled her season-high by halftime, then added on 10 second-half points to tally a career-best 35. She knocked down 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) from the floor and went 12-for-15 from the charity stripe.
• Against North Dakota State on Jan. 6, Denver's Uju Ezeudu finished a point shy of her career-high with 31 points on 13-for-20 shooting. She also notched eight rebounds, a block and a steal in a season-high 34 minutes.
• Deja Vu for Borowicz on Jan. 13 as she notched a season-high-tying 33 points in North Dakota’s 76-65 win over Western Illinois. She also secured five rebounds, dished out four assists and snatched a pair of steals in the victory.
• In St. Thomas' 73-62 victory over North Dakota State, Erin Norling contributed 34 of the Tommies' 73 points in the win. She went 6-for-9 from deep to go along with four rebounds, two assists and a block.
• South Dakota's Sjerven dropped her third career 30-plus point game against the Fighting Hawks on Jan. 29. She secured 30 points on 13-for-19 shooting from the field, including a career-best three triples.
• Kansas City's Alnatas notched her second 30-plus point game of this season in the Roos' 62-57 win over St. Thomas on Feb. 3. She finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Top 25 National Rankings

• South Dakota and South Dakota State are receiving votes in this week's USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. It is the third time this season that the Coyotes have received votes and the first for the Jackrabbits.
• The league saw three teams make their way into the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the second-consecutive week. South Dakota remained at No. 7, South Dakota State bumped up to No. 9 and Kansas City jumped up to No. 22.
• Prior to this season, the last time three teams were ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll was on Jan. 19, 2021 when South Dakota State (2), South Dakota (5) and North Dakota State (22) all made an appearance within the top 25.

Among the NCAA's Top 25
Team
Assist-Turnover Ratio
(8) South Dakota | 1.30
(14) South Dakota State | 1.25
Assists
(14) South Dakota State | 416
Assists Per Game
(20) South Dakota State | 16.6
Blocked Shots
(8) Denver | 139
Blocked Shots Per Game
(15) Denver | 5.3
Fewest Turnovers
(14) South Dakota | 276
Field-Goal Percentage
(2) South Dakota State | 47.8
Free Throw Attempts
(6) Oral Roberts | 510
(21) Western Illinois | 484
Free Throws Made
(8) Oral Roberts | 367
(24) North Dakota | 343
Free-Throw Percentage
(10) North Dakota | 78.5
(15) Denver | 77.3
Rebounding Margin
(23) Kansas City | 8.0
Rebounds
(16) North Dakota | 1,027
Scoring Defense
(13) South Dakota | 53.8
Scoring Margin
(18) South Dakota | 14.9
(25) South Dakota State | 13.6
Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
(5) Western Illinois | 680
(10) Denver | 653
Three-Point Field Goals Made
(6) Western Illinois | 231
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
(11) Western Illinois | 9.2
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
(6) South Dakota State | 38.0
 
Individual
Assists
(17) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 134
Blocked Shots
(21) Melissa Leet, North Dakota | 53
Defensive Rebounds per Game
(25) Evan Zar, Western Illinois | 7.5
Field Goals Made
(15) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 175
Final Points
(16) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 472
(18) Uju Ezeudu, Denver | 464
Free Throw Attempts
(1) Uju Ezeudu, Denver | 197
Free Throws Made
(1) Uju Ezeudu, Denver | 154
(9) Kacie Borowicz, North Dakota | 117
Free-Throw Percentage
(2) Kacie Borowicz, North Dakota | 96.7
Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
(20) Meghan Boyd, Denver | 172
(20) Anna Jackson, Denver | 172
Triple Doubles
(6) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 1
 
*As of 2/15/22
 
TEAM TRACKER
NOTING THE PIONEERS

• Denver fell to 3-12 in league play after suffering two road losses to South Dakota State (79-52) and South Dakota (81-53).
• Uju Ezeudu paced the Pioneers against the Jackrabbits as the only Pio to finish in double figures. She finished the game with 24 points and nine rebounds.
• Her 24 points against the Jacks moved her into 12th in Denver's Division I history in points, passing 2021 graduate Claire Gritt.
• Against the Coyotes, Ezeudu and Indeya Sanders led the offensive efforts. Ezeudu once again led the Pioneers finishing with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and a block.
• Sanders chipped in 10 points of her own to pair with three assists, three boards and a block.

NOTING THE ROOS

• The Roos are riding a seven-game win streak after picking up two home wins over Oral Roberts (69-63) and St. Thomas (69-53).
• Against the Golden Eagles, the Roos put together a well-rounded performance as five finished in double-figures for scoring.
• The efforts were led by Kiara Bradley as she dropped 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Brooklyn McDavid followed Bradley with 14 points.
• Naomie Alnatas contributed 11 points, nine assists, a pair of steals, and a rebound in the win while Paige Bradford and Sanaa' St. Andre chipped in 10 of their own points.
• Against the Tommies, Bradford posted a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the year.
• Alnatas finished with 12 points, six assists, three steals and a rebound.
• McDavid rounded out the double-figure scorers against the Tommies contributing 11 points, four rebounds and a steal.

NOTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS

• North Dakota moved to 9-6 in league play after splitting its two home games last week. The Fighting Hawks defeated St. Thomas (74-61) but fell to Western Illinois (85-73).
• In North Dakota's win over St. Thomas four Fighting Hawks finished in double-figures led by Claire Orth's new single-game career-high of 23 points and seven rebounds.
• Kacie Borowicz followed Orth finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal. DJ Davis chipped in 13 points, three rebounds and an assist.
• Olivia Lane rounded out the double-figure scorers in the victory. She notched a double-double of 12 points and ten rebounds to go along with two blocks.
• In the loss to the Leathernecks, Borowicz and Lane paced the scoring efforts. Borowicz notched a game-high 28 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
• Lane finished with her second consecutive double-double tallying 24 points and securing 17 rebounds.

NOTING THE BISON

• The Bison moved to 6-9 in league play after splitting two home games. The Bison lost to the Leathernecks (61-59) but bounced back and defeated the Tommies (69-60).
• Three finished in double-figures in the loss, led by Reneya Hopkins who notched 13 points to go along with three assists and a pair of steals.
• Abby Schultes tied a season-high 12 points while Emily Dietz chipped in 10 points of her own. Defensively, Heaven Hamling pulled down a game-high and career-best 11 rebounds to go with seven points.
• Hopkins carried that momentum into the game against the Tommies as she finished with a career-best 18 points. She was 5-for-5 from the free throw line and 3-for-4 from behind the three-point line.
• Ryan Cobbins wasn't far behind Hopkins as she notched 15 points while Dietz added 12 points and four rebounds.
• Hamling rounded out the double-digit scorers against St. Thomas finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five assists.

NOTING THE MAVERICKS

• Omaha is now 2-13 in league play after suffering two road losses to South Dakota (61-35) and South Dakota State (77-62).
• Against the Coyotes, Mariah Murdie led the Mavericks finishing with eight points and two blocks.
• Kennedi Grant finished with six points of her own while Alexis Pratt pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
• In the loss to the Jackrabbits, Natalie Bartle and Grant reached double figures to pace the Mavericks. Each finished with 11 points apiece. Bartle added a team-best six rebounds, two assists and a steal to her stat line.
• Grant finished with a pair of assists and two steals.
• As a squad, the scoring efforts were equally distributed as six different Mavericks finished with at least seven points.

NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES

• The Golden Eagles are currently 8-6 in league play after losing to Kansas City (69-63) but defeating Western Illinois (93-74).
• Three Golden Eagles paced the offensive efforts against the Roos behind Tirzah Moore's team-best 18 points. She also finished with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
• Keni Jo Lippe contributed 15 points of her own as well as pulled down a team-best eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Kate Scott rounded out the double-figure scoring effort as she chipped in ten points.
• Four players notched double figures in the victory over the Leathernecks. Moore led all players scoring 25 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field.
• Delaney Nix and Regan Schumacher chipped in 16 points apiece, while Scott added with 14.

NOTING THE TOMMIES

• St. Thomas moved to 3-11 in league play after suffering three road losses last week. The Tommies fell to North Dakota (74-61), North Dakota State (69-60) and Kansas City (69-53).
• Against North Dakota, Erin Norling led the offensive effort finishing with a team-high 22 points, three rebounds, an assist, and a block. Hill followed with 11 points, four assists and a rebound.
• In the loss to North Dakota State, seven different Tommies made their way into the scoring column with Hill leading the team as the only double-figure scorer with 19 points.
• Norling led the scoring efforts against the Roos finishing with 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Hill added nine points and a team-high four assists while Maggie Negaard pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.

NOTING THE COYOTES

• South Dakota holds a 13-1 league record after picking up home wins over Omaha (61-35) and Denver (81-53).
• The Coyotes' victory over the Mavericks marks the fifth time this season that USD has held its opponent under 40 points.
• Chloe Lamb was the only Coyote to reach double-figures finishing with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting. She also recorded five assists and two steals in the win.
• Against the Pioneers, four Coyotes reached double-figures led by Hannah Sjerven's 15 points and 12 rebounds. She was 7-for-12 from the field while tallying three steals and two blocks.
• Grace Larkin tied a career-high with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
• Lamb and Liv Korngable rounded out the double-figure scorers. Lamb recorded 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting with three steals. Korngable chipped in 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.

NOTING THE JACKRABBITS

• South Dakota State moved to 13-1 in league play after picking up home wins over Denver (79-52) and Omaha (77-62).
• In the win over the Pioneers, Myah Selland posted a season-high 25 points to lead all players. She was 10-for-13 from the field and recorded six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
• Tori Nelson and Paige Meyer were the only other Jacks to join Selland in double figures finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
• Against the Mavericks, Paiton Burckhard and Meyer paced the Jacks with 16 points apiece. Meyer's points came on 6-for-8 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc.
• Selland followed with 13 points of her own to go along with nine rebounds, eight assists and three blocks.

NOTING THE LEATHERNECKS

• Western Illinois moved to 5-9 in league play after picking up wins over North Dakota State (61-59) and North Dakota (85-73) but falling to Oral Roberts (93-74).
• Four Leathernecks reached double-digits against the Bison. Evan Zars finished with a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds to pace WIU.
• Elizabeth Lutz and Danni Nichols contributed 12 points while Jada Thorpe finished with 10 of her own points.
• It was another well-rounded effort against the Fighting Hawks as five finished in double-digits for Western Illinois. Thorpe paced the efforts with a team-best 19 points.
• Lutz just missed a triple-double as she finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Zars notched a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
• Nichols and Kennedy Flanagan rounded out the double-figure scorers against UND finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.