SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – What a week last week was for Summit League women’s basketball. Win streaks were snapped, win streaks were extended and impressive performances were achieved.
 
Another week full of league action starts Thursday with eight of our ten teams taking the court. All four games Thursday tip-off at 7 p.m. CT.
 
Around The Summit League (TV/Streaming) | All Game Times Central
Thursday, February 10
Omaha at South Dakota (MS/E+) | 7 p.m.
Denver at South Dakota State (MS2/E+) | 7 p.m.
St. Thomas at North Dakota | 7 p.m.
Western Illinois at North Dakota State (WDAY/E+) | 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, February 12
Denver at South Dakota (MS2/E+) | 1 p.m.
St. Thomas at North Dakota State (WDAY/E+) | 1 p.m.
Western Illinois at North Dakota | 1 p.m.
Omaha at South Dakota State (MS/E+) | 2 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Kansas City | 2 p.m.
 
Monday, February 14
St. Thomas at Kansas City | 1 p.m.
Western Illinois at Oral Roberts | 4 p.m.
 
Last Week In The League
Thursday, February 3
Oral Roberts 71, Western Illinois 55
North Dakota State 69, Omaha 53
Kansas City 62, St. Thomas 57
North Dakota 73, Denver 64 (OT)
 
Saturday, February 5
North Dakota 74, Omaha 61
Oral Roberts 73, St. Thomas 67
Denver 62, North Dakota State 48
Kansas City 87, Western Illinois 85 (OT)
South Dakota State 75, South Dakota 65
 
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
St. Thomas at Kansas City | 1 p.m.
Western Illinois at Oral Roberts | 4 p.m.
 
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

• The league saw three teams make their way into the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. South Dakota moved down to No. 7, South Dakota State bumped up to No. 10 and Kansas City jumped into the rankings at No. 25.

• 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
(12) South Dakota | 1.24
(14) South Dakota State | 1.24
Assists
(16) South Dakota State | 378
Assists Per Game
(24) South Dakota State | 16.4
Blocked Shots
(4) Denver | 134
Block Shots Per Game
(12) Denver | 5.6
Field-Goal Percentage
(2) South Dakota State | 47.4
Free Throw Attempts
(4) Oral Roberts | 477
Free Throws Made
(4) Oral Roberts | 345
(21) Denver | 316
Free-Throw Percentage
(13) Kansas City | 77.7
(14) North Dakota | 77.6
(18) Denver | 77.1
Rebounding Margin
(22) Kansas City | 8.3
Rebounds
(21) North Dakota | 930
Scoring Defense
(19) South Dakota | 54.7
Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
(3) Denver | 615
(16) Western Illinois | 593
Three-Point Field Goals Made
(13) Western Illinois | 197
(25) Denver | 186
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
(18) Western Illinois | 9.0
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
(7) South Dakota State | 37.9
 
Individual
Assists
(20) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 119
Blocked Shots
(19) Melissa Leet, North Dakota | 47
(22) Makayla Minett, Denver | 46
Defensive Rebounds per Game
(24) Evan Zar, Western Illinois | 7.5
Field Goals Made
(15) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 164
Final Points
(11) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 449
(20) Uju Ezeudu, Denver | 424
Free Throw Attempts
(1) Uju Ezeudu, Denver | 182
Free Throws Made
(1) Uju Ezeudu, Denver | 140
(11) Kacie Borowicz, North Dakota | 107
Free-Throw Percentage
(2) Kacie Borowicz, North Dakota | 96.4
Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
(12) Meghan Boyd, Denver | 166
(14) Anna Jackson, Denver | 163
Three-Point Field Goals Made
(19) Anna Jackson, Denver | 57
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
(6) Naomie Alnatas, Kansas City | 46.5
 
*As of 2/8/22
 
TEAM TRACKER
NOTING THE PIONEERS

• Denver split its competition at home last week falling to North Dakota (73-64) in overtime but defeating North Dakota State (62-48).
• Three Pioneers finished with double figures in the scoring column against the Bison. Meghan Boyd paced the Pios finishing with 17 points that included a 7-for-8 performance from the charity stripe.
• Uju Ezeudu followed Boyd's lead as she chipped in 13 points of her own to go along with nine rebounds.
• Cheyenne Forney rounded out the double-figure scorers as she contributed 11 points and five rebounds.
• Defensively, Makayla Minett pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to go with six points and a career-best seven blocks. Her seven blocks are good for the third-highest in Denver's Division I history.

NOTING THE ROOS

• The Roos are riding a five-game win streak after picking up two wins last week over St. Thomas (62-57) and Western Illinois (87-85; OT).
• Against St. Thomas, Naomie Alnatas shot 55 percent from the field, dropping 30 points, while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
• In Kansas City's comeback overtime victory over Western Illinois, Alnatas notched her first career triple-double finishing with 29 points, a career-high 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
• Kiara Bradley narrowly missed a double-double with 20 points, eight rebounds and an assist.
• Paige Bradford rounded out the double-figure scorers against the Leathernecks notching her second double-double of the year. She ended with a season-high 17 points and 14 rebounds.
• As a squad, the Roos finished with a season-high 14 three-pointers in the overtime win.

NOTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS

• North Dakota hit the road and toughed out to wins over Denver (73-64; OT) and Omaha (74-61).
• Kacie Borowicz continues to pace the offense for UND as she led the charge against Denver. She finished with 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
• Olivia Lane followed with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds while Melissa Leet missed a double-double finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.
• Claire Orth rounded out the double-digit scorers finishing with ten points, six rebounds and a pair of steals.
• Lane led the offensive effort against Omaha finishing with 16 points and ten rebounds en route to her second consecutive double-double.
• Borowicz chipped in 15 points of her own to go along with five assists and four rebounds.
• Maggie Manson contributed 12 points to the efforts while Orth rounded out the double-figure scorers finishing with 11 points.

NOTING THE BISON

• The Bison moved to 5-8 in league play after splitting their road competition. They defeated Omaha (69-53) but fell to Denver (62-48).
• In the victory over Omaha, three Bison reached double digits in scoring. Ryan Cobbins led with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field.
• Heaven Hamling followed Cobbins as she finished with 14 points and dished out a career-high-tying six assists.
• Emily Dietz was the final Bison to finish in double figures in scoring against the Mavericks. She notched 12 points and pulled down six rebounds.
• As a squad, the Bison shot a season-best 52 percent (26-for-50) from the field with eight different players connecting on at least one field goal.

NOTING THE MAVERICKS

• Omaha fell to 2-11 in league play after dropping two home games against North Dakota State (69-53) and North Dakota (74-61).
• Against the Bison, Elena Pilakouta poured in a game-high 19 points going 9-for-14 from the field.
• Mariah Murdie followed Pilakouta's lead finishing with 12 points to go along with six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
• The duo continued to pace the offensive efforts against the Fighting Hawks. Pilakouta and Murdie both finished with 17 points apiece.
• Pilakouta grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go along with four assists while Murdie pulled down six boards of her own.
• Alexis Pratt finished with a team-best six assists in the loss to North Dakota.

NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES

• The Golden Eagles moved to 7-5 in league play after picking up two road wins over Western Illinois (71-55) and St. Thomas (73-67).
• Against the Leathernecks, Tirzah Moore, Katie Scott and Keni Jo Lippe each finished with at least 13 points in the win.
• Lippe recorded a game-high 20 points while Kate Scott notched her first double-double as a Golden Eagle finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
• Moore chipped in 13 points of her own on 6-for-7 shooting from the field.
• Scott continued to pace ORU against St. Thomas. She finished with a team-high 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.
• Regan Schumacher followed contributing 12 points of her own while Moore and Lippe finished with 10 points apiece.

NOTING THE TOMMIES

• St. Thomas fell to 3-8 in league play after dropping a pair of home games to Kansas City (62-57) and Oral Roberts (73-67).
• Jade Hill led the Tommies’ offensive effort against the Roos as she poured in 22 points, a team-high five assists and four rebounds.
• Erin Norling was the only other Tommie to finish with double-figures in the score column as she poured in 14. She also added four rebounds and a steal to her stat line.
• Hill paced the efforts again against Oral Roberts and scored a career-high 27 points.
• Jo Langbehn finished with her second career double-double matching a career-best 12 points and career-high 12 rebounds.
• Norling rounded out the double-figure scoring efforts as she contributed 15 of her own against ORU.

NOTING THE COYOTES

• South Dakota suffered its first loss of the regular season to in-state rival South Dakota State in Brookings. It was the Coyotes' first loss in league play since last season in Brookings.
• Hannah Sjerven notched her 25th career double-double with 21 points and a season-high 16 points in the loss. She went 10-for-16 from the floor and grabbed eight of USD's 13 offensive rebounds.
• Chloe Lamb and Liv Korngable were the only other Coyotes to finish in double figures. Lamb finished with 16 points while Korngable chipped in 12 points of her own.
• As a squad, the Coyotes shot 41 percent (26-for-63) from the floor and 71.4 percent (10-for-14) from behind the charity stripe.

NOTING THE JACKRABBITS

• South Dakota State moved to 11-1 in league play after snapping South Dakota's 16-game winning streak in Brookings. The Jacks went into the second half down two but came out and rallied to outscore USD 23-12 in the third quarter en route to the victory.
• Four Jacks finished in double-figure scoring against the Coyotes.
• Paige Meyer and Tori Nelson led the scoring offense scoring 16 points apiece for SDSU. Tylee Irwin and Haleigh Timmer joined Meyer and Nelson in double figures finishing with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
• Meyer went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line as well as recording six rebounds, five assists and a steal in the victory.
• Paiton Burckhard chipped in nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

NOTING THE LEATHERNECKS

• Western Illinois moved to 3-8 in league play after falling to Oral Roberts (71-55) and Kansas City (87-85; OT).
• Against the Golden Eagles, Elizabeth Lutz led the Leathernecks with 18 points, six boards, and four assists.
• Danni Nichols followed Lutz chipping in 12 points as well as pulling down six rebounds.
• Defensively, Evan Zars led with the efforts pulling down nine rebounds.
• In the overtime loss to Kansas City, Jada Thorpe led the Leathernecks dropping 22 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
• Nichols contributed 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.
• Lutz recorded 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting while Anna Deets rounded out the double-figure scorers finishing with 13.
• Zars once again led the defensive pack pulling down 16 rebounds.