Kyah Watson scored eight points total over South Dakota’s three-game drive to the Summit League tournament title. Yet the Coyotes’ redshirt freshman found herself a constant topic of conversation in post-game press conferences. 
 
Aaron Johnston, for one, was quick to mention her after the championship game. Watson had guarded Myah Selland for the majority of the final, helping force the Jackrabbits’ star into one of the worst games of her storied career as she was held to just five points on 0-10 shooting.
 
“[Watson] is a good defensive player,” the South Dakota State coach said. “She has the physicality and athleticism it takes to guard someone like [Selland] inside and outside.”
 
While Watson may not have popped in the box score, she was a pivotal part of the Coyotes’ third consecutive league tournament title, playing 90 minutes across the three-game run. That was just one example of how the roster that surrounds USD’s star veteran trio not only shone in Sioux Falls, but will be important as the No. 10 Coyotes’ head into their first round NCAA Tournament matchup with No. 7 Ole Miss. 
 
Reliable depth may be as big a deal for USD as any team in the country. 
 
Chloe Lamb, Hannah Sjervern and Liv Korngable have powered the Coyotes to their title-winning campaign. The Coyotes trident has been dressed in accolades – Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, three all-league nods – and has accounted for 62.6 percent of USD’s points this season. For comparison, the three leading scorers on SDSU combine for under half of the Jackrabbits points. That’s not to say the Coyotes aren’t dangerous, but an off-night or foul trouble for any of those three would seem to spell trouble.
 
But that wasn’t the case in the Denny Sanford Premier Center. 
 
Lamb was as quiet from the field (6 points, 2-8 FG) as she’d been all season in the quarterfinals against Western Illinois, and was held scoreless in the first half. The Coyotes were nonetheless able to power to a 15-point halftime lead on the back of Grace Larkins. The freshman stepped into the Player of the Year’s hot-shooting shoes, scoring a career-high 17 before the break, mainly by attacking the rim. She’d finish with 23 points. 
 
“It wasn’t really me, it was everyone working together,” Larkins said after the game. “Everyone has their days where the gaps open for them and that was me today.”
 
Dawn Plitzuweit emphasized Larkins’ attack-minded nature after the game, and how she’s seen the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year get more and more comfortable as the season has gone on. Part of that was understanding better how the Leathernecks would try and guard her. 
 
That type of growth – and potential – wasn’t lost on Lamb, who talked about the depth of her team after the semifinal win over Kansas City. 
 
“The perfect example of that was a couple days ago, when we had [Larkins] step up and have a great game for us,” Lamb said. “I think everyone from the first five to everyone on the bench is ready to do that at any time, whenever their name is called.” 
 
Names had to be called against the Roos midway through the third quarter of that semifinal win as Lamb and Sjerven were tied to the bench with three fouls. The game was still in balance, but Korngable was able to direct traffic and lead a group that included Watson, Larkins, Maddie Krull and Macy Guebert to not only hold serve against Kansas City, but extend the lead. 
 
The big contributions in Sioux Falls should be a springboard as the Coyotes head to Waco, Texas to play the Rebels. Their league tournament run highlighted the value Watson and Krull have brought to USD’s defense all year, with Watson (3rd) and Watson (4th) ranking in the top four in the Summit League in defensive win shares per HerHoopStats.com, an advanced stat that estimates the amount of wins a player produces for their team when on the floor. Larkins, for her part, showed the dynamic offense she can pitch in at the drop of a hat. 
 
What Plitzuweit said after the WIU win will remain crucial to an extended March stay for USD.
 
“I think it shows the depth we have on our team,” she said. “They got their opportunities today and used them well.”