Following the Summit League title game, Tylee Irwin was asked how nerve-wracking the next few days would be as she and the Jackrabbits waited to see if an NCAA Tournament game would be in their future. She gave just the answer you’d expect. 
 
“I sure hope there is,” the senior forward said. “That’s something you really want to look forward to your senior season.” 
 
That call never came, with the Selection Committee ultimately passing on South Dakota State’s quality body of work. Out of that situation, however, the Jackrabbits have nonetheless stamped a mountain of March moments onto their season. They’ll look to carry that momentum into the WNIT semifinals as they host UCLA on Thursday night. 
 
Irwin talked about the team’s initial reaction to being left out of the NCAA Tournament. 
 
“That was disappointing for us and right away we wanted to prove a little bit that we could’ve been there,” she said after the Round 3 win over Drake. “But also now it’s come down to, ‘are we still going to try and continue playing our best and getting better everyday?’ I think that’s really important this time of year to not to settle.”
 
That attitude has propelled SDSU to plenty of individual and team highlights during their four-game romp through the WNIT. 
 
Most recently it was redshirt junior Lindsey Theuninck donning the cape and playing final minute hero, as she scored the final six points against Alabama to overturn a one-point deficit with under two minutes left and send the Jackrabbits to the semifinals. Her dagger of a three pointer with 14 seconds left was the to-this-point most dramatic moment of the SDSU run, and put the finishing touches on a career-high scoring night (14 points). 
 
Irwin was at the heart of the quarterfinal too, grabbing a steal to set up Theuninck’s dramatic three and hitting a three of her own to kickstart a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter that dug the Jackrabbits out of a 10-point hole. The senior has made the most of this extended run, averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 assists during the WNIT. 
 
The same can be said for Myah Selland. Without the WNIT, the SDSU star would’ve ended the season on a sour note after her uncharacteristic offensive showing (5 points, 0-10 FG) in the Summit League championship game. Instead, she’s added more dominant moments to a campaign that saw her gain momentum after coming back from injury. The redshirt junior has scored in double figures each game, pulled down over eight rebounds per game and shot 53.8 percent from the field.
 
The real star turn, however, may well have been in the backcourt. 
 
Aaron Johnston mentioned the WNIT as an opportunity to extend the season for the seniors, continue getting and letting younger players develop after the opening win against Ohio. Haleigh Timmer has been a resounding example of the last of those postseason objectivies. 
 
The freshman guard slid into the starting lineup against the Bobcats and scored a career-high 24 points. Timmer came into the tournament averaging 6.3 points per game, but has drastically increased that (17.7 ppg) over the four-game run as she absorbs some minutes that likely would’ve gone to the injured Paige Meyer. She’s been lethal from three in the WNIT (58 3P%) and has scored at all three levels to fuel the SDSU offense, including a team-high 17 points against Alabama. 
 
“It was good to just be in the postseason and play in March and prove what we can do,” she said after the Ohio win. 
 
As a team, the fourth quarter comeback against the Crimson Tide is the most recent highlight, but they’ve had their moments in each round. The Jackrabbits outclassed Minnesota in the third quarter of their Round 2 matchup to move to 6-1 all-time against the Big Ten school to the East. And against Drake, SDSU withstood an early, frenetic run to dominate in the second and third quarters before winding up with an 18-point win. 
 
The fans packing Frost Arena have also been another March highlight for the program. Alabama’s team Twitter account pointed out the 6,000 fans its team had to deal with and while that may have been a simple mistake – the official attendance was just north of 4,000 – it drove home the advantage the Jackrabbits crowd created. Western Illinois coach JD Gravina has also been locked in on the run and been tweeting about the crowds that have been piling into Frost. 
 
It has all wirled into a March run that may not be in the tournament SDSU had initially planned but has been magical nonetheless. Johnston reflected on where his team’s mindset was immediately after Selection Sunday. 
 
“I do think it takes a couple days to get past that disappointment. I think that’s a natural, realistic feeling that takes a couple days to get past,” he said after the Ohio game. “I thought our team did a good job with that. I think they weren’t really sure and trying to get it embraced and I think that it really sunk in the last couple days that this is an opportunity to play with each other, for each other and extend our season.”
 
As UCLA – a team that SDSU beat in November – comes to town, the Jackrabbits are now just two games away from seeing that extended season end with them standing on a ladder and cutting down nets.