South Dakota State Athletics

Women's Basketball

#SummitWBB Weekly Notebook: Postseason Edition-WNIT Semifinals

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – March madness continues for The Summit League as South Dakota State has advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT.
 
For the second time in program history, the last in 2014, the South Dakota State women’s basketball team is one of four teams remaining in the WNIT. South Dakota State defeated Drake 84-66 in the third round and then went on to outlast Alabama 78-73 in the quarterfinals.
 
The Jackrabbits will host UCLA in the semifinal round of the WNIT Thursday at 7 p.m. in Frost Arena.
 
WNIT Semifinals Schedule (TV) | All Game Times Central
Thursday, March 31
South Dakota State vs. UCLA (MidcoSports/ESPN3) | 7 p.m.
 
WNIT Quarterfinals
Sunday, March 27
South Dakota State 78, Alabama 73
 
Third Round of Postseason
WNIT Tournament: Third Round | Thursday, March 24
South Dakota State 84, Drake 66
 
NCAA Tournament: Sweet Sixteen | Saturday, March 26
(3) #12/12 Michigan 52, (10) South Dakota 49
 
Second Round of Postseason Results
WNIT Tournament: Second Round | Sunday, March 20
South Dakota State 78, Minnesota 57
 
NCAA Tournament: Second Round | Sunday, March 20
(10) South Dakota 61, (2) #7/5 Baylor 47
 
First Round of Postseason Results
WNIT Tournament: First Round | Thursday, March 17
Northern Iowa 75, Kansas City 58
South Dakota State 87, Ohio 57
 
NCAA Tournament: First Round | Friday, March 18
(10) South Dakota 75, (7) Ole Miss 61
 
Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship Results
Quarterfinals | Saturday, March 5
Q1: (1) South Dakota State 86, (8) Denver 59
Q2: (2) South Dakota 75, (7) Western Illinois 49
 
Quarterfinals | Sunday, March 6
Q3: (4) Oral Roberts 61, (5) North Dakota 54
Q4: (3) Kansas City 81, (6) North Dakota State 74
 
Semifinals | Monday, March 7
S1: (1) South Dakota State 72, (4) Oral Roberts 53
S2:  (2) South Dakota 81, (3) Kansas City 67
 
Championship | Tuesday, March 8
F: (2) South Dakota 56, (1) South Dakota State 45
 
Survive and Advance!
  • More basketball? Sure! South Dakota State's season continues after the Jackrabbits picked up two more victories in the WNIT.
  • For the second time in program history, the Jackrabbits will play in the semifinals of the WNIT after defeating Drake (84-66) in the third round and Alabama (78-73) in the quarterfinals.
  • The first time South Dakota State made an appearance in the semifinals was in 2014 when the team lost to UTEP, 66-63.
  • The Jackrabbits will host UCLA in the semifinal round of the WNIT on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT.
  • South Dakota State met UCLA earlier this season at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. At the time UCLA was ranked No. 15. Behind four Jackrabbits that finished with double-figure scoring efforts, they defeated UCLA 76-66 for their 15th win in the DI era over a nationally-ranked opponent.
Friendly Reminder
  • 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 16.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game so far this season.
  • Nichols is currently averaging a team-leading 15.8 points per game, shooting 53 percent from the field and over 67 percent from behind the charity stripe. She is also averaging 4.6 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.
  • The Roos' Alnatas earned her third 30-plus point game of the season in Kansas City's 81-74 quarterfinal win over North Dakota State in The Summit League Tournament. She scored 26 of her game-high 32 points in the second half to help KC rally from a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat the Bison.
  • The Coyotes' Chloe Lamb notched her second 30-plus point game of the season in USD's 81-67 semifinal win over Kansas City at The Summit League Tournament. She finished with a career-high 33 points on 12-for-16 shooting.
Top 25 National Rankings
  • South Dakota and South Dakota State were receiving votes for the fourth consecutive week in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll before postseason play started. It was the sixth time this season that the Coyotes have received votes and the fourth for the Jackrabbits.
  • The league saw three teams being talked about in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll before postseason play started. South Dakota was No. 4, South Dakota State was No. 5 and Kansas City was receiving votes.
  • Before 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.
South Dakota State Among the NCAA's Top 25
Team
Assist-Turnover Ratio
(7) South Dakota State | 1.36
Assists
(3) South Dakota State | 634
Assists Per Game
(12) South Dakota State | 17.6
Blocked Shots
(20) South Dakota State | 152
Field-Goal Percentage
(3) South Dakota State | 48.1
Scoring Margin
(12) South Dakota State | 16.3
Scoring Offense
(20) South Dakota State | 75.0
Three-Point Field Goals Made
(8) South Dakota State | 296
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
(1) South Dakota State | 39.1
 
Individual
Assist Turnover Ratio
(20) Myah Selland, South Dakota State | 2.40
 
*As of 3/28/22
 
TEAM TRACKER
NOTING THE JACKRABBITS
  • For the second time in program history, the Jackrabbits will play in the semifinals of the WNIT after defeating Drake (84-66) in the third round and Alabama (78-73) in the quarterfinals.
  • Against Drake, SDSU compiled a 23-5 run in the third quarter en route to a victory over the Bulldogs.
  • As a squad, the Jacks forced 10 turnovers in the third quarter alone and 25 for the game en route to 32 points for SDSU. The Jacks finished with 20 steals during the game, the most ever by an SDSU team against a Division I opponent.
  • Myah Selland and Paiton Burckhard led the efforts against Drake. Selland finished with a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds while Burckhard chipped in 20 of her own on 9-for-12 shooting.
  • After a wild first three quarters of runs, the Jacks used a big fourth-quarter rally to come out on top of Alabama in the quarterfinals.
  • Haleigh Timmer led the Jacks for the third time in four games as she finished with 17 points, nine of which came in the final frame.
  • Lindsey Theuninck notched a career-best 14 points, three of which sealed the game for the Jackrabbits.
  • Burckhard earned her first double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
  • Selland rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Jacks against Alabama. She finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
  • The final attendance for the game against Alabama was 4,286, the most fans for a women's basketball game at Frost since Notre Dame visited in 2015-16.
#SummitWBB