SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the second consecutive year, The Summit League will have three women’s basketball teams competing in postseason tournaments. South Dakota State will be representing the League in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament while North Dakota State will be participating in the WNIT and North Dakota in the WBI.
 
South Dakota State (28-5) earned the League’s automatic bid to the Big Dance as the No. 9 seed in the Seattle 3 Region. The Jackrabbits play eighth-seeded USC in the opening round Friday at 7 p.m. CT in Blacksburg, Va. The game will be on ESPNews.
 
North Dakota State (18-11) earned the automatic bid to the WNIT and will travel out to Eugene, Ore. to meet the Oregon Ducks. The Bison tipoff on Friday at 9 p.m. CT.
 
For the second time in program history, North Dakota (18-11) will be competing in the WBI. The Fighting Hawks begin their journey on Friday at 4 p.m. CT in Lexington, Ky. against Cal Baptist.
 
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TEAM TRACKER
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS (18-11, 11-7 SL) | @UNDwbasketball
Next Up: WBI - vs. Cal Baptist (3/17; 4 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: Summit League Championship - vs. No. 6 Omaha (L, 84-81)
WBI History (Last): 0-1 (2012)
WBI Best Finish (Last): First Round
Championship History: 1-4 (4th appearance)
Championship Titles: None
Despite a semifinal loss at the Summit League Championship, the Fighting Hawks, with an overall record of 18-11, get to continue their season having been selected for their second-ever WBI appearance, the first since 2012 ... The Fighting Hawks will be in search of their first-ever win in the WBI ... North Dakota will meet Cal Baptist in the opening round of the tournament in Lexington, Ky. ... North Dakota is led by the League’s best scorer and First Team All-Summit League honoree Kacie Borowicz ... Borowicz is averaging 20.7 ppg, 4.8 apg, 4.8 rpg and 1.5 spg during the season and recorded double-figure scoring efforts in 28 of 29 games ... Overall, Borowicz heads into postseason play ranked 13th nationally in field goal attempts (513) and 14th in points per game (20.7) ... Claire Orth, an All-Defensive honoree, is UND’s second-best scorer on the team averaging 11.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.4 spg throughout the season ... The Fighting Hawks squad has the second-best rebounding (39.5 rpg) and stealing (9.6 spg) team in the League.
 
NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON (18-11, 12-6 SL) | @NDSUwbb
Next Up: WNIT - at Oregon (3/17; 9 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: Summit League Championship - vs. No. 10 Kansas City (L, 71-64)
WNIT History (Last): None
WNIT Best Finish (Last): None
Championship History: 3-14 (14th appearance)
Championship Titles: None
Despite dropping their first game of the Summit League Championship, second-seeded North Dakota State earned an automatic bid to the WNIT and will head out to Eugene, Ore. for a first-time meeting with the Ducks in the opening round ... It is the Bison’s first-ever appearance in the WNIT ... The Bison, who own an 18-11 overall record, totaled their most wins in a season since 2004-05 and captured second place to earn the automatic qualifier into the WNIT, which goes to the highest-finishing team in its conference regular season standings and is not selected to the NCAA tournament ... North Dakota State has three Bison that average double-digits in the scoring column led by First Team All-Summit League member Heaven Hamling ... Hamling averages 16.5 ppg, ranked fourth-best among the League this season ... She also has recorded 4.9 rpg, 3.6 apg and shot 83.0 percent from the free throw line ... Freshman of the Year Elle Evans was the Bison’s second-best leading scorer, averaging 13.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg and shooting 85.3 percent from the free throw line ... Her freshman campaign also earned her Honorable Mention All-Summit League, All-Defensive and All-Newcomer accolades ... As a team, the Bison rank second among the League in field goal percentage (42.5 percent) and offensive rebounds (12.7 rpg).
 
RV/RV (9) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS (28-5, 18-0 SL) | @GoJacksWBB
Next Up: NCAA Tournament - vs. No. 8 USC (3/17; 7 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: Summit League Championship - vs. No. 8 St. Thomas (W, 87-59), vs. No. 5 Oral Roberts (W, 87-60), vs. No. 6 Omaha (W, 93-51)
NCAA Tournament History (Last): 3-8 (10 appearances, last 2021)
NCAA Tournament Best Finish (Last): Sweet 16 (2019)
Championship History: 35-5 (15th appearance)
Championship Titles: 10 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023)
Top-seeded South Dakota State claimed its 10th Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship crown after knocking off No. 6 Omaha in the title game ... The Jackrabbits are making their 11th appearance at the Big Dance in their 15 seasons of Division I postseason eligibility ... South Dakota State earned the No. 9 seed and will meet No. 8 Southern California in the first round on Friday at 7 p.m. CT in Blacksburg, Virginia... It will be the third meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Trojans, the last time being back in 2006 when SDSU upset a then-No. 19 USC in Brookings, S.D. ... It marked the first win over a ranked opponent and first-ranked win of SDSU’s Division I era ... The Jackrabbits head into the tournament riding a 21-game win streak ... South Dakota State has four that have averaged double-digit scoring efforts throughout the season, led by Player of the Year Myah Selland ... Selland, a 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award finalist, averages 15.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg and is shooting 54.0 percent from the field on the season ... Second Team All-Summit League honorees Haleigh Timmer, Paiton Burckhard and Paige Meyer are the other three Jacks to average double-digits throughout the season ... Timmer, the 2023 Championships MVP, is averaging 12.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.6 apg ... Burckhard put up 10.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.8 apg ... Meyer shot 56.8 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from the three-point line to averaged 10.1 ppg to go along with 3.3 apg and 2.8 rpg ... South Dakota State, as a team, leads the League in 11 statistical categories and ranks among the top 20 nationally in 10 statistical categories.