SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The first round of games are complete and women’s basketball is off and running. Six of the league’s nine teams got their first wins of the season, setting the stage for an exciting start.
 
Highlighting opening week is South Dakota and South Dakota State’s undefeated starts. The Yotes’ 3-0 start marks their best opening since the 2019-20 season, while the Jacks started 3-0 for the second straight year.
 
South Dakota State opened the season with a road victory over (NR/RV) Creighton, defeating the Bluejays 78-62 and securing its second consecutive win against CU.
 
The week ahead features a handful of matchups between Power Four and nationally ranked opponents.
 
Kansas City visits top-10 foe (6/6) Oklahoma tonight at 8 p.m. CT, while South Dakota will meet (RV/RV) Kansas State in Manhattan tomorrow. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT against the Wildcats.
 
Omaha travels to BYU for a Thursday night matchup in Provo, Utah, tipping off at 7 p.m. MT. This game marks the Mavericks’ second Big 12 opponent of the year, following their season-opening contest against Kansas State.
 
North Dakota State will meet their first Power 4 opponent of the season on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT, facing (RV,RV) Nebraska on a neutral floor at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• Preseason Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer powered the Jackrabbits to a 3-0 start for the second straight season, highlighted by a 78-62 road win over Creighton and home victories against Rice (79-65) and Murray State (91-60).
• SDSU has been smart with their possessions, averaging just 9.3 turnovers per game, tied for 11th-best nationally.
• Meyer ranks among the nation’s best in several categories, leading Division I in total blocks (14), ranking second in blocks per game (4.7), first in field goals made (34), fourth in total points (79), and seventh in scoring average (26.3).
• Kansas City’s Emani Bennett has been dominant as well, ranking eighth nationally and just behind Meyer with 26.0 points per game.
• Omaha head coach Jamie Carey picked up her first victory at the helm as the Mavericks rolled past St. Mary (Neb.) 88-47 last Thursday.
• Cora Olsen poured in a career-high 25 points in just three quarters of action for the Mavs, surpassing her previous best of 22.
• Freshman Avril Smith made her second game one to remember, pulling down 21 rebounds in the Omaha win.
• Second-year head coach Carrie Eighmey has guided South Dakota to its first 3-0 start since the 2019-20 season with wins over York (Neb.) (104-33), Air Force (75-50), and Buena Vista (104-54).
• The Yotes opened the season with a dominant offensive showing, ranking tied for 10th nationally (DI) in bench points per game (46.0) and tied for 14th in scoring offense (94.3).
• South Dakota also ranks tied for 12th nationally in rebound margin, outrebounding opponents by an average of 22.0 boards per game.
• Last season’s league-leading scorer Jalei Oglesby started the year on a tear, tallying 66 points (22.0 ppg; 13th in DI) to help Oral Roberts to a 2-1 start.
• Oral Roberts rolled past Friends and Haskell by more than 30 points each before falling on the road to No. 22 Oklahoma State.
• North Dakota State opened the season 2-1, with road and home wins over Northern Iowa (63-49) and Concordia-Moorhead (84-60), respectively. The Bison fell to Gonzaga 81-66 in their home opener.
• Preseason All-League First Team selection Avery Koenen has been dominant for the Bison, averaging 14.7 ppg and 8.0 rpg. The Montevideo, Minn., native is shooting 75 percent from the field, tied for 16th nationally.
• After dropping its season opener at (14/17) Iowa State, St. Thomas debuted in the brand-new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena but saw an early fourth-quarter lead slip away in a 67-61 loss to Army.
• Sophomore Alyssa Sand leads the Tommies with 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The Albany, Minn., native also tops the team with three blocks so far.
• Denver and North Dakota are still seeking their first wins, each opening the season 0-3. The Pioneers visit Northern Colorado on Friday, while the Fighting Hawks don’t hit the court until Sunday at Eastern Kentucky.
• Despite the 0-3 start, sophomore Coryn Watts has shined for the Pioneers, averaging 19.0 points per game which is good for fourth in the conference.
• North Dakota’s Ava Miller has excelled on the boards, averaging 12.3 rebounds per game (second in the Summit League) and 11.3 defensive rebounds per contest (fifth nationally).

This Week In The Summit League
Date | Stream/TV | Local Time
Wednesday, Nov. 12
Omaha at Utah Tech | ESPN+ | 7 p.m. MT
Kansas City at (6/6) Oklahoma | ESPN+ | 8 p.m. CT

Thursday, Nov. 13
South Dakota at (RV/RV) Kansas State | ESPN+ | 4 p.m. CT
Oral Roberts at Lindenwood | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. CT
Omaha at BYU | ESPN+ | 7 p.m. MT

Friday, Nov. 14
Denver at Northern Colorado | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. MT
Eastern Michigan at St. Thomas | SLN | 7 p.m. CT

Saturday, Nov. 15
Omaha at Utah State | MWN | 11 a.m. MT
(RV/RV) South Dakota State vs. Montana | SLN | 6 p.m. MT

Sunday, Nov. 16
North Dakota State vs. (RV/RV) Nebraska | BTN | 12 p.m. CT
North Dakota at Eastern Kentucky | ESPN+ | 1 p.m. ET
NJIT at St. Thomas | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Cal State Fullerton at Denver | SLN | 1 p.m. MT
South Dakota at Idaho State | ESPN+ | 2 p.m. MT

Monday, Nov. 17
Kansas City at Lindenwood | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. CT
Tulsa at Oral Roberts | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
 
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Eastern Kentucky at North Dakota | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
 
Key: BTN (Big 10 Network), ESPN+ (ESPN Plus), SLN (Summit League Network), MWN (Mountain West Network)
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
 
RESULTS
Monday, Nov. 3
Friends 65, Oral Roberts 97
St. Thomas 36, (14/17) Iowa State 85
York (Neb.) 33, South Dakota 104
(RV/RV) South Dakota State 78, (NR/RV) Creighton 62
North Dakota State 63, Northern Iowa 49
Air Force 59, Denver 50
Omaha 35, (RV/25) Kansas State 100

Tuesday, Nov. 4
North Dakota 47, (RV/RV) Minnesota 91

Wednesday, Nov. 5
Kansas City 64, (RV/NR) Kansas 74

Thursday, Nov. 6
Haskell 50, Oral Roberts 92
Saint Mary (Neb.) 47, Omaha 88

Friday, Nov. 7
Air Force 50, South Dakota 75
Denver 54, UC San Diego 72
Rice 65, (RV/RV) South Dakota State 79
Youngstown State 65, North Dakota 58
Gonzaga 81, North Dakota State 66

Saturday, Nov. 8
Army 67, St. Thomas 61
William Jewell 35, Kansas City 90
 
Sunday, Nov. 9
Denver 57, Loyola Marymount 64
Oral Roberts 62, (22, 22) Oklahoma State 112
 
Monday, Nov. 10
Concordia-Moorhead 60, North Dakota State 84
Buena Vista (Iowa) 54, South Dakota 104
 
Tuesday, Nov. 11
North Dakota 43, Green Bay 67
Murray State 60, (RV/RV) South Dakota State 91
 
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
 
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