SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Thanksgiving week brings a full slate of Summit League women’s basketball, highlighted by a trio of teams heading into holiday tournament action.
South Dakota and South Dakota State remain the league’s final unbeaten teams at 7-0 and 5-0, respectively. Both programs are off to historic starts, with USD’s 7-0 mark standing as the best in its Division I era, while SDSU is 5-0 for the first time since joining Division I.
SDSU remained at the top of this week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, receiving all 31 first-place votes. USD came in at No. 16, while NDSU received votes in the poll for the fourth consecutive week.
St. Thomas and Oral Roberts close out their pre-holiday slates with Wednesday afternoon matchups against Oakland and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, respectively, before heading into the break.
South Dakota State, also receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, faces its toughest test yet with a first-round matchup against No. 12/10 North Carolina at the Cancun Challenge. North Dakota heads to the U.S. Virgin Islands for Paradise Jam, while North Dakota State will compete in the Osprey Thanksgiving Classic in Jacksonville, Fla.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• South Dakota picked up a pair of home wins over Valparaiso and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to extend their win streak to seven, marking the first 7-0 start of the program’s Division I era.
• The Jacks are also off to a historic start, beginning 5-0 for the first time in its Division I era.
• USD and SDSU are both receiving votes in this week’s AP poll.
• South Dakota State took down Gonzaga 72-63 at the Pentagon on Nov. 20 to stay unbeaten, pushing their all-time series lead to 4–1.
• The Jackrabbits knocked down 12 threes on 48 percent shooting (12–25), with six different players connecting from beyond the arc.
• Preseason Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer continues to anchor the Jacks with elite production, sitting seventh nationally in blocks per game (3.20), tied 17th in field goals made (47), and 11th in ppg (22.6).
• North Dakota State improved to 3-2 and earned their second home win of the season after defeating Tulane 83-72 on Friday. The victory also marks head coach Jory Collins 300th of his career including his eight seasons at Emporia State.
• NDSU’s Avery Koenen recorded her second straight 20-point outing, leading the Bison with 22 points while adding a game-high 13 rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Marisa Frost added a season-high 19 points with five boards in the victory.
• Koenen leads the league in field-goal percentage at 73.9 percent, a mark that also ranks second nationally.
• After starting the season 0-3, Denver bounced back with three straight wins, most recently defeating Regis 67-40 at home.
• Three Pioneers reached double figures in scoring against the Rangers, led by sophomore guard Coryn Watt with a game-high 20 points.
• Watts is averaging 19.7 ppg this season, which ranks second in the conference.
• The Roos dropped a 75–64 decision to UTEP at home Tuesday night, a game in which Emani Bennett scored 16 points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
• Twin sister, Elauni Bennett, has been dominant for Kansas City, averaging 16.3 points per game (fifth in the league) while grabbing 4.3 offensive rebounds, a mark that is tied for 13th nationally.
• Oral Roberts has an opportunity Wednesday night at home against Texas A&M Corpus Christi to snap a five-game skid after beginning the season 2-0.
• The Golden Eagles came close to upsetting the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Sunday but fell 86-75.
• Sophomore guard Anna Trusty scored a season-high 26 points against the Jayhawks, with Gentry Baldwin and Jalei Oglesby adding 14 and 11 points, respectively, to join her in double figures.
• Head coach Dennis Hutter earned his first win at the helm for North Dakota on Friday after taking down Wyoming 65-45.
• Ava Miller continues to dominate the glass for North Dakota, pulling down 9.7 rpg (third in the Summit League) and 8.8 defensive boards per contest (sixth nationally).
• St. Thomas picked up its first win of the season during the squad's Alaskan trip, defeating Alaska Anchorage 77-60, before falling 63-55 to UC Irvine in game No. 2.
• Senior guard Faith Feuerbach led the charge in the Tommies’ first win, scoring a career-high 27 points as UST knocked down a season-high 16 three-pointers in the victory.
• Omaha freshman Avril Smith has been a rebounding force, leading the conference with 10.7 rpg and tying for third nationally with 75 total rebounds.
• On a five-game skid, the Mavericks are off during the Thanksgiving holiday and return to action on Dec. 3.
This Week In The Summit League
Date | Stream/TV | Local Time
Wednesday, Nov. 26
Oakland at St. Thomas | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Texas A&M Corpus Christi at Oral Roberts | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Thursday, Nov. 27
(12/10) North Carolina vs. (RV/RV) SDSU | FLO | 11 a.m. ET
(Cancun Challenge; Cancun, Mexico)
Boise State vs. North Dakota | ESPN+ | 4 p.m. AST
(Paradise Jam; U.S. Virgin Islands)
Friday, Nov. 28
North Dakota vs. Elon/Tulane | ESPN+ | TBA
(Paradise Jam; U.S. Virgin Islands)
North Dakota State vs. Campbell | 11 a.m. ET
(Osprey Thanksgiving Classic; Jacksonville, Fla.)
(RV/RV) SDSU vs. Columbia | FLO | 1:30 p.m. ET
(Cancun Challenge; Cancun, Mexico)
Saturday, Nov. 29
(RV/RV) SDSU vs. Kansas State | FLO | 11 a.m. ET
(Cancun Challenge; Cancun, Mexico)
North Dakota State vs. Bethune Cookman | 11 a.m. ET
(Osprey Thanksgiving Classic; Jacksonville, Fla.)
South Dakota at Wyoming | MWN | 1 p.m. MT
Austin Peay at Kansas City | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
Denver at UTEP | ESPN+ | 3 p.m. CT
Sunday, Nov. 30
UW-Stout at St. Thomas | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
Key: ESPN+ (ESPN Plus), FLO (FloCollege), SLN (Summit League Network), MWN (Mountain West Network)
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
RESULTS
Wednesday, Nov. 19
Oral Roberts 58, (RV/RV) Nebraska 103
Thursday, Nov. 20
Hesston 43, Kansas City 121
CSU Bakersfield 82, Omaha 73
(RV/RV) South Dakota State 72, Gonzaga 63
Friday, Nov. 21
Wyoming 45, North Dakota 65
Regis 40, Denver 67
Valparaiso 44, South Dakota 85
Tulane 72, North Dakota State 83
St. Thomas 77, Alaska Anchorage 60
Saturday, Nov. 22
Lindenwood 85, Omaha 41
St. Thomas 55, UC Irvine 63
Sunday, Nov. 23
Oral Roberts 75, Kansas 86
Tuesday, Nov. 25
UTEP 75, Kansas City 64
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 41, South Dakota 73
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
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