The Basics
Score: No. 1 South Dakota State 84, No. 5 North Dakota 55
Records: South Dakota State (28-3, 16-0 SL), North Dakota (11-21, 6-10 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.



SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Top-seeded South Dakota State used a big second half to roll to an 84-55 victory over No. 5 seed North Dakota on Saturday and advance to the program's fourth straight Summit League Women's Basketball Championship game. The Jackrabbits' semifinal victory was the program's eighth in their last nine tries and all of those victories have been by double figures.

The junior duo of Brooklyn Meyer and Haleigh Timmer each notched double-doubles to lead the Jacks to their 18th-straight win overall. Meyer finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Timmer added 14 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Seven of Meyer's glass work came on the offensive end as SDSU outrebound UND 54-26 and had 22 second-chance points.

Timmer had seven points in the opening five minutes to stake the Jackrabbits to an early 13-9 advantage.  Kiera Pemberton, who led the Fighting Hawks with 23, had six during that stretch to keep UND close against the two-time defending champs.

Following the media timeout at the 4:31 mark, UND managed just one field goal the rest of the quarter and SDSU took advantage, quickly building a double-digit lead. Meyer finished the stanza with back-to-back baskets in the paint, resulting in a 22-11 advantage after 10 minutes.

Neither team shot well in the second quarter as SDSU made just 5-of-20 from the floor but held UND to a 2-for-16 clip. That defensive effort helped extend the Jacks' advantage to 34-21 at the break.

Both offenses were better after the break but it was SDSU who put up 50 points, including a 26-19 edge in the third quarter and a 24-15 advantage in the fourth to push through to their fourth straight title game.

Paige Meyer had 14 of her 17 points after the break and Mesa Byom finished with 11 to put four Jackrabbits in double figures.

The Jackrabbits will play the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 seed Oral Roberts and No. 6 seed Kansas City in Sunday's title game, scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT tip on CBS Sports Network.
 
Turning Point
SDSU closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run to build its first double-digit lead of the game. UND got the first field of the second quarter to briefly pull back within single digits but a second-chance layup by Byom put SDSU's lead at double figures for the rest of the game.

Inside the Box Score

• SDSU's plus-28 (54-26) advantage on the glass was their widest margin of the season and marked the fourth time this season the Jacks held a 20-plus edge against their opponent. 
• Brooklyn Meyer logged her third double-double of the season and scored 20-plus for the 13th time this season.
• Pemberton finished her sophomore campaign with a 23-point outing, which was her 10th 20-plus point game of the season. She averaged 26.5 ppg in her two Summit League Tournament tilts.
• Timmer, the 2023 Championship MVP, recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

News & Notes

• South Dakota State's last 12 semifinal victories have all been by double figures - the last time they did not win one by that margin was a 70-67 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in 2011 in a matchup won by the third-seeded Jackrabbits.
• The Jackrabbits will take an 18-game overall winning streak into the title game and have now won eight straight Summit League Tournament games as they seek their third straight title.
• The Fighting Hawks reached the semifinals for the second time and have fallen in each of those opportunities.