SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Summit League play is full speed ahead for the league’s women’s basketball teams, with the race for the regular-season title continuing Thursday and Saturday.
North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and South Dakota were the lone teams to open league play unbeaten and will aim to stay that way in week two, with NDSU and USD playing twice and SDSU appearing once.
The Jackrabbits are the only team not slotted to play on Thursday, with all four games tipping off at 7 p.m. CT.
All games this week can be streamed on the Summit League Network.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• North Dakota State opened league play with a pair of road victories over Oral Roberts (74-68) and Denver (81-44), extending its win streak to a league-best 11.
• The 11-game winning streak is NDSU’s longest since the 2004-05 season, when the Bison won 24 straight at the Division II level, and also marks their fourth consecutive conference-opening victory.
• Junior forward Avery Koenen led the way with game-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds in NDSU’s rout of Denver, securing her 10th double-double of the season, tied for fourth nationally.
• South Dakota State joined NDSU with a 2-0 start to league play, taking down St. Thomas at home 67-49 before defeating Omaha on the road 65-36.
• The Jackrabbits remain unbeaten against the Tommies, holding a 10-0 record.
• Preseason Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer led the way with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the win over St. Thomas.
• The SDSU defense was also stellar, as UST’s 49 points marked the lowest scoring output by an SDSU opponent this season.
• South Dakota opened conference play with a 67-47 road win at Kansas City, marking head coach Carrie Eighmey’s second straight season with a 1-0 league start.
• Molly Joyce set the tone early for the Yotes, hitting her first four shots for 11 first-quarter points and ending the night with a game-high 21.
• The Yotes held Kansas City to 32.1 percent shooting, 11 percent below their season average.
• Oral Roberts opened league play with a 95-67 home win over North Dakota.
• Four different Golden Eagles reached double figures in the contest, led by a game-high 20 points from sophomore Anna Trusty.
• Gentry Baldwin turned in a career performance for ORU, setting career bests with eight assists and six steals.
• Denver began league play at home with a tough win over North Dakota (64-57) before falling to NDSU.
• Sophomore guard Coryn Watts scored 23 points in the win, while freshman Tori Baker set a career-high with seven steals, tied for the third-most in a single game in program history.
• In the first game of conference play across the Summit League, Kansas City took down Omaha in a 61-59 thriller before falling to South Dakota on the road on Saturday.
• KC Junior Elauni Bennett scored the go-ahead bucket against Omaha and finished the game with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds to earn her fourth double-double of the season.
• With the win, the Roos began conference play 1-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
• St. Thomas sophomore Alyssa Sand led the Tommies against SDSU with 15 points, four assists, and two steals to collect her third double-double of the season.
• North Dakota opened league play 0-2, dropping road games to Denver and Oral Roberts.
• Following an early deficit to the Pioneers, the Fighting Hawks fought to within two points in the fourth quarter but would go on to drop the nail-biter.
• Omaha fell to 0-2 in league play after losses to Kansas City and SDSU.
• Against KC, freshman Regan Juenemann matched her career-high with 27 points for the second game in a row.
• Freshman Avril Smith continues to dominate the boards for Omaha, totaling 182 rebounds, which ranks first nationally.
Upcoming In The Summit League
Date | Stream/TV | Local Time
Thursday, Jan. 8
Denver at St. Thomas* | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Omaha at North Dakota* | MS/SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Oral Roberts at South Dakota* | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Kansas City at North Dakota State* | SLN/WDAYX | 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Jan. 10
Kansas City at North Dakota* | MS/SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Oral Roberts at South Dakota State* | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Omaha at North Dakota State* | SLN/WDAYX | 1 p.m. CT
South Dakota at St. Thomas* | SLN | 4 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Jan. 14
North Dakota at South Dakota* | MS/SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, Jan. 15
St. Thomas at Omaha* | SLN | 6:30 p.m. CT
Denver at South Dakota State* | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Kansas City at Oral Roberts* | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Jan. 17
Denver at South Dakota* | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
Omaha at Oral Roberts* | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
North Dakota State at South Dakota State* | MS/SLN | 2 p.m. CT
St. Thomas at Kansas City* | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Kansas City at Denver* | SLN | 6 p.m. MT
South Dakota State at North Dakota* | MS/SLN | 7 p.m. CT
North Dakota State at St. Thomas* | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, Jan. 22
South Dakota at Omaha* | SLN | 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Jan. 24
Oral Roberts at Denver* | SLN | 11 a.m. MT
South Dakota at North Dakota State* | SLN/WDAYX | 1 p.m. CT
North Dakota at St. Thomas* | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
South Dakota State at Kansas City* | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
Key: MS (Midco Sports), SLN (Summit League Network), WDAYX (WDAY Xtra)
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
RESULTS
Sunday, Dec. 21
Weber State 74, Omaha 61
(2/2) Texas 70, (NR/RV) South Dakota State 51
Northern Iowa 58, St. Thomas 40
Saturday, Dec. 27
Briar Cliff 81, Omaha 90
Sunday, Dec. 28
Kansas City 67, Missouri 71
Monday, Dec. 29
Northern Illinois 46, St. Thomas 64
St. Mary’s (Minn.) 36, North Dakota State 94
Oklahoma Wesleyan 51, Oral Roberts 86
Tuesday, Dec. 30
College of St. Mary (Neb.) 42, South Dakota 95
Wednesday, Dec. 31
Omaha 59, Kansas City 61*
Thursday, Jan. 1
St. Thomas 49, (NR/RV) South Dakota State 67*
North Dakota 57, Denver 64*
North Dakota State 76, Oral Roberts 68*
Saturday, Jan. 3
North Dakota State 81, Denver 44*
North Dakota 67, Oral Roberts 95*
South Dakota 67, Kansas City 47*
(NR/RV) South Dakota State 65, Omaha 36*
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
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