The Basics
Score: No. 2 South Dakota State 64, No. 1 North Dakota Dakota 51
Records: South Dakota State (27-6, 14-2 SL), North Dakota State (28-4, 15-1 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 2 seed South Dakota State earned a fourth consecutive Summit League Tournament title, pulling away late from No. 1 seed North Dakota State to register a 64-51 victory in the Women’s Basketball Championship Sunday before a crowd of 7,930 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Senior Brookly Meyer earned Championship MVP honors after finishing with a game-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks.

With the win, the Jackrabbits earned the league's automatic bid and will play in the program's 13th NCAA Division I Tournament.

South Dakota State led by as many as nine points in the first half thanks in part to 13 points by Meyer and more than doubling NDSU in total rebounds, holding a 24-11 advantage on the glass. But NDSU stayed within striking distance by outscoring the Jackrabbits 15-0 from the 3-point line during the opening 20 minutes. Marissa Frost made the final of those triples right before the halftime horn to trim the defict to 31-27 heading into the locker room.

The Bison stormed into the lead with fast start to the third quarter as Frost's three was the catalyst for a 10-1 run and pushed NDSU back into the lead at  34-32 lead. It was NDSU's first advantage since an early 9-8.

The Jackrabbits would quickly regain the lead, this time for good, taking advantage of an 8-0 run sparked by guards Emilee Fox and Ellie Colbeck.

SDSU's defense limited Summit League Player of the Year Avery Koenen to 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the floor but the Bison junior did lead all players with 13 rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
 
A basket by Karrington Asp with just over 90 seconds to play trimmed NDSU's deficit to 56-51 but SDSU closed out the game on an 8-0 run and took its first double-digit lead of the game during that closing stretch to secure the title.

The Jackrabbits will find out their tournament opponent and destination on Sunday, March 15 when the NCAA Women's Selection Show airs on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

Turning Point
NDSU was within 56-51 and had possession near its basket with 1:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Bison came up empty and the Jacks scored the final eight points – all from the foul line – over the last 50 seconds.

All-Tournament Team
Avery Koenen, North Dakota State
Madison Mathiowetz, South Dakota State
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State (MVP)
Angelina Robles, South Dakota
Alyssa Sand, St. Thomas

Inside the Box Score 

• Colbeck totaled three points over the previous six games only to put up all of her eight points in the second half to go with two rebounds and two assists during the championship game. She was plus-15 in 23 minutes of action.
• SDSU’s rebounding advantage was a group effort. Four different players grabbed at least six rebounds as they held a 45-31 overall edge.
• The Jacks were held to a season-low in makes from behind the 3-point line, going 1-for-12, while NDSU went 8-for-27 but only shot 32 percent from the field for the game.
• The teams split their two regular-season meetings, each winning on the other’s home court.

News & Notes

• SDSU is the first team to four-peat in this tournament since the Jackrabbits won five straight from 2009-2013. It is the program's 13th overall title and first as the No. 2 seed since 2018. Their previous four all came as the top seed.
• The Bison, were the No. 1 seed for the first time in program history after winning the regular season title in 2026. NDSU has played in two of the last three title games, falling both times to SDSU (2024 and 2026).
• The SDSU senior trio of Meyer, Colbeck and Madison Mathiowetz combined to go 12-0 in Summit League Tournament games, cutting down the nets in each of their four seasons. Meyer finished her 12-game run in Sioux Falls with 188 points (15.7 ppg).

#SUMMITWBB