VERMILLION — The South Dakota women’s basketball team took down rival South Dakota State, 73-54, on Saturday, Jan. 31. It marked the first time the Coyotes took down SDSU since March 8, 2022, in the Summit League Tournament.
The Coyotes (17-6, 7-2 Summit League) picked up a huge win over a Jackrabbit team (17-6, 7-2) still looking to strengthen its case for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
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Here’s how the Coyotes pulled the upset, quarter by quarter.
‘Yotes muddy the waters in the first
South Dakota State tried all it could to get the pace going in the first quarter, but South Dakota kept possessions long and slowed most of the Jackrabbits’ attempts at creating transition points.
When they did get them, they were effective. But it didn’t happen enough for South Dakota State to create a sizeable lead.
Offensively, the Coyotes were efficient enough, knocking down a couple big triples in the first. Molly Joyce was willing to let it fly and buried one early, which drew a little more attention from the Jackrabbit defense.
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South Dakota did run into an early problem, with Patience Williams picking up her second foul with 2:18 left in the first. That left Josie Hill on an island with Brooklyn Meyer for a while, who then picked up her second foul early in the second quarter.
Despite the good effort from the home team early, South Dakota State led 17-14 through a quarter.
South Dakota makes a statement in the second
The Coyotes got crazy efficient in the second quarter to take a 32-30 lead into halftime. South Dakota made seven of 13 shots (53.8%) in the second, including going 4-for-6 from deep.
Elise Turrubiates played all 20 minutes in the first half and stepped up to guard Meyer when Williams and Hill went out. She responded with 11 second-quarter points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep.
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South Dakota State didn’t fold under the pressure, but South Dakota’s insistence on keeping Meyer’s touches as far away from the rim as possible has forced the Jackrabbits to settle for 3-pointers or long twos on numerous occasions.
Maddie Mathiowetz and Katie Vasecka were also on the floor for a couple of the Coyotes’ biggest surges, with Mathiowetz taking a minus-9 into half and holding a minus-7.
The game was also being played on a pace to end in the 60s, which appears to favor the Coyotes.
Upset alert was turned on for real in the third
Joyce and the Coyotes came out firing in the third, opening on an immediate 10-3 run in the first two minutes to create a 42-33 lead. South Dakota was knocking down jumpers from all over, with Jenna Hopp and Angelina Robles each making a 3-pointer and Joyce burying a couple of mid-range shots.
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South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston switched to a 2-3 zone after a timeout to try and halt the run. That change stalled South Dakota’s offense, with the Coyotes being unable to penetrate it off the dribble or with ball reversals to free up the middle.
That didn’t last for too long, as South Dakota made the necessary adjustments after a timeout with 2:55 left in the third. A Joyce ankle breaker that sent SDSU’s Ellie Colbeck to the floor and a short corner jumper sent the crowd at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center into a frenzy and gave the Coyotes their biggest lead to that point at 53-43.
A Vasecka layup at the buzzer helped quiet the crowd some heading into the fourth and gave South Dakota State a little life with 10 minutes left.
The Jackrabbits severely struggled through three quarters to get anyone else going offensively, with Meyer shooting 9-for-11 from the field and the rest of the team combining to go 7-for-25, including a 3-for-14 mark from deep.
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Mission accomplished
Robles and Joyce put the icing on the cake for arguably the Coyotes’ biggest win of the season, depending on your view of the victory over Kansas State. The duo each hit more big shots to open the fourth despite the Jackrabbits switching it up to a 3-2 zone.
Robles hit 1,000 career points on one of her two triples early in the fourth quarter.
South Dakota milked the clock for most of the remainder of the quarter after a Robles triple opened up a 14-point lead, then watched the Jackrabbits continue to miss from deep.
The Coyotes also forced 16 South Dakota State turnovers and were able to waste a monster game from Meyer, who finished with 27 points.
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Robles ended the game with 25 points, including a 6-for-7 effort from deep.
The South Dakota senior and the rest of her teammates were able to exit the game a little early to celebrate on their bench as the clock ticked to zero.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota pulls off upset over SDSU women’s basketball
