South Dakota women’s basketball ended its run in the Summit League Tournament with a 74-59 loss to South Dakota State in the semifinals at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls on Saturday.
The Coyotes, seeking to avenge a recent regular season defeat by their rivals, saw three players reach double figures. Angelina Robles led with 18 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Elise Turrubiates recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Molly Joyce contributed 17 points and four assists.
South Dakota State started strong with a 20-10 lead, but South Dakota narrowed the gap to six by the end of the first quarter. The Coyotes briefly took their only lead at 25-24 after a jumper from Robles early in the second quarter. Turrubiates later put USD ahead again at 29-27, but this was their last advantage of the game. SDSU closed out the half with a five-point edge following a late jumper.
In the third quarter, South Dakota State extended its lead quickly to 13 points. The Coyotes responded with consecutive three-pointers from Tori Schlagel and Patience Williams to reduce the deficit, but SDSU finished strong to maintain control heading into the fourth quarter.
South Dakota State finished shooting 41% from the field compared to South Dakota’s 40%. The Jackrabbits also dominated rebounding, holding a 44-29 advantage.
With this result, South Dakota’s record moves to 23-9 for the season as they await news of any postseason opportunities. Their improvement of twelve wins over last season ranks as one of Division I’s top four improvements this year.
“Angelina Robles led USD with 18 points, her 17th time leading USD in scoring this season.”
“Elise Turrubiates secured her team-leading fifth double-double, totaling 12 points and 11 rebounds.”
“Molly Joyce tallied 17 points and added four assists for the Yotes.”
###
