USD’s women’s basketball (2-0) earned its second consecutive win to open the season, defeating Green Bay (1-1) 66-60 inside the Kress Center in Green Bay on Saturday.
The Coyotes ended the first half tied at 22 but used a strong second half — spearheaded by senior guard Ciara Duffy who fell two assists shy of a triple-double — to secure the road victory. Duffy, who moved into USD’s top ten in all-time scoring with 1,306 points after the contest, finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. She also earned Summit League player of the week honors for her effort.
Both teams struggled to find an edge through the first three quarters of action, the game seeing seven ties and the Coyotes trailing the Phoenix by one point entering the fourth quarter.
However, USD held Green Bay scoreless through the first 5:22 of the fourth and went on an eight-point run of its own to stretch the lead to 51-43. USD held on for the remaining five minutes to secure the win, Duffy connecting on five free throws in the final minute to ice the game.
Junior guards Monica Arens and Chloe Lamb poured in 14 and 10 points, respectively, in a combined 65 minutes of game action. Junior center Hannah Sjerven tallied eight points and eight rebounds.
Green Bay senior guard Frankie Wurtz had a career-high game, scoring 24 points along with 12 boards while keeping Green Bay in contention for a majority of the game.
As a unit, USD shot 41.2% (21-of-51) from the field while subsequently holding Green Bay to 36.4% (24-of-66) shooting.
The Coyotes host Drake (2-0) in their home opener inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Wednesday. Drake’s wins have come against South Dakota State and Iowa State this season. Both USD and Drake are receiving votes to enter the NCAA top 25 rankings, Drake with 24 and USD with 11.
