Coyote women take down rival Jackrabbits
Hustle plays and rebounding have been a focus for the University of South Dakota women’s basketball team as of late, which payed off for the team Saturday as they earned an 82-78 win against rival South Dakota State.
“This game showed we didn’t just settle on making or missing shots, and it showed we are working more on defense now, rather focusing on our offensive game,” senior guard Nicole Seekamp said following the game.
The Coyotes began the game with an early lead, but let it slip in the first half. SDSU was up by 10 points until junior guard Heidi Hoff scored seven points at the end of the first half.
“She made some big plays and played with confidence, and it was great to see,” Head Coach Amy Williams said.
The Coyotes started the second half outscoring SDSU 9-2 to battle back from the first half, increasing their shooting percentage and rebounding more than the Jacks in the second half.
“We just have to treat the second half like it is 0-0,” Seekamp said. “It sparked us and we managed to carry it through the half.”
Junior guard Tia Hemiller then hit two back-to-back three-point shots, snagged an offensive rebound and led a couple defensive plays at the end of the second half.
“Those big plays kind of sparked our team — to know even though (Hemiller) didn’t play great the first half that she was still fighting — which showed us that we need to keep fighting and we managed to pull through,” Seekamp said.
Senior guard Raeshel Contreras continued the Coyote spark and ended the game with 32 points.
“Her biggest goal this year was to be more consistent, and she has been able to do that,” Williams said.
The Coyotes’ victory against the in-state rivals continues the team’s week of consistent wins.
“Being from South Dakota, this was a really big game for me,” Hoff said. “I really just wanted to do anything I could.”
The Coyotes improve to 14-4 (4-1 Summit League) with the win against SDSU, dropping the Jackrabbits to 12-7 (3-3).
“This is a fun win for the team, and most importantly, we were able to take care of our home court,” Williams said. “I’m really proud of the way our team fought and handled adversity from tip off until the buzzer.”
The Coyotes hit the road Jan. 22 to face Fort Wayne in Indiana with tipoff at 6 p.m.
(Photo: Junior guard Tia Hemiller drives to the hoop during the Jan. 17 game against South Dakota State in the DakotaDome. The Coyotes won 82-78. Austin Ashlock / The Volante)
