Women’s Basketball to Play in Big Sky-Summit Challenge

The South Dakota Coyotes women’s basketball team has revealed their nonconference schedule for the 2023-2024 season. The Coyotes will play 16 games out of conference before Summit League play begins in late December.

The Coyotes will open the season with an exhibition game against Wayne State on Oct. 30 at home in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (SCSC). On Nov. 6, the Coyotes will play their first regular season game against Division-II Northern State. 

The Coyotes will then face Big East foe in the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha on Nov. 10. Creighton qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2023 and advanced to the Elite 8 in 2022. Creighton defeated the Coyotes 74-51 in their last contest in Vermillion last November.

The Coyotes will then host Northern Colorado at home on November 14. This is the second part of a home/home agreement for the two as Northern Colorado took last year’s matchup 72-65. 

The Coyotes will then travel to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament featuring Michigan, Middle Tennessee and Depaul. The last time the Coyotes played Michigan was in the Sweet 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament where the Wolverines were victorious 52-49. 

After Thanksgiving, the Coyotes season will continue with a game against South Carolina State. This game will take place at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD.

Northern Iowa comes to Vermillion to face the Coyotes next. Then South Dakota will travel to California to face Loyola Marymount and come back home to face Dickinson State.

Mount Marty will take the 30-minute drive to face the Coyotes. The team will then travel to Tennessee to face UT Martin.

The Coyotes will then return home to play Bradley Dec. 20. 

After two conference games against North Dakota State and Omaha, the Coyotes will participate in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge where they will head on the road to play Montana (Jan. 3) and host Idaho State (Jan. 6).

Photo Credit: The Volante | Sydney Johnson