Cowgirls Defeat Coyotes in WNIT Super 16
The South Dakota Coyotes women’s basketball team finished its regular season March 2 in a 65-54 victory over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. They were in the postseason until Mar. 29.
Earlier this season, South Dakota competed in the Summit League tournament where South Dakota State beat the Coyotes 76-63 in the semifinals.
The Coyotes then received and accepted an invitation to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), a 48-team bracket where teams bid against one another to host games at their home courts.
In the first round of the tournament, South Dakota faced off against UC Riverside at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. South Dakota won 72-57 over the Highlanders to advance to the second round.
UC Riverside’s senior guard Jordan Webster led all scorers with 19 points for the Highlanders. Redshirt senior forward Matehya Bryant also scored 17 points along with eight rebounds.
The Coyotes’ sophomore forward Carly Duffney led the Coyotes during the game with 15 points, making her one of four double-digit scorers in the game. South Dakota’s junior guard Grace Larkins had eight points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
In the second round, South Dakota won at home against Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks held a lead of 37-31 at halftime. The Coyotes came back in the second half, winning 79-65.
The Lumberjacks’ junior guard Leia Beattie led the way for the Lumberjacks with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Sophie Glancey had 13 points and four blocks.
Leading the way for South Dakota, Larkins had a career high of 34 points as well as 12 rebounds. Three other Coyotes scored in the double digits as South Dakota went 27 for 28 from the free-throw line in the game.
In the Super 16, the Coyotes traveled to Laramie, Wyoming facing off against Wyoming. South Dakota’s run in the WNIT ended there as they lost 84-52 to the Cowgirls.
The Cowgirls’ junior center Allyson Fertig led the Cowgirls scoring 24 points and 11 rebounds with two blocks. Five Cowgirls scored in double digits during the game against the Coyotes.
Duffney copied Fertig with 24 points and 11 rebounds with two blocks, but it was not enough for South Dakota to overcome Wyoming as their season finally came to an end.
