- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,287
- Reaction score
- 59
Mar. 3—VERMILLION, S.D. — The postseason has arrived for the University of South Dakota women's basketball team, and despite a humbling regular-season finale, the Coyotes believe their body of work has positioned them for a deep March run.
USD clinched the No. 3 seed in the Summit League Tournament after finishing 12-4 in conference play. The Coyotes were in the hunt for the No. 2 seed entering Saturday's showdown with in-state rival South Dakota State, but the Jackrabbits showcased their championship pedigree with an 82-49 win in Brookings to close out the regular season.
The lopsided defeat was a strong contrast to USD's 19-point victory over SDSU earlier this year in Vermillion, a result that signaled the Coyotes could contend with the league's perennial power. Instead, the rematch served as a reminder of how sharp teams must be entering March.
And for South Dakota head coach Carrie Eighmey, she sees the postseason as an opportunity to regroup.
"It's a natural reset, I think, to get into the postseason," Eighmey said. "It's really a new season for everybody, so there's definitely some things we need to clean up this week on both ends of the floor. And we feel like we can play better basketball than maybe we did at the end of this past week."
With the three-seed secured, South Dakota will face No. 6-seeded Denver at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. The Coyotes swept the regular-season series, winning by 20 at home and grinding out an 11-point road victory in Denver.
Still, Eighmey is cautious of satisfaction.
"In the postseason, you can't overlook anybody," Eighmey said. "That's why we play in March and that's why it is called March Madness because anything can happen. And honestly, that second game that we played there (in Denver), we were down for most of the game until we pulled away at the end. So, I think our team understands that it's not like we blew them out and they have plenty of firepower to beat us."
Offensively, the Coyotes have leaned on a balanced attack all season. Denver transfer Angelina Robles has been the catalyst, leading USD with 15.7 points per game — fifth-best in the Summit — while also pacing the team with 3.1 assists per contest and 40 total steals.
Molly Joyce adds 12.7 points per game, providing a great 1-2 scoring punch alongside Robles, while Elise Turrubiates contributes 9.2 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per outing. Patience Williams helps anchor the interior with Turrubiates at 7.7 points per game, 7.1 rebounds and 22 total blocks on the year.
The team's offensive production has fueled a significant step forward in Eighmey's second year at the helm, and USD will need every ounce of its efficiency across the board to assist its No. 1-ranked defense in the league at 58.4 points given up per contest. The Coyotes have positioned themselves as part of what could be a three-team race on a neutral floor with top-seeded North Dakota State and No. 2 SDSU, who are more than capable of challenging the league's elite when clicking on both ends.
"You want to get the highest seed you can possibly get, so obviously, not getting the 2-seed is a little bit disappointing just because you get an extra day of rest," Eighmey said. "But it is what is, and our team has worked really hard over the course of the entire season to earn a 3-seed so we feel good about that and we are eager to compete."
But history says the road to the conference title still runs through SDSU. The Jackrabbits have won the tournament in each of the past three seasons and enter this year's bracket after knocking off two of the top-three seeds in the Bison and Coyotes to cap their regular season.
For South Dakota to make a title push, it must first put its latest tough loss behind it and focus on the task at hand against Denver. If the Coyotes respond on Friday, a third showdown with the Jacks — series tied at 1-1 this season — likely awaits in Saturday's semifinals and a spot on the line in Sunday's championship game.
"You want to go into the conference tournament with the mindset of feeling confident, but also making sure you are fundamentally sound and your mindset is on doing the little things right," Eighmey said. "I think that is really what allows teams to be successful in the postseason, and that is what we're going to do. We're going to need a pretty good version of our team to be able to survive and advance."
Continue reading...
USD clinched the No. 3 seed in the Summit League Tournament after finishing 12-4 in conference play. The Coyotes were in the hunt for the No. 2 seed entering Saturday's showdown with in-state rival South Dakota State, but the Jackrabbits showcased their championship pedigree with an 82-49 win in Brookings to close out the regular season.
The lopsided defeat was a strong contrast to USD's 19-point victory over SDSU earlier this year in Vermillion, a result that signaled the Coyotes could contend with the league's perennial power. Instead, the rematch served as a reminder of how sharp teams must be entering March.
And for South Dakota head coach Carrie Eighmey, she sees the postseason as an opportunity to regroup.
"It's a natural reset, I think, to get into the postseason," Eighmey said. "It's really a new season for everybody, so there's definitely some things we need to clean up this week on both ends of the floor. And we feel like we can play better basketball than maybe we did at the end of this past week."
With the three-seed secured, South Dakota will face No. 6-seeded Denver at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. The Coyotes swept the regular-season series, winning by 20 at home and grinding out an 11-point road victory in Denver.
Still, Eighmey is cautious of satisfaction.
"In the postseason, you can't overlook anybody," Eighmey said. "That's why we play in March and that's why it is called March Madness because anything can happen. And honestly, that second game that we played there (in Denver), we were down for most of the game until we pulled away at the end. So, I think our team understands that it's not like we blew them out and they have plenty of firepower to beat us."
Offensively, the Coyotes have leaned on a balanced attack all season. Denver transfer Angelina Robles has been the catalyst, leading USD with 15.7 points per game — fifth-best in the Summit — while also pacing the team with 3.1 assists per contest and 40 total steals.
Molly Joyce adds 12.7 points per game, providing a great 1-2 scoring punch alongside Robles, while Elise Turrubiates contributes 9.2 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per outing. Patience Williams helps anchor the interior with Turrubiates at 7.7 points per game, 7.1 rebounds and 22 total blocks on the year.
The team's offensive production has fueled a significant step forward in Eighmey's second year at the helm, and USD will need every ounce of its efficiency across the board to assist its No. 1-ranked defense in the league at 58.4 points given up per contest. The Coyotes have positioned themselves as part of what could be a three-team race on a neutral floor with top-seeded North Dakota State and No. 2 SDSU, who are more than capable of challenging the league's elite when clicking on both ends.
"You want to get the highest seed you can possibly get, so obviously, not getting the 2-seed is a little bit disappointing just because you get an extra day of rest," Eighmey said. "But it is what is, and our team has worked really hard over the course of the entire season to earn a 3-seed so we feel good about that and we are eager to compete."
But history says the road to the conference title still runs through SDSU. The Jackrabbits have won the tournament in each of the past three seasons and enter this year's bracket after knocking off two of the top-three seeds in the Bison and Coyotes to cap their regular season.
For South Dakota to make a title push, it must first put its latest tough loss behind it and focus on the task at hand against Denver. If the Coyotes respond on Friday, a third showdown with the Jacks — series tied at 1-1 this season — likely awaits in Saturday's semifinals and a spot on the line in Sunday's championship game.
"You want to go into the conference tournament with the mindset of feeling confident, but also making sure you are fundamentally sound and your mindset is on doing the little things right," Eighmey said. "I think that is really what allows teams to be successful in the postseason, and that is what we're going to do. We're going to need a pretty good version of our team to be able to survive and advance."
Continue reading...
