USD Advances In WBI Tournament

by KDLT Sports
March 21, 2013 11:14 PM


LOGAN, Utah—South Dakota forward Nicole Seekamp scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Coyotes to a 77-69 win against Utah State in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Thursday at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. It was the most points scored by a Coyote since 2004 and tied the 12th-highest, single-game point total in program history.

It was the Coyotes (18-15) sixth win in their last seven games and it avenges an early-season loss to the Aggies at the Spectrum. South Dakota advances in the tournament and will play Lamar (22-10) at 3 p.m. Sunday in Beaumont, Texas. The Lady Cards beat Presbyterian 70-48 in their first-round game Wednesday.

Seekamp, the Summit League Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scored 28 second-half points on 9 of 10 shooting in rallying the Coyotes from a 32-24 halftime deficit. She made 11 of 16 shots overall, including four three-pointers, and was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. She also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

USD point guard Alexis Yackley had a career-high 11 rebounds to go with nine assists and two points. Polly Harrington had 15 points and eight rebounds. Tempestt Wilson added 12 points.

Utah State (18-14) got 25 points from Jennifer Schlott and 16 from Devyn Christensen, the nation’s 17th-leading scorer. Christensen had 25 points in a win against USD earlier this season, but was 6 of 22 from the field Thursday.

The Aggies entered the contest as the nation’s fifth-highest scoring team, but shot 35 percent from the field, including a 5 of 24 effort from beyond the arc. South Dakota was 7 of 17 from three-point range and shot 42 percent from the field. The Coyotes made 17 of 26 shots in the second half (65 percent).

Courtesy: USD Sports Information