Ariy-El Boynton

Some of the SDSU faithful, 1,552 in attendance, may have called Thursday’s win against University of Texas Pan-America an “ugly” victory, but any time your team wins eight games in a row, the victory is very “pretty.”

The Lady Jacks improved to 19-5 on the season with a 78-55 victory against UTPA, dropping the Lady Broncos to 10-16 this year.

To most teams, a win by 23 points may seem like a blowout. However, after beating the last three opponents by an average of 53 points, 23 seemed a little closer than normal.

“It is very hard to play back to back to back great games in a row,” said senior Megan Vogel.

Shots that were going in the previous three games fell short for the Jacks. Still, they made clutch baskets when needed.

The Lady Broncos incorporated fast defense, and were a high-pressured opponent. Head Coach DeAnn Craft’s up-tempo defensive style put heavy pressure on the Jackrabbits every time they touched the ball. The Lady Jackrabbits countered with well-placed spacing, driving the holes in the Lady Broncos’ zone and hitting key shots.

The Lady Broncos showed no let up though, and never backed down. Even during timeouts, the Lady Broncos did not leave the court, setting up tactics while conversing on the court.

SDSU Head Coach Aaron Johnston said the two teams have a similar style of play, which helped the Lady Broncos prepare for SDSU. He credits his players for preparing well for the game.

Unlike the past four games, the Jacks experienced somewhat of a shock, falling behind to begin the game. But the Lady Jacks took the steering wheel and remained in control the rest of the game. The Jacks went on a 21-3 run mid-way through the first half, creating a comfortable lead. The Jacks would not trail again. UTPA trimmed the lead to as small as seven points with three minutes left in the first half, but the Jacks responded. Andrea Verdegan capped off an 11-0 run when she drained a 3-pointer from way downtown with six seconds left in the first half.

Converting of turnovers was essential for the Jackrabbits, scoring 15 points off turnovers during the first half, while UTPA only scored four points off SDSU turnovers in the first half.

Four SDSU players scored in double digits, but Vogel was the story of the night again. She continued her great play with brilliant control of the basketball and even better leadership. Vogel became the second highest scorer of all-time at SDSU, and now ranks third all-time in 3-pointers. She needs 28 more 3-pointers to move into second place all-time and needs 124 points to move all alone into first place all-time for career points.

With every victory, the Jacks move ever closer to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

“We need to play the teams we have left, hopefully playing well, and we will get a bid,” said junior Courtney Grimsrud.

The Lady Jackrabbits try for victory number nine in a row when they take on Utah Valley State on Feb. 17 at 7:00 p.m. on the campus of South Dakota State University.