The Meyer duo of Paige and Brooklyn carried South Dakota State to another Jackrabbit victory over South Dakota at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls today.
The Jacks started slow, taking just over three minutes to make their first basket from Madison Mathiowetz. The first quarter remained competitive as the lead changed five times. The second quarter saw a stronger offensive output as six straight field goals were made by both teams to start. A buzzer-beater by sophomore forward Carley Duffney put the Coyotes within seven at halftime.
The second half saw the Jacks begin to pull away, getting their lead to double digits off a Madison Mathiowetz buzzer-beater for three at the end of the third. The Coyotes could not bring the game closer than five in the fourth quarter as the Jacks won 76-63.
Paige Meyer put up another impressive performance, scoring 20 points and racking up seven assists and six steals, half of them coming in the fourth quarter. She also went 10-for-12 from the free throw line, her most since a perfect 11-for-11 performance against Northern Arizona in January.
“Coach [Johnston] at half time just kinda said, you know, defense is what’s going to help us win this game, so I think I kinda just took that to heart a little bit and wanted to do what I could do on defense,” Meyer said. The six steals tie her career high she made in her freshman season.
Brooklyn Meyer led the Jacks in scoring with 21, while Madison Mathiowetz reached 10 points for the second consecutive game. The Jacks shot 50% from the court and 35% for three.
“Well, [it’s] fun to get a chance to go play in another tournament championship game,” Johnston said. “I think today is just another great reflection of everything we’ve been doing all year, quite honestly.”
Senior guard Nicole Avila-Ambrosi led the Coyotes in scoring, putting up 16. Not far behind were junior guard Grace Larkins with 15 and Duffney with 12. Foul trouble took place for USD as Avila-Ambrosi and redshirt sophomore center Natalie Mazurek received four fouls each. The Coyotes shot 40% from the court and just 27% for three.
The Jacks will face second-seed North Dakota State in the Summit League Championship game tomorrow, with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
