The South Dakota State women’s basketball team are the 2026 Summit League Tournament champions.
The Jacks defeated the Bison with a score of 64-51 in the championship game Sunday, March 8, to win their fourth straight Summit League Tournament.
NDSU
All three Jackrabbit seniors played key roles in the Jackrabbit win. Brooklyn Meyer, who was named MVP of the tournament, had a game-high 26 points on the day. Meyer also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Ellie Colbeck also played a key role in the absence of Mahli Abdouch. Colbeck had eight points and hit some crucial shots and free throws down the stretch.
Madison Mathiowetz had an unusually quiet game, scoring just six points, but she did have three steals against NDSU.
Even with the quiet game, Mathiowetz was named to the Summit League All-Tournament Team.
“I’m really happy for our seniors,” head coach Aaron Johnston said. “I just think it’s remarkable what they’ve accomplished in their careers. I don’t know where things rank and how they fit in the bigger picture of things, but for these three women to go through their careers and only lose two games in the Summit League regular season and postseason is just remarkable … They’ve been great people. They’ve been great winners.”
The Bison’s star, junior Avery Koenen, was held to 12 points on 4-12 shooting from the floor. Koenen did have a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Jacks got out to a 27-18 lead in the second quarter and after an NDSU push, the lead was just 31-27 at the half.
After controlling most of the game, NDSU came out and grabbed the lead in the third quarter.
With the Jacks trailing 36-34, they regained composure and took back the lead with a score of 42-36.
The Bison kept it close the rest of the game but never regained the lead and the Jacks went on to win.
The Jacks didn’t have an easy path to get to the championship either.
KANSAS CITY
In the first game of the tournament on Thursday, March 5, the Jacks got a 75-61 win over the Kansas City Roos.
In the game, it was the two Jackrabbit seniors leading the way. Meyer had 26 points and nine rebounds in the game, which led the team in both categories.
Mathiowetz contributed 18 points, six rebounds and four assists on the day. Mathiowetz shot 7-15 from the field, including 2-4 from deep. She also went a perfect 2-2 from the line.
After dominating the game, the Jacks got a scare from the Bennett sisters late after they made a push.
The sisters went on a run, outscoring the Jacks 17-5, bringing the score to 71-60. Emani Bennett contributed two of the points on the run, while the rest of the points came from Elauni Bennett.
The Roos push wasn’t enough, and the Jacks moved on with a 75-61 win and moved to the semifinals, where they met the USD Coyotes on Saturday, March 7.
USD
After a tight game throughout the first half, SDSU came out on top in the semifinal matchup against the Coyotes with a 74-59 win.
The Jacks once again leaned on their seniors, with Meyer scoring 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Mathiowetz had 23 points and five rebounds while shooting 7-15 from the floor and 7-8 from the line.
“Maddy and Brooklyn were elite today, as they have been for a long time,” head coach Aaron Johnston said postgame. “It’s fun to watch those two compete out there and make plays and feed off of each other.”
Another Jackrabbit that had a big game was freshman Thul, who didn’t put up big numbers offensively, scoring seven points, but defensively, the freshman had three steals and one block.
UP NEXT
Sunday, March 15 is the announcement date for where and who the Jacks will play in the NCAA Tournament.
