MARQUETTE, WISC. – Points were few and far between for the South Dakota State women’s basketball team in their season opener. They fell to No. 19 Marquette by a 91-52 score.
It was the perfect storm of unfortunate turns for the Jacks.
Defensively, Marquette forced over 24 turnovers. The pressure impacted the Jacks ability to find a rhythm throughout the entirety of the game.
“We knew (defensive pressure) was coming, we practiced it in practice, I think we just got frazzled,” redshirt junior forward Tagyn Larson said in a post-game radio interview.
As a team, the Jacks shot 35 percent from the field and never held a lead.
“Offensively, we were just disconnected,” head coach Aaron Johnston said. “We really didn’t play well with any kind of a plan.”
Tagyn Larson led the way offensively for the Jacks with 10 points. Larson also contributed three rebounds and two assists.
Senior guard Macy Miller couldn’t find her footing throughout the game and made only two shots on 10 attempts. She connected on a three-pointer and contributed seven points and four rebounds. Miller also committed three turnovers.
Madison Guebert, who sits second in Jackrabbit history for three-point field goals, also couldn’t find a rhythm. Guebert missed all five of her three-point attempts. She contributed six points, two rebounds and an assist.
Offensively, 52 points is the lowest number an SDSU women’s team has scored since Nov. 18, 2017 when they scored 41 against Green Bay.
“50 points isn’t going to get it done with this schedule,” Johnston said.
By halftime, the lead for the Golden Eagles was as large as 19 and they never looked back. The lead allowed Johnston to play all 13 players. 12 of the 13 scored at least two points for the Jacks.
It wasn’t just the offense where the Jacks had their shortcomings.
On defense, the Jacks weren’t able to slow down the tempo of Marquette. The Golden Eagles shot 52 percent from the field and connected on 13 three-pointers.
“We just weren’t ready for the caliber of offense that they played,” Larson said.
Marquette led for 39:34 and their lead grew to as large as 43 in the fourth quarter.
“We hope that there is a certain edge and motivation after a loss like this, cause it isn’t fun,” Johnston said after the game.
Up next, the Jacks will host the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at 7 p.m., Nov. 9 at Frost Arena
FGCU is ranked as the No. 8 team in the www.CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Top 25, while the Jacks sit as the No. 2 team.
“Florida Gulf Coast isn’t going to be any easier than these guys,” Larson said.
