South Dakota women's basketball cruises to another dominant Summit League win, beats NDSU 65-38
South Dakota cruised to yet another dominant conference win in basketball this weekend.
USD’s 65-38 blowout of North Dakota State Saturday at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center was the second game in a row in which the Coyotes were afforded the opportunity to give big minutes to the end-of-rotation players, removing most of their starters early in the fourth quarter.
Like many of their wins throughout the conference schedule, it was won by a balanced effort on both ends of the floor. Yet the lopsided score was a result of another low-scoring output allowed by the South Dakota defense.
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USD hasn’t allowed an opponent to score 60 points yet in conference play, holding opponents to under 50 points twice and under 40 points once (Saturday). Chloe Lamb produced an explosive offensive performance, scoring 27 points on 10-16 shooting and didn’t even play much of the fourth quarter. Hannah Sjerven added nine points, five rebounds and a block as 10 Coyotes scored a basket Saturday.
Lamb was complemented by more hot shooting by the Coyotes, who shot 39% from 3-point range through their three conference games prior to Saturday and shot 40% from long range Saturday. Through four wins in USD’s conference slate, they have outscored opponents 307-200.
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USD didn’t even need a fast start to push past the Bison. They finished the first quarter tied at 11 points after shooting just 26.7% in the opening period. But then Lamb exploded for 14 points in the second quarter and USD grew its lead to nearly 20 by halftime.
The best defense in the Summit League held North Dakota State to 29.8% shooting overall. The first quarter was close, but like the rest of USD’s conference opponents so far, they hardly had a chance.
Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota women's basketball tops North Dakota State with 65-38 win
