VERMILLION, S.D. - South Dakota hit 11-of-22 three pointers and held Western Illinois to 34 percent shooting from the field Saturday night (Jan. 21) as the Coyotes defeated the Fighting Leathernecks 78-57 inside the DakotaDome.
The game was the first ever meeting between the schools. The Coyotes (11-6, 3-5 Summit League) are in their inaugural season of The Summit League after leaving The Great West Conference.
Senior forward Brittany Demery had a team-high 14 points for Western Illinois (6-12, 3-5 Summit League). Senior guard Valencia Kelly recorded 12 points and seven rebounds while Sadie Webb collected eight points, six assists and four rebounds. Â Â
South Dakota started the game by hitting 10 of its first 15 shots. The Coyotes shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field overall and held a 42-37 edge in rebounds.Western Illinois was up 10-6 early but USD answered with a 9-0 run to take a 15-10 lead with 15:35 left in the first half. Kelly hit a jumper to cut the gap to 15-12 but the Coyotes scored the next 12 points for a 27-12 lead with 12:25 left in the first half.
Western Illinois trailed 41-30 going into halftime. Kelly led the charge with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting while Demery chipped in 10 at the midway point.
After a South Dakota three-pointer made it 44-32 just 33 seconds into the second half, the Fighting Leathernecks came back with a 13-0 run over the next 3:15 to take their first lead since the early moments of the game at 45-44 at the 16:54 mark.
Michele Salvatori started the run with a pair of free throws and Rebecca Henricson followed with a layup at the 17:39 mark. Saule Kontautaite, Webb and Salvatori hit back-to-back-to-back three pointers to cap the rally.Â
South Dakota quickly regained the lead but Western Illinois was never far behind. Demery knocked down a jumper with 10:03 left to cut the USD lead to 57-50. The Coyotes responded to Demery's jumper with a 9-0 run over the next 3:45 to stretch the lead to 66-50.
The Fighting Leathernecks got no closer than 14 the rest of the way, and a USD layup with 26 seconds left gave the Coyotes their largest lead at 21 points, which was the final spread. Five South Dakota players scored in double figures, led by 22 points from Tempestt Wilson. Jodie Boss (12 points and 13 rebounds) and Amber Hegge (10 points and 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the Coyotes.
Western Illinois concludes the road trip Monday (Jan. 23) when the Fighting Leathernecks take on UMKC. The Kangaroos (14-6, 5-3 Summit League) moved to 9-1 at home Saturday night with a 63-55 win over IUPUI. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City, Mo.
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