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Western Illinois University Athletics

Danni Nichols
Sarah Twidwell
49
Western Illinois WIU 8-13, 4-4 Summit
92
Winner South Dakota USD 19-3, 7-1 Summit
Western Illinois WIU
8-13, 4-4 Summit
49
Final
92
South Dakota USD
19-3, 7-1 Summit
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Illinois WIU 11 7 20 11 49
South Dakota USD 23 25 23 21 92

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Leathernecks Wrap First Half of Summit League Play at South Dakota

Western continues part two of league action Friday against North Dakota.

VERMILLION, S.D. – The Western Illinois women's basketball team concluded the first half of its Summit League schedule Saturday (Jan. 26) in a 92-49 setback at South Dakota.  

"South Dakota is an awfully good team and they showed it," said head coach JD Gravina. "A team like South Dakota is going to be able to score their points, but our lack of offensive movement, lack of spacing and timing, needed to be better. The rhythm on our shooting in the first half was just terrible; it was better in the second half, and we actually knocked down some threes. 

"We can't lose our confidence. We have a huge week coming up with the North Dakota schools but what we have to do is continue to get better and try to compete in the middle of the pack of the league."

Olivia Kaufmann registered all five of Western's points at the 7:23 mark of the opening quarter where the score sat tied at 5-5. Following the junior guard's old-fashioned 3-point play, the Coyotes embarked on an 8-0 run, interrupted by a Danni Nichols trey, but by the end of the frame, Western trailed 23-11. 

The Leathernecks finished the quarter shooting an uncharacteristic 28.6 percent from the floor (4-for-14) –  nearly all of their shots contested by a taller Coyote team – and the struggles continued into the second as they were held scoreless through the midpoint of the stanza.  

At halftime, South Dakota held a 48-18 lead.  

Coming out of the break, Western posted eight unanswered points en route to a quarter-high 20, which was more than the first two frames combined.  

Nichols finished the game leading Western in scoring for the second time in as many games with a team-high 16 points, and Annabel Graettinger joined her in double-figures (10). 

The Leathernecks will return to Western Hall next week for a pair of games against North Dakota (Feb. 1) and North Dakota State (Feb. 3). The Purple & Gold went 1-for-2 in their trip to N.D. a few weeks ago with a 68-60 setback against the Bison and a 92-80 victory over the Hawks. 





 
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