DENVER, Colo. – A strong shooting night from the South Dakota State women’s basketball team lifted the Jackrabbits to a 71-55 win over Denver Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Gymnasium.
The Jacks shot 58% in the win, going above .500 for the fifth straight game and 13th time this season. Seniors Madison Mathiowetz and Brooklyn Meyer combined to go 17-for-22 in the contest.
Mathiowetz finished with at least 20 points for the second straight game, putting up 23 on a 9-of-12 shooting effort. The senior also grabbed four rebounds and had one steal. Meyer contributed a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double to go with three blocks, two steals and two assists.
The Jackrabbits led 13-5 late in the opening quarter following an 11-2 stretch the included five points from Hadley Thul. SDSU maintained the edge until a six-point run for Denver cut the deficit to just one, 19-18, early in the second quarter. The Jacks outscored the Pioneers 14-5 over the final eight minutes of the first half to lead 33-23 at the break.
After halftime, SDSU quickly stretched its lead to 18 with 10 of the first 12 points of the third quarter. The Jacks went up by as many as 26 during the fourth quarter, then the Pioneers cut it to 16 with a push over the final two minutes.
Thul also reached double figures for SDSU, finishing with 10 points, and had a team-high three steals. Hilary Behrens grabbed seven rebounds and gave out four assists.
Despite a strong shooting effort, South Dakota State turned the ball over 22 times, which resulted in 28 points for the Pioneers. Denver shot .302 for the game. The Jackrabbits out-rebounded the Pios 39-25 and had a 16-9 edge in assists.
Denver’s Coryn Watts poured in 26 points with an 8-for-12 afternoon from the 3-point line.
South Dakota State improves to 22-6 overall and 12-2 in Summit League action. Denver is no 10-18 on the year and 4-11 against conference opponents.
NOTES
The victory was the 650th of head coach Aaron Johnston‘s career. He is the 12th active head coach to reach 650 wins.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State plays at North Dakota State Wednesday night, then returns home to Brookings to host South Dakota for Senior Day on Saturday.
Story Provided by GoJacks.com
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