BROOKINGS The South Dakota State women won their ninth straight game on Sunday afternoon as the Jackrabbits beat Oral Roberts 96-80 at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits (15-5, 7-0) and Golden Eagles (15-6, 6-2) were tied 37-37 at halftime in a battle between the top two teams in the Summit League and SDSU outscored ORU 59-43 in the second half. The game was tied at halftime because the Jacks had 16 first half turnovers and that led to 16 points for ORU.
SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston said his team just needed to take care of the ball better in the second half and they knew theyd be fine.
I think [ORU] covers a lot of ground, so defensively, they make you uncomfortable. But they give up a lot of points too. So its either they force a turnover and get you out of rhythm or you can get some shots. In the second half as we took care of the ball our offense was really good. Even in the first half, we shot close to 50%, but we just didnt get enough shots because of the turnovers. The second half we tried to give them a couple different looks, but it was just more poise shown by the entire team, Johnston said.
The Jacks shot 67.7% in the second half and had just six turnovers in the final 20 minutes. SDSU shot 58.7% from the field for the game and it was the fifth time in the past six games that the Jacks have shot over 48% from the field. Johnston said the recent success on offense has stemmed from being more confident and knowing what kind of shots theyre going to get.
I think were getting better shots. We understand where shots are going to come from [now], so I think our shooters are prepared to make them. Were far enough along in our offensive sets and what we want to do that the team is comfortable in our plan and can anticipate where shots come from and are more confident in making them, Johnston said.
The two teams went back-and-forth for the first five and a half minutes of the game. SDSU then scored eight straight points to go up 17-10 with 2:42 left in the quarter but ORU scored the final seven points of the quarter and it was 17-17 heading into the second.
The Golden Eagles took a 23-18 lead two minutes into the second quarter but SDSU answered with six straight points to regain the lead. The two teams then traded buckets the rest of the quarter to make it a tie game heading into the second half.
SDSU had a strong start to the second half as the Jacks went on a 12-2 run in the first 3:13 and led 49-39. Sophomore forward Brooklyn Meyer, who led SDSU with 27 points on 12-of-13 shooting, said the Jacks just felt the momentum swing to start the second half.
We didnt really change anything with our game plan. We just knew that we had to give our 100% effort the rest of the game. I felt like we had some fun out there and were celebrating plays. We really just had some momentum after halftime, Brooklyn Meyer said.
The Jacks then pushed the lead to 66-51 with 2:27 left in the third but a buzzer beating three from ORUs Hannah Cooper cut the lead to 70-58 heading into the fourth. The Jacks then went on a 15-4 run to begin the fourth and that put the game out of reach.
SDSU had four other players score in double figures. Madison Mathiowetz had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jenna Hopp had 11 points and Madysen Vlastuin had 10 points and six rebounds. Mesa Byom scored 11 points and had seven rebounds off of the bench.
It was the third time in the past five games that Byom has scored in double figures and she said her coaches want her to come in off of the bench and provide a spark for the team.
[Johnston] has been saying, obviously starting strong, but even after that first five [minutes], having a strong start and continuing the momentum for us is really important. So, I just try to do that, Byom said.
Paige Meyer and Tori Nelson each had eight points for the Jacks. Paige Meyer also had 11 assists and five rebounds. Ellie Colbeck had six points.
SDSU was 5-of-18 from three and 17-of-21 at the free throw line. ORU shot 50% from the field and was 3-of-16 from three. The Golden Eagles were 11-of-18 at the charity stripe.
ORU was led by Jalei Oglesby who had 23 points. Cooper had 19 points and Taleyah Jones had 15 points.
SDSU dominated the rebound battle as the Jacks had 45 boards and the Golden Eagles had 18. SDSU had 17 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second chance points. SDSU finished with 22 turnovers that led to 27 ORU points. The Golden Eagles had 12 turnovers that led to 15 points. The Jacks had a 54-40 advantage in points in the paint.
The Jacks were trying to find their footing in the non-conference portion of their schedule as they had to deal with the losses of Haleigh Timmer and Kallie Theisen for the season. SDSU has hit its stride since Christmas as the Jacks are 9-0 since then. Johnston said the confidence of his team has grown tremendously over the past month.
Its been fantastic to see the growth and development and the confidence that our team has shown in what theyre doing individually, but also collectively, Johnston said. Even when we dont play well, our coaches keep noticing this in timeouts, huddles, halftime. When theyre talking to each other, its incredibly positive and supportive. That confidence goes a long way in showing confidence on the court.
Earlier in the year I thought we were a quiet team. We played more in our own bubble. Now, theyre drawing a lot more support off of each other and realize theres a lot of people that make this happen. The way theyve communicated with each other has built our confidence and been important.
SDSU will play two road games this week. The Jacks play at North Dakota State on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Bison are now second place in the Summit League with a 5-1 record in conference play. The Jacks will close out next week in Vermillion on Saturday, taking on South Dakota at 6 p.m.
Sunday was SDSUs Pink Game and the SDSU players wore special pink jerseys that were auctioned off after the game. The proceeds are going to the Edith Sanford Breast Center. Johnston said its always a special day when the Jacks auction off their pink jerseys.
Im really proud to partner with the Edith Sanford Breast Center to try to spread some awareness for breast cancer and quite honestly, anyone whos going through a difficult time. This is kind of a reminder that people are thinking of those that struggle with those challenges and can draw some inspiration or a little bit of joy from watching our team, Johnston said.
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