South Dakota’s women’s basketball team made a strong start to the Summit League season, securing a 67-47 victory over Kansas City at the Swinney Center. This win marked the second consecutive season where the Coyotes began their conference campaign with a win under head coach Carrie Eighmey.

Molly Joyce was instrumental in the Coyotes’ success, taking control of the offense early in the first quarter. She started the game with an impressive 4-for-4 shooting from the field and scored 11 points by the end of the first quarter. Joyce finished the game with a season-high 21 points, which was the most she has ever scored in a Coyote uniform. She shot 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range.

South Dakota led 20-13 after the first quarter, ending the period on a 7-0 scoring run. Elise Turrubiates contributed to this run with a layup that extended the lead to nine points. The Coyotes maintained a lead of at least five points for the rest of the game. At halftime, South Dakota had a 33-23 advantage, with Joyce leading all scorers with 13 points. Alex Flattery also had a strong first half, contributing six points and seven rebounds, including four offensive boards.

The Coyotes continued their dominance in the third quarter, extending their lead to 17 points. Josie Hill capped off the third quarter with a layup on an in-bound play with just 1.1 seconds remaining, making the score 52-35. South Dakota stretched their lead to 23 points with 2:12 left in the game, which was the largest margin of the contest.

Defensively, South Dakota performed exceptionally well, holding Kansas City to 32.1% shooting (17-53), which was over 11% below their season average. Kansas City, known for shooting 37.3% from three-point range, only attempted nine three-point shots in the game.

In addition to Joyce’s 21 points, Angelina Robles added 12 points and four assists. Flattery contributed eight points and nine rebounds, while Patience Williams recorded seven rebounds and six points. Jenna Hopp returned to the lineup after missing three games due to injury, tallying six points and four rebounds. South Dakota shot 39.7% (25-63) from the field and 40% (8-20) from three-point range. The Coyotes only attempted nine free throws but made all of them.

With this win, South Dakota improved to 11-4 on the season, matching last season’s win total at the halfway point of this season. Saturday’s game marked the Coyotes’ ninth 20+ point victory of the season.

South Dakota will face their first home conference game of the season on Thursday when they host Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

Notable Highlights

• South Dakota is 11-4 on the season, 1-0 in conference play, and 4-3 on the road.
• The Coyotes are now 13-5 all-time against Kansas City.
• Molly Joyce totaled a season-high 21 points, marking her first 20-point game as a Coyote.
• Angelina Robles scored 12 points, her 12th double-digit scoring game of the season.
• Defensively, USD held their opponent under 50 points for the sixth time this season.
• USD won the rebounding battle (39-36) for the 11th time this season.
• The Coyotes earned their ninth 20-plus point victory of the season.