Dec. 4—BOZEMAN, Mont. — Putting up only 15 points in the first half against the preseason No. 2 team in the Big Sky Conference, the University of South Dakota women’s basketball team was never able to heat up in a 77-46 loss to Montana State on Wednesday in the Big Sky/Summit Challenge at Breeden Fieldhouse.
USD was 2-for-12 from the field in the first quarter and finished 7-for-26 on field goals in the first half but were 0-for-14 from 3-point range and finished 3-for-24 for triples for the game. Montana State was cold early as well but shot over 50% from the field in the middle two quarters, including outscoring USD 27-10 in the second period for a 37-15 intermission lead. The Bobcat edge swelled to as many as 33 points late in the third quarter and Montana State (7-1) was in control for the remainder of the night.
The Coyotes were led by Grace Larkins and Alexi Hempe. Hempe totaled 14 points, her sixth straight game in double figures. Larkins added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Yotes. She has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games, including all nine games this season.
Carley Duffney added six points and tied her career-high with nine rebounds for South Dakota. Olivia Kieffer scored seven points off the bench. Montana State had a 22-5 edge in points off turnovers and a 32-13 advantage in bench scoring in the win. Dylan Philip had a game-high 22 points for the host Bobcats.
USD (3-6) will host the home half of the Big Sky/Summit Challenge at 11 a.m. Saturday when it welcomes Northern Arizona to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The game, originally scheduled for 1 p.m., is now at 11 a.m. to allow for the USD football playoff game at 2 p.m. inside the DakotaDome. Fans can show their ticket to the football game to receive a $5 ticket to the women’s basketball game.
