Mar. 2—VERMILLION, S.D. — Junior guard Grace Larkins flirted with a triple-double yet again in leading South Dakota to a 65-54 win over North Dakota on Senior Day women’s basketball victory on Saturday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
South Dakota (20-11, 9-7 Summit) has reached 20 wins in eight of the last 10 seasons. The Coyotes’ four seniors, consisting of Morgan Hansen, Nicole Avila-Ambrosi, Madison Grange and Tori DePerry, were recognized ahead of Saturday’s tip-off.
Larkins recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the game. It marks her fifth double-double of the season. DePerry joined her in double figures for senior day with 11 points and four rebounds.
North Dakota (9-20, 5-11 Summit) senior guard Kacie Borowicz scored 25 points on 8-of-26 shooting to lead the Fighting Hawks. She scored her 2,000th career point in the game. Forward Kiera Pemberton recorded a double-double for UND with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Nakiyah Hurst added 10 points off the bench.
The Coyotes scored on the opening possession and never looked back in leading the entirety of the game. USD led 15-9 after the first quarter with six points off turnovers.
UND had closed the lead to four by halftime, but the Coyotes stormed out of the break on a 15-2 run to extend the lead to 17. Larkins scored or handed out the assist on each basket during the run. South Dakota’s largest lead of the game was 18 points with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
South Dakota shot 35.5 percent (22-of-62) from the floor while North Dakota made 30.6 percent (19-of-62). Neither team made more than 20 percent from 3. The Coyotes outscored the Fighting Hawks 34-20 in the paint.
The Coyotes have locked in the No. 4 seed for the upcoming Summit League Tournament. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, March 10, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Coyotes will play either St. Thomas or Denver in that first game.
