South Dakota State shot 71.4 percent from the field in the second half and ended the game on a 10-0 run to pull past Northern Iowa, 61-49, Saturday afternoon in non-conference women’s basketball action.
In posting their third consecutive win, the Jackrabbits improved to 6-4 overall. UNI dropped to 4-5 on the season.
Trailing 33-26 early in the second half, SDSU regained the lead with its first 10-0 run of the stanza behind the play of Megan Waytashek. The sophomore wing from Lino Lakes, Minn, drew SDSU within one at 33-32 on a three-pointer and put the Jackrabbits ahead 36-33 with a basket inside the paint.
The game would be tied four times down the stretch, the last at 45-all, before Katie Lingle gave the Jackrabbits the lead for good at 47-45 with a basket in the lane. A three-pointer by Waytashek put SDSU up by four before Jacqui Kalin’s jumper before the shot clock buzzer pulled the Panthers back to within two at 51-49 with 4 minutes and 58 seconds to play.
SDSU dominated the rest of the way as Ashley Eide jump-started the decisive run with a three-pointer, followed by a Waytashek basket. The Jackrabbits delivered the knockout blow as Leah Dietel scored off a side-court inbounds play from Lingle with one second on the shot clock.
Waytashek got the Jackrabbits off to a good start by scoring the team’s first seven points. A Rachel Walters three-pointer gave SDSU its largest lead of the first half at 12-8.
However, the Jackrabbits went scoreless over the next nine minutes as UNI gained the lead. The Panthers led by as many as eight points, 22-14, before the Jackrabbits gained a measure of momentum with a 7-0 run to pull back to within a point late in the half. UNI scored the final five points of the opening frame to lead 27-21 at intermission.
Waytashek finished with a career-high 23 points. Eide tallied 15 and Lingle added 12.
SDSU made 15-of-21 attempts from the field in the second half to finish the afternoon 23-of-48 overall, for a season-best 47.9 percent. The Jackrabbits were 7-of-18 on three-point attempts, but only 8-of-15, 53.3 percent at the free throw line.
The Jackrabbits dominated in the rebounding department, holding a 42-27 advantage on the boards. Sophomore point guard Gabby Boever recorded a career-high eight rebounds to lead SDSU.
UNI, which missed its last eight shots from the field, ended the day 19-of-56 from the floor, 33.9 percent. The Panthers made only 4-of-21 long-range attempts and were 7-of-11 at the line.
Kalin was the lone player in double figures for UNI with 21. Amber Kirschbaum notched a game-high nine rebounds.
The Jackrabbits return to action Dec. 16 with a game at nationally ranked Penn State.
Courtesy: Jason Hove, SDSU
