VERMILLION, S.D. (USD) — South Dakota’s stout defense held Valparaiso to just eight field goals in a 51-31 victory on a chilly Friday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
South Dakota (6-4) forced 23 turnovers, held Valparaiso (0-9) to 20 percent from the field and did not allow an offensive rebound in the win.
The trio of super seniors in Chloe Lamb, Liv Korngable and Hannah Sjerven reached double-figures and accounted for 31 of USD’s 51 points. Six of Lamb’s game-high 11 points came in a third-quarter run where the Coyotes outscored the Beacons 22-7, including 12 unanswered points to start the second half.
Second-year freshman guard Maddie Krull tallied eight points and freshman Grace Larkins added five in the fourth quarter.
Valparaiso was led by Grace White’s nine points, six of which came at the charity stripe. Shay Frederick surpassed 1,000 career points in the game for the Beacons. She finished next on the team with eight points.
South Dakota shot 35.7 percent (20-of-56) from the field and made 8-of-8 from the line. Valparaiso shot 20.5 percent (8-of-39) form the floor and made 10-of-10 from the stripe.
The Coyotes had 17 more shot opportunities than the Beacons, in part due to 10 offensive boards. South Dakota outrebounded Valparaiso 38-25 in the game. Second-year freshman Kyah Watson was all over the glass on Friday night, pulling down 11 caroms to tie her career high. She also tallied three steals and handed out a pair of assists in the game.
South Dakota held a 32-4 edge on points in the paint and outscored Valparaiso 17-5 in points-off turnovers.
Next up for the Coyotes is the final nonconference game of the season, with South Dakota traveling to Creighton next Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. The Coyote women start the Summit slate on the road at Oral Roberts on Dec. 20.
