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South Dakota State women rout Denver in Summit League opener. Here are four takeaways

Matt Zimmer, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·4 min read

While they improved to 31-4 all-time in Summit League play with their 86-59 win over Denver in Saturday’s Summit League tournament opener, the South Dakota State women entered the day on a two-game tourney losing streak, having lost the 2020 championship game to USD and been bounced in the first round by 8th-seeded Omaha last year at the Sanford Pentagon.

But it was just like old times on Saturday, as a Denny Sanford Premier Center crowd of 8,075 greeted the Jacks, who coasted to a first-round win that ups their record on the season to 22-8 and moves them one win away from a probably rematch with USD in Tuesday’s tournament championship.

Summit League tournament: Schedule, how to watch, ticket information, game updates

Myah Selland had 26 points, Paiton Burckhard 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Tori Nelson added 15 points. The Jacks shot 50 percent and held a 44-30 rebounding edge. Denver finishes the season at 10-20.

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Here’s what stood out in round one for coach Aaron Johnston’s squad:

SIOUX FALLS, SD - MARCH 5: Myah Selland #44 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits drives for a layup against Tess Santos #22 of the Denver Pioneers during the Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on March 5, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
SIOUX FALLS, SD - MARCH 5: Myah Selland #44 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits drives for a layup against Tess Santos #22 of the Denver Pioneers during the Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on March 5, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)

Myah Selland returns with a vengeance

The Jackrabbit leader and 2021 Summit League MVP missed the last two postseasons with injury. She returned to the Premier Center floor on Saturday coming off a brilliant final month of the regular season and carried that straight into postseason, hitting 10-of-14 shots to score 26, her postseason career-high. Selland was 4-for-6 on 3s in the game, making her now an absolutely bonkers 38-of-62 from beyond the arc this season in Summit League play. That’s a .613 percentage.

“It was so much fun to be back out there,” Selland said. “I was really excited for the game. Personally, and as a team, we’re playing really well and coming into this atmosphere was so much fun. I definitely missed it and was so excited to have that opportunity again.”

SIOUX FALLS, SD - MARCH 5: Paiton Burckhard #33 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits drives to the basket past Meghan Boyd #0 of the Denver Pioneers at The Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on March 5, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Richard Carlson/Inertia)
SIOUX FALLS, SD - MARCH 5: Paiton Burckhard #33 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits drives to the basket past Meghan Boyd #0 of the Denver Pioneers at The Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on March 5, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Richard Carlson/Inertia)

South Dakota State gets off to fast start

The Jacks ran the table in league play last year only to be stunned in the first round of the tournament, in large part because Selland was out with a season-ending injury. She’s back, but SDSU again suffered a crushing injury just as postseason begins, with starting point guard Paige Meyer going down with a knee injury.

Any fears that may lead to a first-round letdown once again were alleviated quickly. After Denver’s Uju Ezeudu opened the scoring with a 3-pointer the Jacks launched a 16-0 run that essentially put the game away early. They led 25-11 after one and spent the rest of the day building that lead. It got as high as 34.

“They’re very good at sharing the ball,” said Ezeudu, who had 25 points to lead the Pioneers. “It’s not like it was one person that went on a 16-0 run by themselves. It was a collective thing. They moved the ball really well. There was a lot of miscommunication on our part as well. That’s something we’ve struggled with this year.”

SIOUX FALLS, SD - MARCH 5: The South Dakota State Jackrabbits battle for a rebound with the Denver Pioneers at The Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on March 5, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
SIOUX FALLS, SD - MARCH 5: The South Dakota State Jackrabbits battle for a rebound with the Denver Pioneers at The Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on March 5, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)

Missing the point

Meyer’s absence was felt in the scoring column, as replacement starter Lindsey Theuninck did not score a point and backup Haley Greer had two points. Those two combined to go 1-for-6 shooting, but Johnston was still pleased with their play. They combined for 10 rebounds and six assists and contributed to a defensive effort that held DU to 37 percent shooting.

“I thought (Greer and Theuninck played) really well,” Johnston said, indicating the Jacks’ playbook is bigger this year, with schemes they can go to that are geared more to Greer and Theuninck’s strengths. “They’ll do it different than Paige did. Lindsey and Haley have been a huge part of our team for two years. They’re not gonna go out there and be surprised by things. I thought they really played like experienced players out there. They got everyone the ball, got us into what we wanted and defended well, and that’s exactly what we need from them.”

It's good to be back at home

After playing last year’s tournament in an empty Sanford Pentagon, the return to the Premier Center was seamless. The crowd was strong and engaged. It felt instantly familiar. Everyone was glad to be back.

“It’s fun,” Burckhard said. “There was lots of blue and yellow and it’s fun to play off of when the shots are going in and fans are getting loud.”

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Summit League tournament: South Dakota State women rout Denver