Shooting Coyotes End Gopher’s 48 with 101-89 Win
March 20, 2016

With a balanced scoring attack—five players in double figures—the South Dakota Coyotes beat the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Rachel Banham ended her college career, scoring 37 points to bring her career total to 3,093, sixth on the NCAA list and tops in the Big Ten. However, the fifth-year senior had to launch 32 shots, including 16 from beyond the arc to get her 12 field goals, which included 6 three-pointers.

For the game the Gophers made just 40 percent of their shots from the floor and let a 10-point first half lead get away. The Coyotes made a strong run at the end of the half and carried a 45-43 lead into the locker room as Kelly Stewart sank a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds left.

Banham, who had 16 points in the first half, came out shooting in the third quarter, hitting a pair of field goals to put Minnesota ahead 47-45. But three-pointers by Nicole Seekamp and Stewart put the Coyotes ahead to stay.

South Dakota built its largest lead, 78-60, in the fourth quarter and withstood a Minnesota rush that closed the gap to 5 points late in the game. Minnesota was finally reduced to fouling the Coyotes, a strategy that was difficult to work as South Dakota shot 90.9 percent from the line.

Stewart led the Coyotes with 19 points, Seekamp had 18, and Caitlin Duffy 17; Jasmine Triboli and Kate Liveringhouse came off the bench and scored 14 each. Seekamp had 14 of the Coyotes’ 29 assists in the game. South Dakota made 39 of 84 field goals, including 13 of 32 from long range.