The DakotaDome will officially cease to be the University of South Dakota?s basketball facility on Sunday, after the Coyote men play Denver in their final home game of the season. But Saturday?s rivalry clash between the Coyote women and South Dakota State was probably the bigger sendoff, with 3,612 fans packing in to watch what was the game of the year in Summit League women?s basketball.
Tied for first place coming in, USD and SDSU had firmly established themselves as the class of the conference this year, having both run away from the pack since their last meeting. That came on Jan. 17, when the Coyotes knocked off the Jackrabbits 63-58 for their first win at Frost Arena since 1990.
Neither team had lost since, with USD extending its winning streak to 11 and the Jacks going 8-0 since the loss to the Yotes. That made Saturday?s game not just the final women?s game in the Dome, and the final home game for seniors Tia Hemiller, Kelly Stewart, Margaret McCloud, Heidi Hoff and Nicole Seekamp, but also very likely the game that would decide the Summit League regular season title and conference tournament?s top seed.
So the Coyotes? 80-75 win, secured in the final seconds as the Jacks had attempted a late and aggressive comeback, allowed USD to check off a series of boxes that make this one of the more memorable wins in program history.
The seniors went out with a win. The Dome went out with a win. USD (22-5, 13-1) swept the season series from their in-state rivals for the first time in Division I, and possibly clinched the conference title with their 12th win in a row, their longest winning streak in Division I.
?It was an awesome day,? said USD?s Margaret McCloud, who led the Coyotes with eight rebounds. ?Our teammates and coaches made it very special. A lot of us had family that traveled far to get here, and to have them behind us was extra motivation.?
Seekamp was the catalyst, unsurprisingly. The likely Summit League player of the year had 21 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals, and hit the game-clinching free throws with 2.2 seconds left after SDSU?s Macy Miller had missed two 3-point attempts that would?ve tied the score.
?When I was standing there I was actually thinking, ?These could be the final free throws ever at the DakotaDome?,? admitted Seekamp, who was given a surprise honor when USD played the Australian national anthem before the game. A second Aussie Coyote, Jasmine Trimboli, hit a second-half 3-pointer that was one of the game?s most important shots.
?It was a moment I?ll cherish,? Seekamp said.
For the Jackrabbits, saying goodbye to the Dome was far less emotional, though coach Aaron Johnston and players praised the history and environment while acknowledging they won?t exactly miss the place.
Still, SDSU (22-5, 12-2) wasn?t shedding tears afterwards, even though they know the loss dealt a big blow to their hopes of reclaiming the Summit League regular season title from the Coyotes. That?s surely in part because USD proved in sweeping the season series they?re a deserving champion, and Saturday?s game at the Dome was as entertaining as any the league has seen this year. USD started strong, immediately getting the crowd involved, but when SDSU answered with a 10-0 run it almost started feeling like the Jacks were going to assert control.
But the Coyotes went up by 11 in the third quarter, and though the Jacks rallied to get within a point in the final minute, they found themselves playing from behind most of the day. Ellie Thompson had 21 points for SDSU and Madison Guebert 18, but leading scorers Miller and Kerri Young struggled.
Tied for first place coming in, USD and SDSU had firmly established themselves as the class of the conference this year, having both run away from the pack since their last meeting. That came on Jan. 17, when the Coyotes knocked off the Jackrabbits 63-58 for their first win at Frost Arena since 1990.
Neither team had lost since, with USD extending its winning streak to 11 and the Jacks going 8-0 since the loss to the Yotes. That made Saturday?s game not just the final women?s game in the Dome, and the final home game for seniors Tia Hemiller, Kelly Stewart, Margaret McCloud, Heidi Hoff and Nicole Seekamp, but also very likely the game that would decide the Summit League regular season title and conference tournament?s top seed.
So the Coyotes? 80-75 win, secured in the final seconds as the Jacks had attempted a late and aggressive comeback, allowed USD to check off a series of boxes that make this one of the more memorable wins in program history.
The seniors went out with a win. The Dome went out with a win. USD (22-5, 13-1) swept the season series from their in-state rivals for the first time in Division I, and possibly clinched the conference title with their 12th win in a row, their longest winning streak in Division I.
?It was an awesome day,? said USD?s Margaret McCloud, who led the Coyotes with eight rebounds. ?Our teammates and coaches made it very special. A lot of us had family that traveled far to get here, and to have them behind us was extra motivation.?
Seekamp was the catalyst, unsurprisingly. The likely Summit League player of the year had 21 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals, and hit the game-clinching free throws with 2.2 seconds left after SDSU?s Macy Miller had missed two 3-point attempts that would?ve tied the score.
?When I was standing there I was actually thinking, ?These could be the final free throws ever at the DakotaDome?,? admitted Seekamp, who was given a surprise honor when USD played the Australian national anthem before the game. A second Aussie Coyote, Jasmine Trimboli, hit a second-half 3-pointer that was one of the game?s most important shots.
?It was a moment I?ll cherish,? Seekamp said.
For the Jackrabbits, saying goodbye to the Dome was far less emotional, though coach Aaron Johnston and players praised the history and environment while acknowledging they won?t exactly miss the place.
Still, SDSU (22-5, 12-2) wasn?t shedding tears afterwards, even though they know the loss dealt a big blow to their hopes of reclaiming the Summit League regular season title from the Coyotes. That?s surely in part because USD proved in sweeping the season series they?re a deserving champion, and Saturday?s game at the Dome was as entertaining as any the league has seen this year. USD started strong, immediately getting the crowd involved, but when SDSU answered with a 10-0 run it almost started feeling like the Jacks were going to assert control.
But the Coyotes went up by 11 in the third quarter, and though the Jacks rallied to get within a point in the final minute, they found themselves playing from behind most of the day. Ellie Thompson had 21 points for SDSU and Madison Guebert 18, but leading scorers Miller and Kerri Young struggled.
