VERMILLION, S.D. – Wichita State saw its four-game win streak come to an end, falling at South Dakota, 71-59, Saturday afternoon.
Wichita State (7-2) fell behind from the opening tip and just couldn't string together enough stops to make a comeback bid. The Shockers held the Coyotes to 5-of-23 from beyond the arc, but a season-high 25 turnovers was the big difference in the game, as South Dakota was able to turn those miscues into 26 points on the other end.
Jane Asinde set a new career high with 20 points to go with 11 rebounds. She has double-doubles in four of the last five games.
Mariah McCully added 13 points and
Seraphine Bastin chipped in nine points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Wichita State had no answer for South Dakota's Hannah Sjerven who scored 35 points – a season high for an opposing player.
The Shockers finished the game shooting 38.6 percent overall and 4-of-19 from long range.
South Dakota scored the game's first five points and pushed its margin to as many as 13 in the opening quarter. Asinde (7), McCully (5) and Bastin (5) were the only Shockers to score in the first, as the Coyotes led 24-16 after 10 minutes.
The Coyotes led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but a brief 6-0 Shocker run made it a nine-point game with 2:56 left until half. Asinde was responsible for five of the six on a layup and three-pointer.
South Dakota came out of the timeout and outscored the Shockers by five over the final 2:56 to take a 43-29 lead into the locker room. Asinde (12) and McCully (8) were responsible for 20 of the 29 points.
A lot of South Dakota's damage came out the foul line and in the paint. They were 12-for-15 at the charity stripe, and another 22 came inside the paint.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Shockers outscore the Coyotes by one, but weren't able to make enough stops to trim the deficit to single digits.
It wasn't until the 6:40 mark of the fourth quarter that the margin would shrink below 10. Asinde's 20th point of the game made it 63-54 and then on the ensuing possession
Asia Strong made it 63-56.
That seven-point margin would be as close as it would get. South Dakota strung together stops on the defensive end and stretched the lead back to double digits in the final minute.
Up Next
Wichita State has a week off before hosting Grambling State on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
