BROOKINGS – It was a mismatch in every sense of the word.
South Dakota State executed on offense, dominated on defense, and rolled past Seton Hall in the most-lopsided WNIT championship game in tournament history. The Jackrabbits delighted a sellout crowd of 5,263 at Frost Arena with a convincing 80-52 women’s basketball victory Saturday afternoon.
Former Aberdeen Central standout Paiton Burckhard said the victory ranks at the top of her basketball accomplishments.
“Nothing better than playing at Frost in front of 5,000 plus fans, with my best friends in the whole wide world, in front of my family, it’s awesome,” Burckhard said. “It’s at the top.”
The Jacks set the tone early and were never challenged in the contest. SDSU used a 21-1 run in the opening quarter to bolt out to a 25-7 lead. The hosts scored on five straight possessions, five of the points coming from WNIT MVP Myah Selland.
The margin only grew from there as SDSU outscored the Pirates 11-4 to start the second period as the lead reached 25 points midway through the quarter.
“We really played well,” said SDSU coach Aaron Johnston. “We played really hard today, executed well, really focused on trying to bring out the best in each other, like how do we lift each other up? I thought we had great energy from the beginning.”
Seton Hall was unable to score on back-to-back possessions until their final two chances at end of the third quarter. The visitors shot just 27 percent from the field.
“We defended really well. They did not get a lot of easy shots. The ones they missed were probably easier, but we defended it, made it hard for them,” Johnston said. “Offensively, we played with a lot of purpose, we shared the ball well, just had a great game.”
The Jacks were not only solid on defense, they were a force on the boards throughout the contest, outrebounding Seton Hall 57-32. SDSU had 17 offensive rebounds, including six by Kallie Theisen which she turned into 11 second-chance points.
“Effort from every single person on the team,” Burckhard said. “Kallie had a double-double, Myah had a double-double. I mean we were flying all over the place to get the rebounds and it was a team effort, which is why we killed them on the boards.”
Burckhard is not afraid to mix it up inside. During a previous WNIT game she received a cut near her eye that required stitches and left her with a black eye. However, she said it did not impact her at all.
“I love a good black eye,” Burckhard said, “so I’m sporting it.”
Theisen had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Selland added 12 points and 11 rebounds. All-tournament team selection Haleigh Timmer had 14 points, Burckhard contributed 13 points and seven rebounds, and Tori Nelson finished with 11 points.
“The whole season, we really pride ourselves on the balance about everyone contributing,” Selland said, “and I think tonight was no different.”
The contest concluded a stellar run from the Jacks through the WNIT where they won most of their games by double digits all on their home court in front of their faithful fans.
“This is unmatched. This is unbelievable,” Selland said. “Throughout this whole tournament it just seemed like the crowd got bigger and better every night. Man, we’re so lucky to have the support that we do here in Brookings.”
Many felt that the Jacks, who finished the season at 29-9, deserved a chance to play in the NCAA Division I tournament.
Regardless of those thoughts, the players followed the lead of their coach and made the most of their opportunity to win the WNIT and cap the season on a very high note.
“AJ said this, so I’m going to steal it from him, ‘it’s not a consolation, it’s an opportunity’, and we made the most of this opportunity and look at what we’re doing now,” Burckhard said. “We’re cutting down nets. Nothing better.”
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