SDSU women’s basketball opens Summit League play Friday

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The eight-time Summit League Tournament champion South Dakota State women’s basketball team begins its 12th season of league play Friday when it travels to Macomb, Ill., for a 7 p.m. game at Western Illinios in Western Hall.

SDSU lost its final nonleague game, 77-70, at Wyoming.

Myah Selland led four in double digits in scoring with a game-high 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.

Western Illinois finished its nonconference schedule 4-9. It lost four of its last five games.

Friday’s game will be the 25th meeting between the Jackrabbits and the Fighting Leathernecks.

SDSU leads the series, 22-2. The contest marks the third time the Jackrabbits open The Summit League season at Western Illinois. SDSU opened the 2009-10 (74-53) and 2011-12 (82-56) campaigns with wins in Macomb.

Noteworthy

South Dakota State is 3-2 on the road this season. It is also 66-24 (.733) all-time in Summit League road games. SDSU has won 17 of its last 26 league road contests.

The Jackrabbits are 255-86 (.747) in all-time games since joining The Summit League in 2007-08.

The Jackrabbits are 9-2 in Summit League openers and have won their last seven. They are 4-1 in road openers, winning their last four.

SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston needs one win to record his 450th career win. He enters Friday’s game with a 449-154 (.744) overall record and a 151-31 (.829) league mark.

Guebert ranks eighth in the country in 3-pointers with 41.

South Dakota State was ranked second in Graham Hays’ Dec. 12 espnW mid-major poll.

Macy Miller has scored 20-or-more points five times. She averages a team-leading 16.8 points.

Guebert is shooting 50.0 percent (20-40) from 3-point range in the last five outings.

In the last five games, Selland is averaging 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 56.4 percent from the field, 41.7 from 3-point range and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.

State has held six opponents to 65-or-fewer points, including five to less than 61. Opponents are averaging just 65.6 points in the last five games.

There have been at least three Jackrabbits scoring in double digits 11 times this season.