A 12-point first quarter lead gave the South Dakota women the advantage in a 65-58 victory over Houston on Thursday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
The Coyotes advance to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament where they will host Colorado State at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Coyotes (27-6), winners of 21 of their last 22 games, kicked off the postseason with a bang. South Dakota made 8-of-13 field goals and 5-of-9 outside the arc in the first quarter to outscore Houston 22-10.
The Cougars (20-12) closed the lead to single digits seven times in the remaining 30 minutes. Houston closed the gap to as little as four points, 36-32, with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter after five-straight points from Serithia Hawkins.
It was a well-rounded night of scoring for the Coyotes. Allison Arens and sophomore guard Ciara Duffy were both shy of double-doubles. Arens tallied 10 points and nine boards with a pair of assists. Duffy scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out three assists.
Junior guard Jaycee Bradley led the group with 12 points, while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists.
