Raeshel Contreras tallied 22 points and Margaret McCloud added 16 points as the South Dakota women’s basketball team moved closer to clinching the top seed at next month’s Summit League Tournament with a 79-68 win over Denver on Wednesday night.
The Coyotes (21-5, 11-2), who won their sixth straight game, remain two games up in the Summit League standings with three games remaining. South Dakota State (18-8, 9-4) moved into second place after winning 60-49 at Omaha on Wednesday night, while Western Illinois (16-9, 8-4) dropped to third place while not playing.
Contreras reached the 20-point mark for the eighth-time this season by shooting 9-for-15 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range, while McCloud shot 7-of-8 and added six rebounds. Nicole Seekamp reached double-digit points for the 23rd time this season while coming up two assists shy of a double-double, finishing with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Paige Bradley led the Pioneers (8-19, 5-8) with 21 points while Alecia Espinoza added 17 points.
The Coyotes tallied 51 points in the second half, shooting 57 percent (20-for-35) in the frame. McCloud and Contreras both scored 12 points while Kate Liveringhouse tallied all nine of her points in the half. USD led by as many as 16 with 6:13 left in the game and outscored the Pioneers 32-16 in the paint during the half.
South Dakota led by as many as 10 in the first half, but entered halftime with 28-26 lead after the Pioneers finished the half on a 8-0 run. The Coyotes held Denver to 10 field goals in the first half (10-of-30), but recorded just 11 baskets themselves (11-for-31).
South Dakota will play South Dakota State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Frost Arena. The game will count in the South Dakota Showdown Series standings. Depending on the outcome of the Oral Roberts at Western Illinois game on Thursday night, USD could clinch the league regular season title with a win.
