VERMILLION, S.D.— South Dakota junior guard Grace Larkins dropped 28 points to lead the Coyotes in an 84-65 victory over Northern Iowa inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Wednesday night.
The Coyotes (5-3) returned to Abbott Court for the first time in more than two weeks and were knocking down shots at nearly a 50 percent clip to hold off the preseason Missouri Valley favorites. UNI (1-5) drops its fifth-straight game, albeit three of those losses were to Power 5 programs.
Larkins recorded her first double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds. She finished an efficient 9-of-12 from the floor with a season-best three 3-pointers. She also handed out six assists.
Joining her in double-figure scoring were junior guard Kendall Holmes with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting and junior guard Alexi Hempe with 13 points and six boards.
Junior guard Nicole Avila-Ambrosi was given the task of guarding and attempting to slow down UNI point guard Maya McDermott, who joins Larkins on the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. McDermott finished with 11 points, but needed 13 shots to get there. UNI was led in scoring by center Rachael Heittola with 15 points off the bench.
South Dakota jumped out to 25-8 lead at the start of the game with 13 early points from Larkins.
UNI responded with its own run by holding the Coyotes without a bucket for an eight-minute stretch. A 3-pointer from UNI’s Cailyn Morgan made it a one-point game, 28-27, with just over six minutes before the half.
Hempe led USD’s response before the intermission with five of her 13 points during the stretch. The Coyotes led 40-34 at the break.
It was a five-minute stretch between the third and fourth quarter that put the game away for the Coyotes. South Dakota scored 16 unanswered points to pull away to a 71-44 lead in the fourth quarter. The Coyotes finished it off with an 84-65 final score.
South Dakota made 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the floor and 50 percent (10-of-20) behind the arc. The Coyotes’ 3-point defense continues to hold up as UNI became the sixth-straight opponent to shoot below 30 percent from deep. The Panthers made 36.2 percent (25-of-69) from the floor and 24.2 percent (8-of-33) behind the arc.
The Coyotes outrebounded UNI 48-32 with four USD players grabbing six or more rebounds.
A quick trip to California is on-deck for the Coyotes, with a single game at Loyola Marymount scheduled for 4 p.m. (Central) Sunday in Los Angeles.