It's a pair at home for South Dakota State as we reach the final week of the first half of the 2019 Summit League schedule.

The Jackrabbits (12-6/4-1) Summit League) are working on a three-game winning streak as they try to finish the first half with just one loss in conference play.

North Dakota State is up first.

The Bison (6-12/3-3 Summit League) have the stingiest defense in the conference, allowing just 66 points per game.

They've needed those stops because their offense is struggling, scoring the fewest points in the Summit and shooting just 40 percent in league play.

NDSU is also averaging 15 turnovers a game.

Sophomore guard Michelle Gaislerova, a native of the Czech Republic, is their only double-figure scorer. She averages 14 points per game,

Tipoff is 7:00 PM, Wednesday in Brookings.

The Jackrabbits close out the first half with Omaha.

The Mavericks (6-12/1-5 Summit League)  are one of the youngest teams in the conference and it shows.

UNO, which starts three freshmen, a sophomore, and a junior, has lost three straight and is shooting under 40 percent in five of their last seven games.

Kalen Phillips has been a bright spot on offense. She's third in the Summit in three-point shooting. Cyprus native Elena Pilakouta, a freshman center, is in the top ten in blocked shots and rebounding.

Tipoff is 2:00 PM, Saturday in Brookings.

South Dakota State used a 16-0 first-quarter run to win their only game last week, 66-48, at North Dakota. Tylee Irwin scored nine points during that stretch. Macy Miller led the offensive attack with 24 points in the game.

As good as the SDSU defense was in the first ten minutes, the defense was even better, limiting NDSU to just six points. For the game, the Fighting Hawks turned it over 21 times.

The Jackrabbits also hit the offensive boards with a vengeance in Grand Forks, rebounding 14 of their own misses. Paiton Burkhard had four of those boards.

I talked with Jackrabbits head coach Aaron Johnston about last week's game and the match-ups with North Dakota State and Omaha:


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