UP NEXT:
After recording two big Great West Conference road wins, The University of South Dakota women’s basketball team returns home for a nonconference contest on Monday, Jan. 25 against the University of Sioux Falls. Game time is 7 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. The contest is part of a busy stretch for USD with seven games in a span of 15 days.

THE RECORDS:
USD is 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the Great West Conference; Sioux Falls is 15-8 overall and 7-4 in the GPAC.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
The Coyotes’ game vs. Sioux Falls can be heard on KK93 (93.1 FM) out of Yankton, with R.J. Pattison calling the action. The broadcasts will also be available on the Internet at www.usdcoyotes.com. Live stats, subscription video and audio can be found at usdcoyotes.com.

SERIES HISTORY:
USD holds a 13-1 edge in the series and has won eight straight meetings. USD won the meeting in 2008-09, 68-45. USF’s lone win came in 1998-99, a 59-52 victory.

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA:
The Coyotes are 8-8 and 2-1 in the Great West after recording wins on the road at Utah Valley and North Dakota last week...in the 65-56 win over Utah Valley on Jan. 21, Amber Hegge had 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocks...Annie Roche added 19 points and Abby Kinder 12...in the 72-57 win at North Dakota on Jan. 23, Hegge had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Kinder had 15 points and Teresa Case and Jasmine Mosley added 10 each...Hegge leads USD at 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Roche averages 10.5 points per game and Kinder 10.3...Hegge also leads with 48 assists and 18 blocks...USD is averaging 57.2 points per game and allowing 59.1...the Coyotes are shooting 40.7 percent from the field, including 33.8 from three-point range...USD, with an enrollment of 9,617, is located in Vermillion, S.D., and competes in the Great West Conference...Ryun Williams is in his second season as USD’s head coach, with a record of 26-19..Williams is in his 15th season overall with a record of 261-162.

ABOUT SIOUX FALLS:
Sioux Falls is 15-8 overall and 7-4 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference after recording a 60-58 win over Mount Marty on Saturday...Elizabeth HIldreth led USF with 21 points and nine reobunds, while Holli Aggen and Dominique Schuler had 11 each...USF won despite shooting 28.6 percent from the field...the Cougars are led in scoring by Hildreth at 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game...Becky Christofferson averages 9.6 points per game...the Cougars score 65.3 points per game and allow 62.7...USF shoots 38.3 percent from the field, including 31.2 percent from three-point range...USF, with an enrollment of 1,700, is located in Sioux Falls and competes in the NAIA Great Plains Athletic Conference...Travis Traphagen is in his second season as USF’s head coach, with a record of 33-21

ROCHE’s RISE:
After averaging just 5.8 points per game through five games, sophomore Annie Roche has become one of USD’s most consistent offensive threats. In USD’s last 11 games, Roche is averaging 12.6 points per game. She is shooting 82.8 percent from the free-throw line (24-of-29) during that stretch, and is shooting 50.5 percent from the field. She is hitting 42.2 percent from three-point range during those 11 games. The Coyotes are 6-5 during that stretch after starting out 2-3.

HITTING FROM DOWNTOWN:
Abby Kinder is new to the USD program in 2009-10 as a junior-college transfer but has proven not only to be a consistent scorer for the Coyotes, but also has emerged as the team’s top three-pointer shooter. Through 16 games, Kinder has hit 35 three-pointers this season -- tops on the USD roster -- and is shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the three-point line. Her 2.2 three-pointers per game are ranked in the top 100 in NCAA Division I.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:
The USD women are establishing themselves as a solid defensive team in 2008-09. The Coyotes allow 59.1 points per game, which puts them in a tie for 73rd in the nation in scoring defense -- out of more than 330 Division I teams. The Coyotes have allowed 57 points or less in 10 games this season. The Coyotes are 7-3 in those 10 games. USD is allowing opponents to shoot just 30.7 from three-point range this season.