Forty minutes.

Every basketball team strives to play a complete game and the Jackrabbit women are as close to that goal as they have been all season.

SDSU shot 48 percent from the field and dominated Western Illinois in almost every facet of the game en route to a 87-59 victory over the Leathernecks in Macomb, Ill. on Jan. 17.

Continuing the theme of spreading the stardom, Jill Young had a standout performance, leading the Jacks with 22 points in 23 minutes. She hit five three-pointers, four of those coming in the first half. Young had 16 points in the first frame, more points than she had in any game all season.

“We want her to catch it and shoot it. 22 points from Jill is a great thing and something I think she’s capable of more often. We like to see her be aggressive and that helps our offense,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston in his radio interview after the game.

She also converted a five-point-play of sorts in the first half when she made a three pointer and then hit two free throws after WIU head coach Leslie Crane picked up a technical foul. The play put the Jacks in command as the lead swelled to nine at 26-17.

In all, SDSU (9-10, 4-3) had seven first-half three pointers, with two coming from Hannah Strop and one from Jennie Sunnarborg. Sadie Webb tried to keep the Leathernecks (5-12, 3-4) in the game with her 18 points in the first half, but the Jacks led at the break, 47-34.

WIU would cut the lead to nine twice until Leah Dietel would come up with seven points in a row, to give the Jackrabbits a 63-45 lead with 13:47 left.

The Jackrabbits were also hot from the free throw stripe, nailing a season-high 21-of-24 foul shots and were perfect in their 15 second-half attempts.

“We’re a good free throw shooting team. We shoot a lot of free throws and we’ve been a lot more aggressive the last few games and we need to capitalize on more of those,” Johnston said.

Sunnarborg bolstered the scoring for SDSU with 15 points. The Jacks held a large advantage on the glass in what turned out to be a very physical game, outrebounding WIU 42-26.

“They always play physical at their place here and I thought we did a good job, keeping our composure when the calls got tight near the end and I’m really proud of how the team played,” Dietel said, who posted 12 points off the bench, including a 6-for-6 mark for free throws on the night.

Webb finished the night with 20 points and led the Leathernecks.

“This has been one of our better wins here. We’ve always played really tough games here and this is a tough place to win. I thought this was a real complete game, a complete win and I just think we’re heading in the right direction,” Johnston said.

“We know that we’ve got to keep going and keep the mentality that we have right now, build off this weekend and keep fighting for the goals that we have for ourselves,” said Dietel.

Marcus also live blogs SDSU home games at sdsucollegian.com/sports

#1.1898217:4109275148.png:wbb-cent-BRUA.png:Katie Lingle goes around Centenary?s Ashley Jackson on Jan. 10:Collegian Photo by Stephen Brua

A long way from first place.

Actually, SDSU’s as close to last place as it is to conference leader Oral Roberts (10-7, 6-0) after what’s becoming an annual event in Frost Arena besides the Lamb Bonanza.

An Oral Roberts win.

The Jackrabbits (6-10, 2-3) turned the ball over 25 times in a 77-62 loss – their fourth-straight at Frost Arena – against the Kevi Luper-led Golden Eagles Saturday, Jan. 8 in front of 2,346 fans.

Luper, after surpassing 1,000 career points earlier this year in only her second year at Oral Roberts, amassed 28 points and accounted for four of the Golden Eagles’ 19 steals. For SDSU, that’s indicative of what’s become a pattern against the conference-leading Eagles: poor ball control.

“We didn’t take control with our style of ball,” said junior Jennie Sunnarborg, who managed 21 points, six rebounds, and four steals in only 24 minutes. “And then they got their shot flowing.”

Periodic scoring droughts for SDSU have also been a routine. SDSU actually led 21-20 at one point midway through the first half, but then allowed a 16-0 Golden Eagles run, with 10 of those points coming from Luper. The Jacks would not narrow the lead any further in the second half, despite shooting 50 percent from the floor. The fact that Oral Roberts shot 31 more times over the course of the game quelled any hopes to end SDSU’s home losing streak

“That’s because of offensive rebounds for them and turnovers for us,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston on the statistical shooting disparity. “You can’t win games with that particular stat … ultimately, it’s that intensity and determination you play the game with that determines the outcome.”

A high frequency of turnovers will likely stall any chances for a victory, and the Jacks have allowed 23, 25, 26, and 33 turnovers in its previous four matchups with the Golden Eagles. Three of those games have resulted in losses.

“They make adjustments,” said Jackrabbits guard Macie Michelson of the Oral Roberts defense, which Golden Eagles coach Jerry Finkbeiner has labeled as “organized chaos.’ “It’s so aggressive and they don’t guard you. It seems like you have pressure but you don’t, they just guard passing lanes.”

More telling of SDSU’s performance was that, despite shooting a season-high 31 free throws, they made only 20 of them. In addition to that, the Jacks struggled to shoot from three-point range – an area they have excelled in in recent years – shooting only 4-for-17 from beyond the arc.

“You can’t play passively at any time … and we played passively,” Johnston said. “We need to play better basketball; until we play better basketball, we’re going to keep getting the same results.”

#1.1839723:2040408235.png:wbb-oru-GALLAGHER.png:Ashley Eide is trapped in the first half of Jackrabbits loss on Jan. 8.:Collegian Photo by Robby Gallagher

Every season has its ups and downs. The downs have outnumbered the ups so far for the SDSU women’s basketball team.

The Jackrabbits have struggled with all sorts of obstacles and are quickly falling behind in the Summit League race, dropping three of their first four conference games. SDSU’s win over Centenary on Jan. 10 moved the Jacks to 2-3 in the Summit and may provide some confidence.

“It was tough. We just got content with [losing] and we didn’t know how to change it,” said Jennie Sunnarborg about losing four straight home games for the first time in over 25 years.

The team that was picked to finish second in the Summit League has been hit by injuries, a rash of turnovers, and the inability to win close games early in the season.

Four losses have been within seven points or less and have lost a total of 10 games by an average of 12.8 points per game.

“I think we can build confidence from playing well. We can gain confidence from beating Centenary or losing to Oral Roberts or practicing well. We have to find the things we do well and build on those,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston said.

When SDSU has played well, they’ve shined. Their six wins have come by an average of 24.8 points per game. It has been tough for fans to see the Jacks struggling, even though they are facing the 87th toughest schedule in Division I.

SDSU has been without their rebounding leader Leah Dietel, who has missed the last seven games with a foot injury. Although she’s back in the lineup, Macie Michelson missed time to open the season and did not travel to Southern Utah and UMKC due to sickness.

Outside of Dietel’s injury, the post play for the Jacks has been good, with Sunnarborg and Katie Lingle playing well inside. Sunnarborg is the Jackrabbits’ leading scorer, averaging 13.3 points per game and leads the conference in field goal percentage at 57 percent.

“We’ve been really pleased with what our lineup has looked like with Katie in there right now and then when you have Katie and Jennie in there together, it’s just a much bigger lineup and gives us a bigger presence inside,” Johnston said.

SDSU is tops in the Summit League in team field goal percentage and ranks second in field goal defense. However, the Jacks average 19.5 turnovers per game, the highest average since 2002.

“We need to win the next game. That sounds simple and foolish but ultimately that’s what we have to do. We’ve had some games where we’ve played well and just haven’t followed it up. Basketball is very much a momentum sport and we’ve got to keep the momentum going,” Johnston said.

This season, the Jackrabbits haven’t played up to the level that they have set since moving to Division I but Johnston reminds that there is plenty of basketball to be played until the Summit League Tournament in March.

“Ultimately, we have to play better basketball and that’s we’ve stayed focused on every single day and we’ll keep working on it.”

Passionate student fans now have an official home, courtside at home basketball games and hope to make a lasting impact on opposing teams.

The SDSU student body has forever been without an “official” home at Frost Arena, leaving Jackrabbit nation seated sporadically during home basketball games. Not anymore. Students now have a territory to call their own: the Rabbit Den.

The Rabbit Den was created by a non-profit student organization in hopes of generating more fan participation at Jacks home games. The organization worked with the athletic program to get the project started.

Membership in the student sector costs ten dollars for the entire year and each Rabbit Den constituent will collect a t-shirt upon joining along with a free soda for every home game. Members will also receive preferential seating in lower section of the south side at Frost Arena. In addition, official gameday props will be handed out pregame in the form of foam fingers, Santa hats, pom-poms, and other items.

Public Relations and Marketing director Kameron Anderson hopes the Rabbit Den will unify Jackrabbit faithful.

“It’s a cheap way for students to get priority seating and get more involved,” said Anderson. “We want to pump up the student section and give the teams extra support.”

The idea of the Rabbit Den is to unite students and boost school spirit. “Students feed off each other. We want people to get loud,” Anderson said.

Fan participation at college basketball games is a major attraction throughout the country. Schools like Duke University have the Cameron Crazies that create a hostile environment for opposing teams, an example the Rabbit Den hopes to follow.

SDSU jumped to the Division I ranks in 2004 and joined the Summit League in 2007 making way for higher class competition. The women host Arizona St. and Iowa a Frost Arena in marquee games this month alone.

“We are trying to create that D-I atmosphere,” said Den member Tim Goldammer. “We want to get people hootin’ and hollering in order to support the Jacks positively.”

The men’s team is currently ranked No. 17 in the Mid-major poll and the women’s team is the two-time defending Summit League Champions making for another exciting environment this year.

Ten dollars seems a fair price for reserved seating with all proceeds from the Den going to pay for t-shirts and props. The student organization is working on promotional programs including a white-out game and an all pink game supporting the fight against breast cancer.

Last weekend’s games against NDSU was the Rabbit Den’s inaugural event. So far, the official student only section boasts around 100 members. “Hopefully, we can get our numbers up around 500 and fill the entire section,” said Anderson.

The goal for this year is to prove to other programs that the Jackrabbits are a unified front with major school spirit.

Sign up sheets are available at the student union and a booth is stationed at home games. The Rabbit Den also has a Facebook page with information available about their website and upcoming events.

“This is a building year but hopefully we can catch on,” said Anderson. “We want to get the word out that we are here to stay.”

PULLMAN, Wash. &- South Dakota State reserves accounted for a season-high 40 points, boosting the Jackrabbit women’s basketball team to a 72-61 non-conference victory over Washington State Tuesday night at Friel Court.

SDSU evened its record at 4-4, avoiding its first four-game losing streak under head coach Aaron Johnston.

Ashley Eide paced the Jackrabbits with a season-high 15 points, followed by Jennie Sunnarborg with 14 and Steph Paluch with a season-high 13. Paluch and Eide each tallied five assists, while Eide and Sunnarborg led the Jackrabbits’ 33-29 rebounding advantage with five boards apiece.

SDSU continues non-conference play on the road Dec. 13, traveling to Northern Iowa. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

Going into last weekend’s game, the thought was that the SDSU Jackrabbit women’s basketball team would quell any questions about their play by returning to Brookings and playing well.

Upon losing to North Dakota State, there are more questions than answers.

The Bison, behind standout guard play, knocked off the Jackrabbits at Frost Arena, 78-71, giving NDSU their first win over SDSU in 10 tries on Dec. 4th.

NDSU hadn’t played the Jackrabbits within 10 points in the last five years and beat SDSU with sharpshooting from three-point land and clutch buckets. The result left many of the 3,855 fans on hand shocked.

The game started out close until the Bison rattled off seven of the next nine points, building a 20-13 lead. SDSU would charge back, tying the game behind a Macie Michelson three-pointer at 22-22. The emotion wouldn’t last long as NDSU three-pointers from Abby Plucker and Hannah Linz vaulted the Bison out to a 34-22 lead. Jennie Sunnarborg would score the final five points of the half, cutting the lead to 34-29 at halftime.

The start of the second half consisted of trading baskets between the Bison and Jacks. Danielle DeGagne’s three-pointer swelled the lead to 62-52 for NDSU. Steph Paluch had a three-pointer, while made free throws from Jill Young and Kristin Rotert pulled the Jacks to within three. Paluch delivered with another lay-up bringing SDSU to 65-64.

SDSU would find a way to tie the game with 3:03 left in the game with a Rotert free throw, evening the game at 65. However, the Bison would quickly blow the game open with a 10-1 run powered by eight free throws down the stretch, salting the game away. The loss marked only the second time that the Jackrabbits have lost a Summit League game at home.

“We’re just not playing good basketball right now. We were just not in the game for long stretches of time. They kind of did whatever they wanted to and we let them do whatever they wanted to,” said Rotert.

Sunnarborg led the Jacks (3-4, 0-1 Summit) with 20 points, but didn’t get a ton of help. Michelson pitched in 13 points and Rotert added 9, but SDSU, shooting just 42.6 percent, left plenty to be desired.

“I thought our team lacked that fire and aggressiveness and NDSU had it. I’m not overly disappointed in our team’s effort … we just didn’t make enough plays to win,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston.

DeGagne led all scorers with 24 points for the Bison (4-3, 1-0 Summit). Katie Birkel, who made the Nancy Leiberman Award watch list as one of the nation’s top point guards, proved her worth with 21 points for the Bison (4-3, 1-0 Summit). Katie Birkel, who made the Nancy Leiberman Award watch list as one of the nation’s top point guards, proved her worth with 21 points and six assists for NDSU.

“We just didn’t defend very well tonight. “We didn’t handle penetration very well and the tempo of the game was definitely in their favor,” said Johnston.

Johnston recognized that they had an advantage inside against the Bison front line but failed to use it to the extent of picking up a victory.

“I thought we had an advantage inside. We had a mismatch at the post postion inside the entire game and we talked about it. We never did a good enough job getting it inside.”

SDSU was never really able to control the pace of the game as the Bison were able to setup in the half-court and shut down the few opportunities that the Jackrabbits had to run off of a Bison error.

The Jacks were able to limit their turnovers to 14 – which plagued them at Middle Tennessee State – but it led to a defeat, one that Rotert says is not likely to leave the minds of the players soon.

“I think this one is going to be in our minds for quite a while. I’m not sure it will ever really leave our minds.”

#1.1825126:1998738188.jpg:Aaron Stoneberger 8.jpg:Jennie Sunnarborg drives to the hoop in the first half of SDSU?s 78-71 loss to NDSU.:Collegian Photo by Aaron Stoneberger

MANHATTAN, Kan. – South Dakota State women led the majority of the game, but Kansas State made plays down the stretch to claim a 56-51 victory in non-conference action Nov. 30 at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats stayed unbeaten, improving to 6-0. SDSU dropped to 3-3 on the season.

After Kansas State scored a basket on the opening possession, the Jackrabbits reeled off the next 11 points. Kristin Rotert gave SDSU a 5-2 lead with a three-pointer and Jennie Sunnarborg scored six consecutively. That lead grew to as many as 14 at 21-7 on a basket by Steph Paluch with 8 minutes and 45 seconds remaining in the front half.

K-State chipped away at the deficit before scoring the final six points to pull to within six at halftime.

The second half started much the same as the Jackrabbits scored the first five points to build the lead back to double digits. However, Kansas State rallied to knot the game at 38-all and took its first lead on a basket by Taelor Karr.

The Jackrabbits responded by scoring the next six points to gain a 44-40 lead and clung to a two-point lead heading into the under-four-minute media timeout.

Sunnarborg paced the Jackrabbits with 18 points, while Rotert, the co-Summit League Player of the Week, added 17 points, including a season-high three three-pointers.

Leah Dietel led the Jackrabbits’ 31-30 rebounding advantage with a game-high eight rebounds.

Free throws proved to be the difference in the contest as the Jackrabbits made 6-of-9 attempts, 66.7 percent, while K-State was 14-of-20, 70 percent.

SDSU, which committed 38 turnovers in its last outing, made 20 miscues in the Nov. 30th game.

If every game has a story, Middle Tennessee State made sure they would control every word.

SDSU was on the wrong end of a 19-0 run to open the game and committed a school-record 38 turnovers in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as Middle Tennessee State pounded the Jackrabbits, 70-51 on Nov. 28.

The two squads met in a matchup that pitted two of the top mid-majors in women’s college basketball, but the game proved to be anything but close.

MTSU dominated the beginning of the game on offense, scoring the opening 19 points before Kristin Rotert knocked down a three-pointer nine minutes into the game. The Blue Raiders controlled the pace when the Jacks had the ball, suffocating SDSU with their full-court pressure. At one point in the first half the Jacks had turned the ball over 12 consecutive times. Icelyn Elie’s runner from the left side beat the horn and MTSU carried a 35-22 lead into halftime.

“Turnovers were absolutely the story of the game for us. We just did not get into our offense at all the first 10 minutes of the game,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston in his postgame radio interview.

The Jacks faced more of the same in the second half and struggled to keep pace with MTSU’s scoring attack, as the lead swelled to 18 with 16 minutes left. Megan Waytashek helped lead a response with back-to-back baskets as a part of a 8-0 run and the Jacks creeped within 12. MTSU put the game away with one more run, led by Anne Marie Lanning’s two three-pointers to help put the Blue Raiders up by 21, before finally settling on the game’s 19 point end margin.

“[MTSU] came out tougher and we were not able to handle it,” Steph Paluch said. “We knew we could chip away slowly and we started to but then we fell apart again. Their pressure got to us.”

Kristin Rotert had a game-high 18 points for the Jacks (3-2) and was the only SDSU player in double-figures. Megan Waytashek had nine points and six rebounds coming off of the bench. Macie Michelson made her first start of the season after recovering from foot surgery, playing 12 minutes without scoring.

Tina Stewart led the Blue Raiders (4-1) with 15 points in the winning effort and Ebony Rowe added 14. Elie and Lanning each had 12 points for MTSU, who tallied 20 steals in the matinee.

SDSU’s 38 turnovers are easily the most the Jackrabbits have had since moving to Division I in 2005. The Jacks’ guard combo of Michelson and Jill Young did not fare well under the heavy pressure, combining for 16 turnovers.

“Our team has to play with a little more mental poise. We were rattled out there and it cost us big with the turnovers,” said Johnston. “Just focusing on our turnovers, we have had a tremendous amount of turnovers and need to do a better job of taking care of the ball,” Paluch said.

#1.1814416:4161860286.png:Kristin-Rotert-look-at-this-one-Ryan.png:Kristin Rotert examines the defense in a game earlier this season at Frost Arena. Rotert finished with 18 points.:Collegian Photo by Ryan Robinson

Utah Valley couldn’t keep pace with the Jacks’ diverse scoring attack, winning in blowout fashion, 87-38 at Frost Arena.

With 35 percent of their scoring from last season graduating, one of the questions entering the women’s basketball season was where the Jackrabbits would look to get their points.

If Nov. 12 was any indication, every player will be help put points on the board.

Balance was certainly a key on Nov. 12, with seven Jackrabbit players scoring double-digits and the Jacks thoroughly routing Utah Valley in the first round of the Preseason WNIT, 87-38, at Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits emphasized getting the ball into the lane early, with Leah Dietel and Jennie Sunnarborg each scoring twice on early lay-ups. SDSU opened the game on a 17-4 run and had no problem staying in front of the Wolverines, who shot 23.5 percent in the first half. Jill Young knocked down her third three pointer of the half to cap the scoring and give the Jacks a 45-19 halftime lead.

“Defensively, we were energized and able to create some turnovers and we got into a good flow offensively,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston.

“I guess these last few practices we’ve stressed a lot about effort and I think it showed early and we really pushed the ball in transition and pushed the tempo a lot,” said Dietel.

The Jackrabbits’ diverse attack continued after halftime and along with their solid play in the second half, ended the game scoring 27 of the final 33 points.

“One of the things that AJ always mentions is how we have a lot of depth on this team and that really allows us to run a lot and push it in transition and we were able to do that tonight,” said Tara Heiser, who made her Jackrabbit debut after redshirting last season.

Young led the scoring with a game-high 15 points for the Jacks. Heiser and Sunnarborg scored 14 and 12, respectively. Dietel and Ashley Eide had 11 for SDSU, with Kristin Rotert and Katie Lingle chipping in 10.

The Jackrabbits shot 59 percent from the field and were 11-for-19 on three-point field goals.

SDSU turned the ball over 20 times in the game and did have some trouble rebounding the ball, even though the Jacks held a 42-26 lead in that category. Johnston noted the Jacks’ struggles.

“We didn’t rebound the ball really well. I thought Utah Valley was probably a bit more physical than we were at times on the glass and we’ll certainly have to improve on that.”

SDSU’s play was superior to its previous performances in exhibition action and the Jackrabbits were happy to be playing in games that count.

“We’ve been waiting a while to get out and play a regular season game and so I think we were all excited to get out there and I think we put a good effort out there tonight,” Young said.

Defensively, the Jacks were led by Sunnarborg’s six blocked shots, tying a career-high. She also led SDSU with eight rebounds.

Utah Valley was led by Sammie Jensen’s 11 points in the losing effort.

SDSU is the first Summit League school to win a Preseason WNIT game, with the event in its 17th year.

“I think this event is tough and you look at the teams that are in it and I think that is a real credit to our team and the direction we’re trying to go,” Johnston said.

Despite cold shooting from the outside, SDSU pounded the ball inside to defeat Hampton and advance to meet Big Ten challenger Purdue.

Shots weren’t falling from the outside for the Jackrabbit women’s basketball team in their Preseason WNIT 2nd round game against Hampton. So career nights from two of SDSU’s forwards certainly were well-timed.

A strong interior game, led by Jennie Sunnarborg and Leah Dietel carried the way for the Jacks in the victory over the Pirates, winning 76-64 at Frost Arena on Nov. 16.

“Our teammates were looking for both me and Leah tonight in the posts and we were making our shots, we figured why not keep going in to us,” said Sunnarborg.

SDSU leaned heavily on the play of Sunnarborg and Dietel to get the offense rolling in the first half. The duo teamed up to score the opening 12 points of the game for the Jackrabbits. Hampton was able to stay in the game mainly behind the play of Choicetta McMillen, who nailed four first half three pointers to keep the Pirates close. The game was tied until Kristin Rotert hit a jumper from the wing to give the Jacks a 35-33 lead at halftime.

The second half was close, with the Pirates pulling within one point with 10 minutes left. The Jacks were able to extend the lead behind layups by Steph Paluch, Jill Young, and Sunnarborg. SDSU’s solid free throw shooting kept the Pirates at bay in the waning moments of the game, as the Jackrabbits hit their final 14 free throws of the game.

“I think Hampton is a really good team. I think they have a lot of good pieces. They shot the ball well and can really rebound the ball well, so I think this was a good win for us,” said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston.

Sunnarborg recorded a career-high 24 points in the winning effort and Dietel pitched in with a career-high of her own, scoring 14.

“I’m excited about our post play. Just because of the pace of the game, we didn’t go as far into our bench. We just have a really good post group that really works hard and feeds off of each other,” said Johnston.

Dietel was also in charge of guarding Hampton standout and preseason MEAC player of the year, Quanneisha Perry, who was held to 10 points on the evening.

“She was definitely a key focus for the whole team and we were aware she was coming off of a big game and we collectively did a good job on her,” said Dietel.

The Jackrabbits struggled mightily from the outside, shooting 3 of 14 from beyond the arc.

“We shot the ball well, just not from the three point line and that’s ok. It’s not going to be there all the time. Our team just really responded and we kept going inside,” said Johnston.

Ashley Eide led the Jackrabbits with eight rebounds and Rotert and Young each had 13 points.

McMillen led Hampton (1-1) with 20 points and Melanie Warner added 15 in the loss.

SDSU (2-0) will travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to take the Purdue Boilermakers in the Preseason WNIT semifinals on Thursday. DePaul hosts Florida in the other semifinal and the championship game will be played on Sunday at a site to be determined.

“We’re really excited. We know they’re a good team and it should be fun to play a BCS school like that,” said Dietel.