BROOKINGS-The South Dakota State University women's basketball team picked up a crucial victory over Green Bay on Thursday at Frost Arena.
The Jacks scored the first 15 points and recorded a convincing 77-47 win over the Phoenix in a battle of two mid-major powers in front of 1,782 fans.
The Jackrabbits (4-3) were led by Mitchell native Macy Miller's game-high 21 points. She scored 17 of those points in the second half. Freshman Paiton Burckhard came off the bench for a career-high 16 points. Madison Guebert added 13 points while Letcher native Myah Selland recorded 12 points and tied a career-high with 11 rebounds for her first double-double.
Lyndsey Robson and Laken James each scored 11 points to lead the Phoenix, 3-3.
Guebert and Tagyn Larson each scored five points as South Dakota State opened with the 15-0 run. The Jackrabbits also forced the Phoenix into committing six turnovers and miss their first nine shots. State led 15-5 after the first quarter.
The Jackrabbits opened the second quarter with a 16-2 run, capped by a Selland layup with 2:17 left in the half for a 31-7 lead. South Dakota State led 34-12 at half.
After Selland sank a free throw, Miller made back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Jackrabbits a 41-13 lead with 8:41 to play in the third quarter. Miller scored 12 of her points in the quarter as State led, 54-35.
Green Bay opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to come within 13, 54-41, at 7:40. Miller sank a 3-pointer to start the Jacks on a 23-6 run to end the game.
With 23 points tonight, Miller is now five points shy of second and 42 points short of first on the all-time SDSU scoring list. She now has 1,846 career points. She also needs 154 points for 2,000 career points and 432 points to become The Summit League's all-time scorer.
South Dakota State returns to the road when it plays at Chattanooga on Tuesday.
