Women's Basketball Set For Summit Home Opener

After grinding out a conference-opening overtime win against UND on Saturday, the Roos play host to South Dakota for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday.
Kansas City has a chance to open conference play 2-0 for the second time (2018-19) in Jacie Hoyt's coaching career. A sweep of the Coyotes would be the program's first 3-0 conference start since 2009-10, when Candace White-Whitaker led KC to a fourth place Summit League finish.
Naomie Alnatas's hot streak now spans nearly a month, as she has led Kansas City in scoring in each game since dropping 15 points in the Dec. 9 win over William Jewell. Over the five-game span, Alnatas has averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game. She currently averages two steals each game, good for second in the Summit.
The Roos have taken care of the ball well thus far, forcing more turnovers than they committed in all but two games. Three of Kansas City's four wins have come in contests where it committed fewer giveaways than its opponent.
Prepare to see a lot of active hands this weekend, as Kansas City and South Dakota hold the Summit League's top two ranks in steals per game. The Coyotes average 7.4 takeaways per game, led by Chloe Lamb and Hannah Sjerven. Kansas City averages 7.8 steals in each contest, led by Alnatas and Sanaa' St. Andre.

Last Time Out: W, 71-67 (OT) at North Dakota (1/2/21)

Kansas City opened the new year by storming back from a 17-point second quarter deficit to force overtime and steal a victory.
The Roos scored just eight points in the first quarter but made up for lost time by holding the Fighting Hawks to just seven points in the third quarter.
Mandy Willems provided a much-needed spark off the bench for Coach Hoyt, logging 26 minutes and scoring a career-high 13 points on four three-point makes.
Two Kansas City starters were held scoreless in the game, but Willems and RaVon Nero picked up the slack, each scoring in double digits. Nero finished with 11 points and a season-high five rebounds.
After shooting 34-percent through the first three quarters, the Roos connected on 8-of-13 shots in the fourth to complete the comeback and force overtime.

All-Time Series vs. South Dakota: Kansas City leads, 4-2

The Roos and Coyotes have met six times in the past, with four of those meetings coming as Summit League foes.
The Roos defeated South Dakota in 1983 and 1991 to begin the series, but the teams did not play again for another 21 years.
In the 2011-12 and '12-13 seasons, the teams split their season series. In all four games, the home team came away with the victory.
The largest margin came in 1991, when the Roos pummeled the Coyotes to the tune of a 76-39 final score.
Kansas City also holds the mark for the highest scoring game in the series, dropping 82 points in the 1983 matchup.

South Dakota Scouting Report

The Coyotes are looking to win their second-straight Summit League title after a 16-0 conference run in 2019-20. They were picked to finish first in the Summit League Preseason Poll.
Hannah Sjerven, the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, was named Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after averaging 20 points and nine rebounds per game in USD's three wins.
Sjerven leads the Coyote's scoring and rebounding efforts, averaging 19.1 ppg and 9.7 rpg.
Chloe Lamb can also pose problems for opposing teams. She averages 16.8 points per game and collected the Summit League Player of the Week honors on Dec. 14.
Liv Korngable leads USD's passing game, averaging a Summit-leading 4.1 assists per game. She can also score the rock, putting up 15 points per game.

University of Missouri Kansas City Athletics