Sjerven and Korngable reach career highs as Coyotes down Bradley
PEORIA, Ill. (GoYotes.com) —South Dakota seniors Hannah Sjerven and Liv Korngable had career highs as the Coyotes downed Bradley 84-68 on the road inside Renaissance Coliseum Thursday afternoon. Senior Chloe Lamb scored her 1,000th career point in the first quarter in the landmark game for the senior starting trio.
Sjerven scored a career high 31 points and pulled down a career-best 21 rebounds for a stellar performance inside. She is the only Division I player to record a 30-20 game so far this season. She also became the first Coyote with a 30-20 game since Mandy Koupal in 2003. The last Coyote to even reach 15 boards in a game was Margaret McCloud in 2014.
Sjerven finished 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from the floor and blocked four shots on the other end. Her inside presence opened up the floor for Coyote shooters to drain a season-high 13 triples.
Korngable’s career high 24 points came efficiently on 9-of-11 shooting (81.8 percent) from the floor. She made five of the Coyotes’ 3-pointers.
Lamb eclipsed 1,000 career points on a 3-pointer during the first quarter. She was the third Coyote in double-figures on the day with 18 points. She added five 3-pointers to USD’s tally, pulled down six boards and dished out three assists.
The only other Coyote to score more than a point on the day was freshman Morgan Hansen. She came off the bench and knocked down three second-half 3-pointers.
The game stayed within two possessions for most of the first half as USD led 41-38 at the break. The Coyotes used an 18-2 run midway through the third quarter, sparked by nine points from Sjerven, to grow its lead to 62-47. USD outscored Bradley by six in the final frame, with its largest lead of 16 coming in the final score.
Bradley (3-3) has won every other game during its nonconference slate. The Braves were led by preseason all-Missouri Valley picks Gabi Haack and Lasha Petree with 24 and 23 points, respectively.
South Dakota recorded its best shooting performance of the season, making 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the floor and 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from beyond the arc.
Led by Sjerven’s monster game on the glass, the Coyotes outrebounded Bradley 41-28.
South Dakota also committed just eight turnovers – two of which were offensive fouls – in the game. The Coyotes rank in the top-five nationally for fewest turnovers per game and have committed less than 10 in four of five games.
The Coyotes’ road trip continues at Oklahoma on Sunday with a 2 p.m. tip-off in Norman.
