by By Britni Smith
OMAHA, Neb.—Junior guard Grace Larkins scored her 1,000th career point as the Coyotes defeated Omaha 77-71 in overtime Sunday afternoon inside Baxter Arena.
South Dakota (11-4, 1-1 Summit) posted its third-straight overtime win on the road. The Coyotes have never had three overtime wins in the same season, let alone three on the road. USD’s never had more than one overtime road win in a season prior to this year.
Larkins knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to become the 31st Coyote with 1,000 career points. She finished with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. It marks her 14th career 20-point game and 10th career double-double.
Junior guard Kendall Holmes finished with 18 points, including seven of the Coyotes’ 11 overtime points. Senior forward Tori DePerry joined them in double-figure scoring with 12 points.
Omaha (4-9, 0-2) put four players in double figures. Guard Grace Cave led the way with 17 off the bench. Guard Aaliyah Stanley added 15 points, guard Kennedi Grant had 12 and guard Polina Nikulochkina finished with 11.
The game featured 12 tie-ups and nine lead changes. The Mavericks led 37-34 at the half, marking the first time this season the Coyotes’ have won a game while trailing at the half.
South Dakota led by as much as eight, 52-44, after a Carley Duffney bucket near the end of the third quarter. The Mavericks climbed back and took the lead 55-54 less than two minutes into the fourth. USD trailed 64-59 when Holmes knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game with less than two minutes to go in regulation.
Larkins made the game-tying bucket off a spinning layup with 21 seconds to play. Omaha missed its attempt at a game-winning 3-pointer and Larkins came up with the defensive board.
The Coyotes went on to outscore the Mavericks 11-5 in the overtime period and win 77-71.
South Dakota shot 41.9 percent (9-of-26) from the floor and made 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from deep. Omaha shot at a 37.5 percent (24-of-64) clip.
