by Britni Smith
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—South Dakota junior guard Grace Larkins was chasing a triple-double in leading the Coyotes to a 72-52 victory over South Carolina State on Saturday afternoon inside the Sanford Pentagon.
Larkins finished with 16 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting day with eight rebounds and seven assists.
Senior forward Tori DePerry joined Larkins in double-figure scoring 12 points, making 4-of-6 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe.
South Dakota (4-3) knocked down 10 triples in the game for the first time this season, while shooting 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field and 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from beyond the arc.
South Carolina State (0-7) shot 40.9 percent (18-of-44) from the field, but made just 4-of-15 (26.7 percent behind the arc. The Coyotes have held five-straight opponents to below 30 percent beyond the arc.
The Coyotes ended the first quarter on a nine-point run and continued to extend the lead each quarter.
The Coyotes were well-balanced in the scoring column. Fifth-year junior Alexi Hempe knocked down three triples in the first half for all nine of her points, while freshman Olivia Kieffer scored all nine of her points in the second half on 4-of-5 shooting. In the post, sophomore center Walker Demer had eight and fourth-year sophomore center Natalie Mazurek tallied seven points. Fourth-year junior Nicole Avila-Ambrosi knocked down a pair of triples for six points.
