Delta Without Chuck Norris (A little about Delta State)

Okay, so maybe I chose a movie not too many people are familiar with since it is from the late 80’s, but Chuck Norris plays an army dude who kills all the terrorists in a movie called The Delta Force.

Anyway, there is your movie trivia for the day. Onto more about Delta State.

Delta is undefeated and finished the year as the No. 1 ranked team in the national polls. Delta beat two ranked teams during the season, one three times in Arkansas Tech. The Coyotes can tell you that isn’t easy after beating North Dakota three times and Minnesota State-Mankato four times.

The only common opponent each team has faced is, surprisingly, Minnesota-Duluth. It was Delta’s first game of the year and they beat Duluth 63-58 in Quincy, Illinois. That might not seem like a margin the No. 1 ranked team in the nation should be beating Duluth by, but you have to remember that is the first game of the year. Most teams you see are completely different at the end of the season then at the beginning of the season. Remember USD’s loss to Adams State? The Coyotes are a different team then they were in that third game of the year.

Delta has averaged 71 points during the season and given up 51 points. This shows they have some pretty good defense. The one problem is they might not have that one set up defender from the way Brooque Williams had her way with Delta yesterday.

Delta’s scoring is also a product of their passing and getting the whole team involved. They don’t have that one great scorer on their team like a Jeana Hoffman, Corkey Stiger, or Brooque Williams, but they do have two very good passing guards. Bug Cooper averages 3.8 assists per game and Jennifer Rushing averages 4.7 apg.

Delta also has out-rebounded their opponents 38.7 to 27.9 rebounds a game. Once again, they don’t have one rebounder step up and it is a team effort on the boards as well. Lamaesha McAdory leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.

The main downfall of Delta, which there can’t be many if you are undefeated of course, is their turnovers. They average 16 turnovers a game, which is something the Coyotes should be able to feast on again hopefully, since they have done that all year. The Coyotes forced Washburn into 23 turnovers last night.

Speaking of last night, that could be the Coyotes main problem. A double overtime game will take a lot out of you. Jeana Hoffman played all 50 minutes of the game last night, 45 minutes for her sister, and 42 minutes for Bridget Yoerger and Shannon Daly. Amber Hegge played 24 and fouled out and Jasmine Mosley played 10 minutes and fouled out so hopefully both of them are fresh tonight since both are two major contributors off of the bench.

It will help that the game tips off at 9:30 to give the Coyotes some more rest time. If the Coyotes are able to overcome the fatigue factor and can force turnovers, I think they can win this game. Like I have said for a while, this team has a legitimate chance of winning the national title. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be in the Final Four.

Stay tuned to the blog as Matt Dahlseid will be providing a live blog again tonight.

————Justin Rust

Coyotes stave off Lady Blues in second OT

The Coyotes finally managed to fend off Wasburn, winning 85-80 in two overtimes.

Both teams started the second OT off slow. There wasn’t a score by either team until Bridget Yoerger hit a two with 2:29 left.

USD stretched the lead to 79-75 on a layup by Jeana Hoffman with 0:55 remaing. Washburn answered with a two and USD missed a shot on their next possession, but Yoerger came up with a big offensive rebound. Yoerger passed the ball to Shannon Daly, who was fouled with 0:14.5 left. She hit both free throws to put USD up 4.

On Washburn’s possession, Corkey Stiger was called for a pushoff trying to get open for a three, and the game was pretty much over from there.

A few more USD free throws, and USD won 85-80.

USD will face Delta State (Miss.) in the semifinals tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m.

 – Matt Dahlseid

Let’s try it again

The Coyotes and the Lady Blues are heading into a second overtime with the score knotted up at 73-73.

USD held a slim lead through much of the first overtime, but Corkey Stiger and Jessica Mainz wouldn’t let the Coyotes pull away. Stiger hit two threes in the extra frame, bringing her total number of threes to eight.

With USD up 73-70, Washburn’s Jessica Mainz hit a three to tie the game with 31 seconds left.

Jeana Hoffman drove to the bucket with 4 seconds left, but her layup attempt was blocked and Washburn missed a half court heave as time expired.

– Matt Dahlseid

There goes the fingernails, we’re going to overtime

The Coyotes were up 61-57 when a coach’s worst nightmare happened. Amber Hegge fouled a jump shooter. The jump shooter was Corkey Stiger, and she was taking a three.

Stiger calmy sank all three free throws, bringing Washburn within one point with 0:22 remaining.

Washburn fouled Jenna Hoffman on the inbounds and she made both of her free throws.

Down three, Stiger dribbled down the court and sank a huge 3-pointer to tie the game 63-63 with 16 seconds left.

After a USD timeout, Bridget Yoerger tried to make something happen down low again, but was blocked with 4 seconds left on the clock. Washburn lost the ball out of bounds, giving USD one last shot.

With 1.4 seconds remaining, the ball was inbounded to Jeana Hoffman. She took a turnaround three from the right wing, and narrowly missed banking in the game-winning 3-pointer.

USD and Washburn go into overtime tied 63-63.

– Matt Dahlseid

Down to the wire

With 1:20 remaining, the Coyotes hold a slim 59-57 lead over Washburn.

Bridget Yoerger has come up big for the Coyotes in the post, backing her way in for layup after layup. She has scored 8 points in the half.

On the other end, Corkey Stiger remains hot. She has twelve points in the half, and it has seemed like the Coyotes haven’t been able to find a way to stop her. USD defenders have been going under Washburn’s screens, leaving Stiger open for many of her shots.

– Matt Dahlseid

Coyotes strike back

After seeing its first half lead quickly taken away, Jeana Hoffman and the Coyotes have put a run of their own together.

Hoffman has been getting to the bucket, scoring on three layups. Ashley Robinette hit a big three pointer to cap a 10-1 run, giving the Coyotes a 45-42 lead with 11:30 remaining in the second half.

– Matt Dahlseid

Washburn takes the lead

Washburn has started the half on fire and has taken a 41-35 lead with 15:12 remaining.

Washburn junior Jessica Mainz has come up big to open the half, hitting two quick threes to pull Washburn within a point at 33-32. Then Corkey Stiger began to work herself free and hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game, followed by a layup.

– Matt Dahlseid

USD leads at the half

After one half of play, USD leads Washburn 33-26.

The usual suspects are at it again for the Coyotes. Jeana Hoffman has 13 points on 3-3 shooting from behind the arc and 4-6 from the field. Ashley Robinette has hit two threes in the half and has eight points. Bridget Yoerger has been handling things in the paint, with six points down low.

Corkey Stiger has cooled off for Washburn after hitting three quick 3-pointers. She was held scoreless for the final 12 minutes of the half and finished with nine points in the opening frame after shooting 3-10 from the field. Her nine points was matched by teammate Janice Bright, a junior guard from Los Angeles, Calif.

After getting down 16-10 early in the half, USD has tightened up its defense and has seemed to control the pace of the game.

The Coyotes have brought a fairly large contingent down from Vermillion and they have been really getting into the game since Jeana Hoffman started getting hot from 3-point land.

– Matt Dahlseid

Photos from the first half against Washburn

By Justin Wolfgang

Here’s a collection of photos from the first half of USD’s game against Washburn in the first round of the Elite Eight. 

 

Opening it up

After Washburn went up 16-10 after two threes by Lady Blues senior guard Corkey Stiger, the Coyotes went to their bread and butter.

Three 3-pointers by Jeana Hoffman and another three by Ashley Robinette have helped the Coyotes regain the lead and push the score to 31-23 with 2:18 remaining in the half.

USD has also gotten things going inside with four points from both Amber Hegge and Bridget Yoerger on layups.

– Matt Dahlseid