South Dakota women's basketball falls to NDSU

Coyotes' six-game winning streak snapped by Summit League leaders

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The South Dakota women's basketball team's six-game winning streak came to an end with an 81-68 loss to conference-leading North Dakota State on Saturday. The Coyotes dropped to 21-7 overall and 11-3 in Summit League play, while the Bison improved to 25-2 overall and a perfect 14-0 in league play.

Why it matters

This matchup between the top two teams in the Summit League was an important conference game with implications for the regular season title and postseason seeding. South Dakota's loss snaps their impressive winning streak and puts them further behind NDSU in the standings.

The details

South Dakota only trailed for about a minute and a half in the first half, but faced significant foul trouble. Forward Patience Williams picked up two fouls in the first 1:30, and leading scorer Angelina Robles was tagged for her second foul with 7:19 left in the second quarter. Williams later picked up her third and fourth fouls early in the second half. Despite the foul trouble, Molly Joyce stepped up with 14 points, but the rest of the Coyotes shot just 5-for-22. Elise Turrubiates did a good job defensively on NDSU star Avery Koenen, holding her to 11 points and 8 rebounds. However, the Bison's other shooters, like Molly Lenz, Marisa Frost and Abby Graham, started to heat up in the second half, helping NDSU pull away.

  • The game was played on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

The players

Patience Williams

A forward for the South Dakota Coyotes who faced early foul trouble in the game.

Angelina Robles

The leading scorer and point guard for the South Dakota Coyotes, who also picked up early foul trouble.

Avery Koenen

The star player for the North Dakota State Bison, who was held in check by the Coyotes' defense.

Molly Lenz

A shooter for the North Dakota State Bison who started to find her range in the second half.

Carrie Eighmey

The head coach of the South Dakota Coyotes women's basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

The takeaway

This game highlighted the challenges South Dakota faced in trying to contain NDSU's balanced scoring attack, especially with their own foul trouble limiting key players. The loss puts the Coyotes further behind the Bison in the conference standings, making their path to the regular season title more difficult.