GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico | The Grambling State University women's basketball team fell behind by 14 points early and could not recover in a 67-53 loss to South Dakota to open the Puerto Rico Classic on Wednesday at Mario Morales Coliseum.
 
South Dakota (11-1) led, 29-15, at the end of one quarter and took a 38-22 lead into the break. The Coyotes extended the advantage to 53-29 heading into the final period. Grambling State (1-8) picked up the defensive intensity in the final quarter and outscored the Coyotes, 24-14, but it wasn't enough to rally for the victory.
 
Shakyla Hill finished two assists and two steals shy of her second-career quadruple-double. She registered 19 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and eight steals. Jazmin Boyd tallied 15 points, three assists, one steal and one board.
 
Madison McKeever led five Coyote players in double figures with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Hannah Sjerven and Allison Arens each recorded 11 points, while Courtney Schoenbeck and Ciara Duffy registered 10 points apiece.
 
Turning Point
South Dakota began the game on a 14-0 run, capped by a Hannah Sjerven 3-pointer with 6:35 left in the opening period. Grambling State closed the gap to 24-13 after a Shakyla Hill layup with 1:17 remaining in the first.
 
The Coyotes stretched their lead to 36-15 after an Allison Arens trey with 5:15 remaining in the first half and the Lady Tigers cut the margin to 38-22 after a Takerra Parsons bucket right before the half.
 
Grambling State cut the deficit to 42-27 after a Jazmin Boyd 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the third, but South Dakota answered and took a 53-29 advantage into the final period.
 
The Coyotes opened the fourth on a 7-1 run to take a 60-32 advantage and put the game out of reach. The Lady Tigers would not go away quietly down the stretch and despite the early run by South Dakota, Grambling State outscored USD, 23-7, but it was not enough to overcome the big deficit.
 
 Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State was 20-of-64 (31.3 percent) shooting and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the charity stripe
> South Dakota shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the field and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the free-throw line
> GSU registered 36 rebounds, with 12 coming on the offensive glass
> The Coyotes pulled down 49 rebounds, including 37 on the defensive end
> Grambling State finished with 28 points in the paint, 25 points off 16 Coyote turnovers, 12 fastbreak points, 11 bench points and three second-chance points
> South Dakota tallied 26 bench points, 25 points in the paint, 15 points off 25 Lady Tiger turnovers, 14 second-chance points and five fastbreak points
 
News & Notes
> South Dakota came into the game unranked in the two major polls, but was ranked No. 2 in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25
> USD's Ciara Duffy was named the Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday
> Shakyla Hill earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors on Tuesday
> The three teams Grambling State will play at the Puerto Rico Classic (South Dakota, Indiana and Loyola Marymount) have a combined record of 26-3
> Both teams played one common opponent this season – Wichita State
> For the first time in the Freddie Murray era, the Lady Tigers dropped a game on a Wednesday (4-1)
> Grambling State, which last played a home game on Nov. 9 (McNeese State), is in the midst of an 12-game road swing, which includes the first two SWAC games (Alabama State and Alabama A&M)
 
Up Next
Grambling State continues at the Puerto Rico Classic on Thursday against Indiana. Tip-off against the Hoosiers is set for 12:30 p.m. (central) at Mario Morales Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
 
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