• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota trailed by three when Alexis Yackley went to the line with 5 seconds left. Yackley's plan was to make the first foul shot and miss the second, hoping the Coyotes could grab the rebound and tie the game.
• Yackley improvised when she missed her first free throw, hustling outside the 3-point arc and throwing up a shot that nearly sent the Summit League championship into overtime. But the long attempt was off, giving South Dakota State a 56-53 win.
• "It was just kind of like a boxing match the whole entire night, and time just ran out on us," Yackley said.
• Nicole Seekamp led South Dakota (17-15) with 20 points, and Tempestt Wilson had 10. The Coyotes shot 36.8 percent from the field.
• "They fought through some adversity," coach Amy Williams said of Wilson, Yackley and the team's other seniors. "They learned from our mistakes, and it put them in a position to have a chance to cut down nets and play for a championship, and I couldn't be more proud of their effort."
• Ashley Eide scored seven of her 10 points in the final 5½ minutes for the Jackrabbits, who won the conference tournament for the fifth consecutive season. Megan Waytashek had 11 points and seven rebounds.
• Eide hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to give South Dakota State a 50-48 lead with 5:28 left. After Polly Harrington tied it with a layup for the Coyotes, Eide made two foul shots and Katie Lingle converted a layup to make it 54-50 with 2:47 to go.
• Eide tacked on two more free throws to help South Dakota State hold on for its sixth consecutive victory this season and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
• "In order to win a championship, all of us had to gut it out and play our toughest, and I think we did that today," Lingle said.
• South Dakota State shot just 29.1 percent from the field. Gabrielle Boever led a strong defensive effort, finishing with seven steals.
• "I thought she was great today," Jackrabbits coach Aaron Johnston said, praising Boever's performance.

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