South Dakota State picked up a 20-point win over Omaha in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 Summit League Basketball Championships.
Grace Cave opened the scoring for the Mavericks. Madison Mathiowetz quickly returned the favor for SDSU. Madysen Vlastuin drained a triple to stretch the lead to five, but Ja Harvey answered to cut it back to two. The Jackrabbits led 21-16 at the end of the first quarter.
SDSU went on an 8-4 run to open the second quarter, forcing Coach Carrie Banks to call a timeout. The Jackrabbits went into the half with a 39-24 lead behind eight points from Brooklyn Meyer and six points apiece from Kallie Theisen, Haleigh Timmer, and Vlastuin. Ja Harvey led Omaha with 11 first-half points.
Omaha outscored SDSU in the first three minutes of the third quarter, 12-9, slowly chipping away at the lead. SDSU regained momentum and ended the third quarter up 14, 61-47. Mathiowetz contributed seven third-quarter points, while Aaliyah Moore notched 10 points in the third for Omaha. The Jackrabbits continued to build the lead throughout the fourth, taking the contest by a score of 87-67.
SDSU was led by Brooklyn Meyer with 16 points. Vlastuin and Paige Meyer tallied 12 points apiece, while Mathiowetz and Timmer scored 11 points each.
Coach Aaron Johnston was proud of his team’s effort.
“We had several people in double figures. We just did a lot of the things that people who watch us play all year would recognize. I thought everybody was really locked in.”
The Jackrabbits will play either No. 4 St. Thomas or No. 5 North Dakota at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 in Sioux Falls.
Omaha was led by 20 points from Cave. Harvey followed with 17 points, and Moore added 12.
Omaha’s seniors reflected fondly on their time as Mavericks. Harvey stated that she would do it all over.
“Even though we face a lot of adversity, I feel like the people here drew me in, and it’s the reason why I would come back and play here again”
Moore reflected on her relationship with Coach Banks.
“Coach Banks provided everything, from being a great coach to being a great friend” -Aaliyah
Despite losing five players to graduation, Coach Banks was excited about building around Alana Powell and Harriet Ford.
“I’m looking forward to a future with both those kids.”
Omaha finishes 14-17 overall, and 5-11 in the conference.