KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsUSD coach Ryun Williams earns 300th career win

USD coach Ryun Williams earns 300th career win

South Dakota women's basketball coach Ryun Williams earned the 300^th win over his coaching career as the Coyotes topped Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, 73-65 in Summit League action Monday night at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. The Coyotes improved to 12-6 overall and 4-5 in the Summit League, while IUPUI fell to 8-13 overall and 3-6 in the league.  

Williams, in his fourth season at South Dakota, has 65 wins as the Coyote head coach – and the third-fastest coach to reach that total in school history.

"The big thing tonight was that we beat IUPUI," Williams said. "This weekend, we needed 80 minutes of good basketball to get two wins. Not that it was the prettiest tonight, but it was gutty and we found a way to win. I am proud of our team for finding a way to win."

Senior Amber Hegge (Crofton, Neb.) posted her fourth straight double-double with 30 points and 12 rebounds. She also added a team-high three steals. Senior Annie Roche (Vermillion, S.D.) added 14 points and a team-high four assists, while junior Tempestt Wilson (Elk River, Minn.) added 12 points, including going 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. Freshman Kelly Stewart (Amery, Wis.) also had a good game off the bench, adding 10 points and five rebounds.

South Dakota had a decisive edge at the free-throw line, hitting 32-of-35 (91.4 percent) of its attempts, compared to 18-of-25 (72 percent) for IUPUI.  The Coyotes shot 43.2 percent (19-of-44) from the field while holding IUPUI to 33.9 percent (21-of-62).

The win wasn't easy for the Coyotes, who played much of the night without starting point guard Alexis Yackley (Onida, S.D.), who left early in the game with an injury. 

South Dakota resumes action Saturday at Southern Utah. Game time is 6 p.m. Central time in Cedar City, Utah.