ThunderWolves fall 66-55 to South Dakota

VERMILLION, S.D. - In the first two games of the NCAA Division II National Tournament Friday, held at the Dakota Dome on the University of South Dakota campus, more than a few pumpkins have turned in to lush carriages for the low seeds here in the eight-team North Central Regional. 

Two-seed North Dakota fell to Wayne State by a 85-78 score, and six-seed Minnesota State handed the three-seed, Concordia-St. Paul, their walking papers from the national tournament, winning by a 73-70 margin.

Will the ThunderWolves keep the trend alive?

Conventional wisdom says a stark 'no,' but the ThunderWolf players feel that this is their time.  A week of preparation, outstanding practices, and most importantly, the confidence that they can win, can attest to that.

"South Dakota is a good team and we know that we must play a great game to win," Pack coach Kip Drown said.  "But we are confident that we can play with this team."

The ThunderWolves must contest with a squad that is a mirror image of itself in many aspects.  What the Pack excels at - three-point shooting, low numbers of fouls and turnovers, and shot blocks - are what South Dakota specializes in.  In fact, the Coyotes are ranked tops in the nation in three-pointers made, fewest turnovers and assist/turnover ratio.  In all three of those categories, the ThunderWolves are ranked 15th or better in the nation.

The X-factor is the Pack's post play, something that the Coyotes really can't boast at all.  The Coyotes play largely a three point-guard offense, without a post player present at all.  The Pack has one bonafide post player, 6-foot-2 Sarah Staggs, and Lindsay Black, an all-around player that rocks the boards and can shoot the three, while blocking shots at one of the highest rates in the nation.  Black comes in ranked sixth in the country in blocked shots with 2.1 per game.

The ThunderWolves will put that all to the test when the game tips off at 6 p.m. CST (5 p.m. in Pueblo).

To listen to the game live through Pueblo's own AM-1350 'The Zone,' click here. To watch a live webcast of the game, courtesy of the University of South Dakota, click here.