SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Summit League PR) – South Dakota men’s and women’s basketball teams combined to go 13-3 during the month of November and two seniors were the primary catalysts and for those efforts were named The Summit League Athletes of the Month.
Ciara Duffy was the female recipient after leading the Coyotes to a 7-1 record and top 25 national ranking while Tyler Hagedorn claimed the male honor in his return to action after missing all of the 2017-18 season with an injury.
Duffy was one of two players in Division I basketball to average better than 15.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 5.5 apg during the opening month of the season and reached double figures in all eight contests. Her numbers were 17.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 5.9 apg.To hear coach Dawn Plitzuweit talk hoops with KWSN’s Craig & John on Tuesday, click here!
The senior from Rapid City was instrumental in wins over schools from the Big Ten (Ohio State), SEC (Missouri) and Pac-12 (Utah). She was named the Las Vegas Shootout MVP and also knocked more than 50 percent of her 3-point attempts and had four 20-plus point scoring tilts.
Hagedorn led all DI players in three-point percentage during the month, thanks in large part to his record-breaking performance against Texas Southern. He broke a Summit League single-game record by going 8-for-8 from 3-point range, finishing with a career-high 33 points against the Tigers.
He led the league in scoring (18.9 ppg) and field goal percentage (63.4) for the month, and like Duffy, reached double figures in all eight games to get the Coyotes off to a 6-2 start.To hear GoYotes.com writer Mick Garry talk USD hoops, Gophers, Vikings, and Twins with KWSN’s “Craig & John,” click here!
