VERMILLION, S.D. – The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (7-10, 3-2 Summit League) dropped an 84-69 decision to the South Dakota Coyotes (13-4, 3-1 Summit League) on Thursday evening, Jan. 15, inside the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Brooke LeMar, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the game, paced the Bison with a game-high 23 points, and Holly Johnson tallied her second-straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kahla Becken rounded out the Bison in double figures, tallying 13 points. Becken also went a team-best 8-for-9 from the free-throw line, matching her career-high for free-throws made, and snagged six rebounds to go along with four assists.

North Dakota State shot 37 percent from the field in the game, going 25-for-67, and were 5-for-19 from beyond-the-arc for 26 percent. The Bison were 14-for-18 from the free-throw line for 78 percent.

Raeshel Contreras led six Coyotes in double figures with 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting.

South Dakota went 34-for-70 from the field in the contest for 49 percent and 6-for-19 from three for 32 percent. The Coyotes shot 83 percent from the foul line, going 10-of-12.

USD outrebounded NDSU, 44-35, and outscored the Bison in the paint, 40-26.

Trailing 70-55 with 5:33 to go in the second half, Johnson converted a trey at the 5:06 mark, cutting the Coyote lead to 70-58 and sparking an 8-2 Bison run that trimmed the USD lead to 72-63 after Marena Whittle was fouled on a made layup and converted the free-throw with 3:49 on the clock. That was as close as NDSU would get though, as the 'Yotes closed the game on a 6-2 run to seal the 84-69 victory.

North Dakota State returns home to the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 17, for a 2 p.m. Summit League contest against the Fort Wayne Mastodons (7-10, 1-3 Summit League).