Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

[thebluehatman]

Final From Macomb:
Oakland 60
Western Illinois 51

SDSU is your 2007-08 Summit League Regular Season WBB Champs

[filbert]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

I took the liberty of splitting this off onto its own thread.

The ladies deserve it!

South Dakota State University--Summit League Champions!

[1bunnies]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

Congrats to a super group of young ladies. WNIT here we come. Remember last year. They can come to Frost from anywhere and lose.

[Rabbit74]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

I'm not sure where the Bluehatman got his score, but the game just ended with Oakland winning 66 - 62 and was played in Oakland, Michigan not Macomb.

In any case the Jacks are the conference champs.

[thebluehatman]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

I got my info here on Western's Live Stats page.

[filbert]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

I'm not sure where the Bluehatman got his score, but the game just ended with Oakland winning 66 - 62 and was played in Oakland, Michigan not Macomb.

In any case the Jacks are the conference champs.

Thanks! I split the thread, then started searching the web for confirmation . . . couldn't get Summit TV to launch from my sister's place here in the S.D. outback, though.

We'd have been a bit embarrassed at this point if WIU had come back to win.

[Rabbit74]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

I watched the end of the game on Summit TV and it was an overtime victory 66 - 62. Terry V. has a story up with the same score on his blog. Thge score was tied 58 - 58 at the end of regulation.

http://blogs.argusleadermedia.com/sports/

[EQguy]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

It seems to me that what matters most here is:

SDSU is your 2007-08 Summit League Regular Season WBB Champs

Congrats to the ladies they have worked hard and fought through a tough start to be playing some pretty nice basketball right now.

Where do I line up for WNIT tickets?

[thebluehatman]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

Where do I line up for WNIT tickets?

Behind the fat kid in the blue hat

[filbert]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

I think this may make SDSU the first automatic qualifier for any post-season D-I women's basketball tournament this year . . .

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

My congrats go out the the Jackrabbit ladies. A well deserved conference title, and many more to come!

[jacksfan93]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

Congrats to AJ and the Lady Jacks. WNIT fear the Rabbits!!! Now to get in line and get some tickets. Makes me wish I would have gotten season tickets now!!!

[mitchellrabbit]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

you dont even have to buy season tickets. you could have bought one of the mini packages and you'd be set.

[Jack4Life]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

Congratulations to the Jackrabbit Womens BB team. Job well done, considering the early season injuries that palgued them. Now it is ticket time...

[BTownJack]

Re: Oakland beats WIU--SDSU wins Summit League

An article from Terry about the women clinching. There are some really good quotes in this article as well, including one from Dr. Oien.

SDSU clinches women's title
By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
PUBLISHED: February 26, 2008

The South Dakota State women's basketball team has made history - and one.

By virtue of Oakland's 66-62 overtime victory against Western Illinois on Monday night, the Jackrabbits locked up the regular-season championship in the Summit League. It's the first outright conference title for a program that was founded in 1966-67 and it comes in the school's first year as a member of an established NCAA Division I league.

What's more, although ineligible for the NCAA tournament until 2008-09 because of the reclassification process, SDSU (21-6, 14-2) has also earned the Summit League's automatic bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The 48-team event includes the highest ranking team from each Division I conference that does not gain entry into the NCAA championship.

No school had ever qualified for the WNIT while making the transition from the Division II level until SDSU did it last year, when the Jacks not only earned an at-large invite as an Independent but hosted two games before capacity crowds and reached the quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, this season - so far - has revolved around winning a conference title.

"It's really exciting," Jacks eighth-year coach Aaron Johnston said while scouting a game in Sioux Falls. "I think our team has come a long way from the middle of October when we started to the middle of February to get there. When you look at trying to get through a league having not been in a league for a few years you forget about how tough it is and even though (the title has been clinched) with two games to go I think this is the biggest challenge we've had since I've been at SDSU."

....

"One of the most gratifying things is we've been able to do it with quality student-athletes in the classroom and we've done it with the same recruiting region we've always had," SDSU athletic director Fred Oien said, "which were two major arguments five years ago why we shouldn't go Division I."

(read more)