SIOUX FALLS – Kaely Hummel scored 20 points and Anna Goodhope added a double double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team (19-7, 14-6) to a sixth straight win with a 69-47 decision over Upper Iowa (3-25, 0-20 NSIC) on Saturday at the Stewart Center.

USF, which trailed 34-26 at halftime, used a 41-11 burst in the second half to sweep the season series against the Peacocks. The victory also helped USF retain second place in the NSIC South and just a game behind Concordia St. Paul at 15-5 for the NSIC South lead. Next weekend, USF will close the regular season with road games at Augustana (Elmen Center) on Friday, Feb. 22 and at Wayne State (Rice Auditorium) on Saturday, Feb. 23.

USF, which now stands 11-2 at home this season, has also assured itself of a home game in the first round of the NSIC Tourney which opens on Feb. 27. The Cougars have a two-game lead over Augustana and Winona State with two games to play. In addition, USF is just one win away from its third 20-win season in the past four years.

"We didn't have a very good first half but give credit to Upper Iowa. They played hard and made some shots. In the second half, I felt we played with a lot of energy and turned things in our direction," said USF Head Coach Travis Traphagen, whose team helped him earn his 213th career win.

Hummel, who now has 1,096 career points, registered her 12^th 20-point game and 60^th double-digit scoring game of her career. She also hit tied a season-high (St. Cloud State, 12-15-18) with five made three-point shots as she now has 182, which ranks second at USF in the program's DII era. Against the Peacocks, Hummel made 7-of-14 field goals and 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. She also had three assists and two rebounds.

For the second time this season, Goodhope finished with a double double as she had 14 points and 10 rebounds while dishing four assists, blocking a career-high three shots and registering two steals in 37 minutes on the floor. In registering her seventh double-digit game at USF, she concluded a weekend when she had 44 points and 18 rebounds combined.

Freshman forward Krystal Carlson reached double-digits in points for the fourth time as she had 11 points with five rebounds, a block and a steal. Junior guard Mariah Szymanski also had a solid game with nine points, five assists and four rebounds.

After shooting just, 26.7 percent (4-of-15) in the first quarter, USF finished at 45.8 percent for the game by hitting 27-of-59 field goals. The Cougars which shot 71 percent in the third quarter against Winona State on Friday, made 9-of-14 field goals for 64.3 percent against UIU when the Cougars took control with a 23-5 margin in the third quarter. The Cougars also captured the rebounds battle, 35-31, and again did a solid job in sharing the basketball with 17 assists on 27 made baskets.

Led by Hummel, USF had nine three-pointers and outshot UIU from distance. The Peacocks, which made 32.7 percent from the field (17-of-52) had eight three pointers by halftime on 13 shots but didn't hit one in the second half as Traphagen's team tightened their perimeter defense. UIU was led by Savannah Domeyer with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Game Breakdown –

After Goodhope opened the game with a three-pointer, UIU took early control of the game, mainly using the strength of hot shooting from three-point range. UIU hit three triples in the first quarter and led USF, 13-11.  USF's last lead of the opening quarter was at 11-10 after Hummel hit a three but it was matched by one from Natalie Dinius, who hit three in the first two quarters and had nine points.

Off the bench, UIU forward Ally Fink hit a pair of three-pointers and the Peacocks took a 23-15 lead at the 7:22 mark of the second quarter. UIU's Haley Martin added a pair of free throws as the Peacocks's lead grew to 25-15. After USF cut the lead to seven on a Hummel three-pointer, UIU made two straight treys for a 33-20 advantage. However, the Cougars responded and closed the half on an 8-to-3 run to cut the deficit to 36-28. It was the start of a run which would continue over the final two quarters of play.

In the third quarter, the Cougars took charge from the opening possession and began a 41-11 run in the final two quarters to defeat UIU for an 11^th straight time. Interestingly, USF had been 1-6 when trailing at halftime but found a way to turn things around.  

USF had a 13-0 run, which dating back to Szymanski's half-ending basket in the first half, was a 15-point run as the Cougars turned the momentum in their favor and had a 41-36 lead k a 41-36 lead with 5:25 on the clock. A three-ball from Andi Mataloni helped USF take a seven-point lead and then a jumper from Goodhope and a three-pointer from Hummel with 43 seconds left in the quarter provided USF with 51-41 advantage.

Early in the fourth quarter, UIU had a basket from Emma Gaber to draw within 51-43 at the 9:38 mark. But USF took off again as Goodhope and Syzmanski had threes as part of a 10-0 run and USF had a 61-43 margin and the issue decided with 6:01 to play. A foul shot from Carlson with 27 seconds remaining gave USF its biggest lead of the game at 69-47.