South Dakota State women’s basketball, the 2022 WNIT champions, will take on South Carolina, the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball national champions, December 15 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Tickets will go on sale September 13. A broadcasting partner will be announced at a later date.
“We could not be more excited for another opportunity to showcase high-level women’s basketball in our state. South Carolina is an elite program and will be a great midseason test for our players,” said Jackrabbit head coach Aaron Johnston. “We are enormously grateful to the Sanford Pentagon for the work they put in to host a game like this in a prime location for Jackrabbit Nation.”
SDSU went 29-9 in 2021-22 and capped off a dominant run through the WNIT with an 82-50 win over Seton Hall in the championship game. This will be the third contest at the Pentagon for the Jackrabbits, who most recently played at the venue during the 2021 Summit League Tournament.
South Carolina finished 35-2 last season and defeated Connecticut 64-49 in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks will make the trip to Sioux Falls for the third straight season.
“We are excited to be back at the Sanford Pentagon this season,” said Dawn Staley, South Carolina head coach. “As I’ve said every year, the way this event is run, the great arena and the incredible fan support make it an easy decision for us to come back and play in Sioux Falls.”
This will be the second all-time meeting between the programs. The first resulted in a 74-52 South Carolina win in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Since opening in 2013, the Sanford Pentagon has hosted 16 NCAA Division I women’s college basketball games including a double header last season featuring eventual national champion South Carolina, Final Four participant Louisville, Sweet 16 participant South Dakota and NCAA Tournament qualifier Arizona.
