# 2024–25 Summit League women's basketball season

The 2024–25 Summit League women's basketball season began non-conference play on November 4, 2024. Conference play began on January 2, 2025 and ended on March 1, 2025. This was the eighteenth season of women's basketball play under the Summit League name and forty-third overall for the conference. The Summit League tournament took place from March 5–9, 2025. South Dakota State won the tournament, defeating Oral Roberts in the tournament final, and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

## Preseason

The preseason Summit League women's basketball poll was released on October 8, 2024.

### Preseason poll

First place votes in parentheses
* South Dakota State (34) – 562
* Oral Roberts (1) – 479
* North Dakota State (1) – 427
* South Dakota – 363
* St. Thomas – 336
* Denver – 220
* North Dakota – 188
* Kansas City – 144
* Omaha – 116

### Preseason awards

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason Player of the Year | Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Jordan Jones, Denver |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Taleyah Jones, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Grace Larkins, South Dakota |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Paige Meyer, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Ruthie Udoumoh, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Grace Cave, Omaha |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Jade Hill, St. Thomas |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Jalei Oglesby, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Amber Scalia, St. Thomas |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Haleigh Timmer, South Dakota State |

## Regular season
### Records against other conferences

2024–25 records against non-conference foes as of December 30, 2024:
| Major 6 Conferences | Record | Major 6 Conferences | Record |
| ACC | 0–2 | American | 2–4 |
| Big East | 1–1 | Big Ten | 2–5 |
| Big 12 | 0–5 | SEC | 2–3 |
| Major 6 Total | Major 6 Total | Major 6 Total | 7–20 |
| Other Division I Conferences | Record | Other Division I Conferences | Record |
| Atlantic 10 | 1–1 | ASUN | 1–0 |
| America East | 1–0 | Big Sky | 11–9 |
| Big South | 0–2 | Big West | 2–0 |
| CAA | 1–0 | Conference USA | 0–1 |
| Horizon League | 2–1 | Ivy League | None |
| Independents | None | MAAC | 0–1 |
| MAC | 3–0 | MEAC | 1–0 |
| MVC | 2–5 | MWC | 3–3 |
| NEC | None | OVC | 5–3 |
| Patriot League | None | SoCon | None |
| Southland | 1–2 | SWAC | 0–1 |
| Sun Belt | 0–2 | WAC | 1–1 |
| WCC | 1–2 |
| Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | 36–34 |
| NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | 43–54 |
| NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | 5–1 |
| NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | 5–0 |
| NAIA Total | NAIA Total | NAIA Total | 12–0 |
| NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | 0–0 |
| Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | 65–53 |

### Record against ranked non-conference opponents

This will be a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll): Summit League teams in bold
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score | Conference record |
| November 4, 2024 | Omaha | No. 23 Nebraska | Pinnacle Bank Arena ● Lincoln, NE | L 48–88 | 0–1 |
| November 8, 2024 | No. 21 Creighton | South Dakota State | First Bank and Trust Arena ● Brookings, SD | W 76–71 | 1–1 |
| November 14, 2024 | St. Thomas | No. 8 Iowa State | Hilton Coliseum ● Ames, IA | L 47–80 | 1–2 |
| November 16, 2024 | No. 21 Nebraska | South Dakota† | Sanford Pentagon ● Sioux Falls, SD | L 70–113 | 1–3 |
| November 17, 2024 | No. 16 Duke | South Dakota State | First Bank and Trust Arena ● Brookings, SD | L 71–75 | 1–4 |
| November 26, 2024 | No. 21 Oregon | South Dakota State† | George Q. Cannon Activities Center ● Laie, HI | W 75–70 | 2–4 |
| November 26, 2024 | Kansas City | No. 25 Nebraska | Pinnacle Bank Arena ● Lincoln, NE | L 38–84 | 2–5 |
| December 15, 2024 | Oral Roberts | No. 10 Oklahoma | Lloyd Noble Center ● Norman, OK | L 54–94 | 2–6 |
| December 22, 2024 | South Dakota State | No. 6 Texas | Moody Center ● Austin, TX | L 57–103 | 2–7 |
| December 22, 2024 | Omaha | No. 10 Oklahoma | Lloyd Noble Center ● Norman, OK | L 65–111 | 2–8 |
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll
† denotes game was played at neutral site ^ denotes NCAA tournament game

### Conference matrix

| | Denver | Kansas City | North Dakota | North Dakota State | Omaha | Oral Roberts | St. Thomas | South Dakota | South Dakota State |
| vs. Denver | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Kansas City | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. North Dakota | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. North Dakota State | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| vs. Omaha | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Oral Roberts | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| vs. St. Thomas | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. South Dakota | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 |
| vs. South Dakota State | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – |
| Total | 2–14 | 6–10 | 6–10 | 11–5 | 5–11 | 12–4 | 9–7 | 5–11 | 16–0 |
Through March 1, 2025

### Points scored

| Team | For | Against | Difference |
| Denver | 1914 | 2024 | –110 |
| Kansas City | 2165 | 2317 | –152 |
| North Dakota | 2056 | 2173 | –117 |
| North Dakota State | 2087 | 1942 | +145 |
| Omaha | 2099 | 2279 | –180 |
| Oral Roberts | 2661 | 2329 | +332 |
| St. Thomas | 2140 | 2075 | +65 |
| South Dakota | 2041 | 2239 | –198 |
| South Dakota State | 2443 | 1964 | +479 |
Through March 17, 2025

### National Television Games

Any games that league members will play on National Television, including the Summit League's media contract with CBS Sports Network, are listed here.
Summit League members in bold
| Date Time (CT) | Road Team | Home Team | Final Score | Network |
| November 17, 2024 2:30 PM | Duke | South Dakota State | L 71–75 | CBSSN |
| February 8, 2025 11 AM | Oral Roberts | South Dakota State | 71–89 | CBSSN |

### Home attendance

| Team | Arena | Capacity | Total Games | Average Attendance | Attendance High | Total Attendance | % of Capacity |
| Denver | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | 16 | 393 | 947 Dec 7 vs. Portland St | 6,303 | 15.8% |
| Kansas City | Swinney Recreation Center | 1,500 | 11 | 409 | 998 Nov 22 vs. Lindenwood | 4,505 | 27.3% |
| North Dakota | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | 13 | 1,490 | 1,964 Feb 15 vs. North Dakota St | 19,382 | 45.2% |
| North Dakota State | Scheels Center | 5,460 | 13 | 956 | 2,210 Jan 25 vs. North Dakota | 12,428 | 17.5% |
| Omaha | Baxter Arena | 7,898 | 13 | 876 | 4,866 Nov 7 vs. College of Saint Mary | 11,397 | 11.1% |
| Oral Roberts | Mabee Center | 10,154 | 13 | 2,028 | 4,836 Nov 4 vs. Northeastern State | 26,376 | 20.0% |
| St. Thomas | Schoenecker Arena | 1,800 | 14 | 417 | 733 Jan 22 vs. South Dakota St | 5,838 | 23.2% |
| South Dakota | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | 16 | 1,617 | 2,956 Jan 25 vs. South Dakota St | 25,872 | 27.0% |
| South Dakota State | First Bank and Trust Arena | 6,500 | 15 | 2,942 | 4,582 Nov 17 vs. No. 16 Duke | 44,141 | 45.3% |
Bold - Exceed capacity As of March 1, 2025 Does not include exhibition games

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes
#### South Dakota

On April 23, 2024, Kayla Karius left South Dakota after two seasons to return to Green Bay as head coach. Soon after, on April 30, 2024, former Idaho head coach Carrie Eighmey was named as the Coyotes' new head coach.

### Coaches

Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season. Overall and Summit League records are from time at current school.
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Seasons at school | Overall record | Summit record | Summit titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | NCAA Championships |
| Denver | Doshia Woods | Tulane (recruiting coordinator) | 5th | 37–76 (.327) | 23–43 (.348) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas City | Dionnah Jackson-Durrett | Texas (Associate head coach) | 3rd | 21–53 (.284) | 6–28 (.176) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota | Mallory Bernhard | North Dakota (assistant) | 5th | 45–68 (.398) | 27–40 (.403) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | Jory Collins | Kansas (assistant) | 6th | 77–70 (.524) | 48-36 (.571) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omaha | Carrie Banks | Ohio State (assistant) | 5th | 37–72 (.339) | 18–45 (.286) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oral Roberts | Kelsi Musick | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 3rd | 33–30 (.524) | 19–15 (.559) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Thomas | Ruth Sinn | Apple Valley HS | 20th | 391–142 (.734) | 18–34 (.346) † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota | Carrie Eighmey | Idaho | 1st | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota State | Aaron Johnston | South Dakota State (assistant) | 25th | 598–191 (.758) | 244–34 (.878) | 11 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
Notes:
* † St. Thomas joined the Summit League in the summer of 2021.
* Overall and Summit League records, conference titles, etc. are from time at current school and are through the end the 2023–24 season.
* NCAA tournament appearances are from time at current school only.

## Awards and honors
### Players of the week

Throughout the regular season, the Summit League offices will name one or two players of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
| Nov. 11 | Jade Hill | St. Thomas |
| Nov. 18 | Ruthie Udoumoh | Oral Roberts |
| Nov. 25 | Jalei Oglesby | Oral Roberts (2) |
| Dec. 2 | Grace Larkins | South Dakota |
| Dec. 9 | Marisa Frost | North Dakota State |
| Dec. 16 | Jade Hill (2) | St. Thomas (2) |
| Dec. 23 | Taleyah Jones | Oral Roberts (3) |
| Dec. 30 | Amber Scalia | St. Thomas (3) |
| Jan. 6 | Grace Larkins (2) | South Dakota (2) |
| Jan. 13 | Grace Larkins (3) | South Dakota (3) |
| Jan. 20 | Alayna Contreras | Kansas City |
| Jan. 20 | Brooklyn Meyer | South Dakota State |
| Jan. 27 | Abbie Draper | North Dakota State (2) |
| Feb. 3 | Grace Larkins (4) | South Dakota (4) |
| Feb. 10 | Grace Larkins (5) | South Dakota (5) |
| Feb. 24 | Ja Harvey | Omaha |
| Feb. 24 | Brooklyn Meyer (2) | South Dakota State (2) |
| Mar. 3 | Avery Koenen | North Dakota State (3) |

### All–League Honors

The All-Summit League teams and individual awards were announced on March 4, ahead of the Summit League tournament.
2025 Summit League Women's Basketball Individual Awards :
| Award | Recipient(s) |
| Player of the Year | Grace Larkins – South Dakota |
| Newcomer of the Year | Ja Harvey – Omaha |
| Freshman of the Year | Jocelyn Schiller – North Dakota |
| Sixth Woman of the Year | Jalei Oglesby – Oral Roberts |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Fatima Ibrahim – North Dakota |
| Coach of the Year | Aaron Johnston – South Dakota State |
| Honor | Recipient |
| All-Summit League First Team | Grace Larkins, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League First Team | Taleyah Jones, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League First Team | Avery Koenen, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Paige Meyer, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Jalei Oglesby, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Grace Cave, Omaha |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Alayna Contreras, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Abbie Draper, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Jordan Jones, Denver |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Kiera Pemberton, North Dakota |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Ja Harvey, Omaha, |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Jade Hill, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Jo Langbehn, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Amber Scalia, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Haleigh Timmer, South Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Mesa Byom, South Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Fatima Ibrahim, North Dakota |
| All-Defensive Team | Grace Larkins, South Dakota |
| All-Defensive Team | Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Paige Meyer, South Dakota State |
| All-Newcomer Team | Ja Harvey, Omaha |
| All-Newcomer Team | Molly Lenz, North Dakota State |
| All-Newcomer Team | Ana Oliveria, Kansas City |
| All-Newcomer Team | Aaliyah Moore, Omaha |
| All-Newcomer Team | Laia Monclova, Denver |
| All-Freshman Team | Marisa Frost, North Dakota State |
| All-Freshman Team | Alyssa Sand, St. Thomas |
| All-Freshman Team | Jocelyn Schiller, North Dakota |
| All-Freshman Team | Katie Vasecka, South Dakota State |
| All-Freshman Team | Harriet Ford, Omaha |

## Postseason
### Summit League tournament

All 9 teams qualified for the Summit League tournament. It was held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The tournament was held from March 5 to March 9, 2025.
| First Round March 5 Summit League Network | First Round March 5 Summit League Network | First Round March 5 Summit League Network | Quarterfinals March 6 & 7 Summit League Network | Quarterfinals March 6 & 7 Summit League Network | Quarterfinals March 6 & 7 Summit League Network | Semifinals March 8 Summit League Network | Semifinals March 8 Summit League Network | Semifinals March 8 Summit League Network | Championship March 9 CBS Sports Network | Championship March 9 CBS Sports Network | Championship March 9 CBS Sports Network |
| | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 87 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Omaha | 76 | 8 | Omaha | 67 | | | | | | |
| 9 | Denver | 68 | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 84 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | North Dakota | 55 | | | |
| | | | 4 | St. Thomas | 67 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | North Dakota | 80 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 84 |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | Oral Roberts | 68 |
| | | | 2 | Oral Roberts | 70 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | South Dakota | 50 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Oral Roberts | 95 | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Kansas City | 73 | | | |
| | | | 3 | North Dakota State | 58 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Kansas City | 68 | | | | | | |

### NCAA tournament

Only South Dakota State was selected to participate in the tournament as the conference's automatic bid.
| Seed | Region | School | First round | Second round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| No. 10 | Storrs Regional | South Dakota State | No. 7 Oklahoma State | | | | | |
| | 1 Bid | W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |

### WBIT

Oral Roberts was selected to participate in the tournament as an at-large bid.
| School | First round | Second round | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Championship |
| Oral Roberts | at No. 3 Missouri State | | | | |
| 1 Bid W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |

### WNIT

North Dakota State was selected to participate in the tournament as an at-large bid.
| School | First round | Second round | Super 16 | Great 8 | Fab Four | Championship |
| North Dakota State | Bye | TBD | | | | |
| 1 Bid W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |