DENVER — The South Dakota State women hung on for a 73-64 victory over Denver on Thursday night at Hamilton Gymnasium.

It was the 15th-straight overall victory for the Jackrabbits (21-5, 13-0) and their 44th consecutive win over Summit League opponents. The conference win streak is now the 12th-longest in NCAA history. 

SDSU led 15-11 after the first quarter. The Jacks extended their lead to 22-13 three minutes into the second quarter and then led 30-16 just past the midway point of the second frame. SDSU took a 36-26 lead into the locker room.

The Pioneers (7-20, 4-10) cut the lead to 38-33 with just under eight minutes left in the third but SDSU then went on a 12-0 run to go up 50-33 with 1:51 left in the quarter. Denver closed the quarter with an 11-0 run of its own to make it 50-44 heading into the fourth. 

SDSU stretched the lead to 58-47 with 7:26 to play but Denver cut it to 62-57 with 4:44 left. The Jacks then led 68-64 with 57 seconds left and SDSU scored five straight points to put the game away. 

SDSU shot 58.7% from the field and was 4-of-8 from three. The Jacks had four players score in double figures with Paige Meyer leading the way. She had 17 points and eight rebounds. Mesa Byom, Madison Mathiowetz and Brooklyn Meyer each had 16 points. Brooklyn Meyer also had seven rebounds and Byom had eight boards. Mathiowetz had four assists.

Denver shot 37.3% from the field and was 10-of-33 from three. Jordan Jones led the Pioneers with 21 points and five rebounds. Emma Smith had 14 points and six assists. Emily Counsel had 11 points and Lauren With and Angelina Robles each had eight points.

SDSU had 39 rebounds and Denver had 23. The Jacks had a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint. SDSU had 14 turnovers and was 15-of-27 at the free throw line. Denver had 11 turnovers and was 10-of-11 at the charity stripe.

The Jacks will look to win at least a share of the Summit League title on Saturday. SDSU plays at St. Thomas at 1 p.m. and you can watch the game on the Summit League Network.