MELBOURNE, Australia--Settling into life in Australia, the Coyote women's basketball team spent day three bonding as a team and putting on a clinic for Melbourne's underprivileged youth. South Dakota also played its second game of the trip against the Melbourne Boomers of the WNBL, Australia's professional league.
Freshman guard
Ciara Duffy reflects on the incredible experience the Yotes had today in the blog below.
Today, we had fun in the Escape Room, went shopping in downtown Melbourne and won our game against the Boomers. As great and enjoyable as all these things were, they paled in comparison to this...
On a street court in a lower class Australian neighborhood surrounded by 50 wild kids, we came to terms with the impact basketball can have that goes far beyond the court. When people say basketball can take you places, they are usually referring to opportunities to travel, get a job or make money. However, where basketball took us today meant so much more. We had the opportunity to help with a basketball clinic for underprivileged youth and I would say that the hour we spent there was the best hour of the trip so far.
We came into this situation not knowing what to expect. We walked up to a muddy outdoor court in an unknown neighborhood in a foreign country surrounded by a huge group of crazy Australian kids. Needless to say, we were a little nervous. The kids soon broke the ice with some dance moves, trash talk and out of control basketball. They didn't care what we taught them (most of the time they would rather talk about Ariana Grande than basketball). They were just excited that we were there and that we truly wanted to be there. There were no fans, no stakes and nothing to distract them from why they were truly out there. It was basketball stripped down to its purest form and it was a great reminder to us of why we started playing this game. By the end, as they ran along the side of the bus while we pulled away, we would have given anything to let them climb on and come with us.
This experience made me realize something else as well. I am so blessed to be a part of this team and school. The fact that we took time out of this incredible trip to help the community speaks volumes of the people we have leading us. Leaders who care more about who we become as individuals than any athletic accolades we may receive. This one hour showed me that in the next four years I have at USD, I will be surrounded by some incredibly selfless people and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.
- Ciara Duffy
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South Dakota senior guard
Jasmine Trimboli knocked down three triples in the first quarter to get the Coyotes rolling in a 60-49 defeat of the WNBL's Melbourne Boomers.
Trimboli totaled 20 points in the game, a career high in a Coyote jersey, while shooting 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field and 50 percent (3-of-6) from downtown. While no other Coyote reached double figures, junior center
Kate Liveringhouse, freshman guard
Ciara Duffy and freshman guard
Madison McKeever each put up nine points. Senior center
Abigail Fogg added eight. Liveringhouse also shot 50 percent (4-of-8) from the field and made one of two from the line. Freshman guard
Allison Arens was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line for four points.
Duffy led the Coyotes on the boards, pulling down six with three on each end. Arens and Liveringhouse each added five rebounds. Eight of the 11 Coyotes to take the court grabbed at least one rebound.
Defensively, Trimboli and Arens tallied three steals apiece for the Coyotes. Fogg and McKeever each recorded one of the Coyotes' two blocks in the game.
The Coyotes have four days off before facing the Hornsby Spiders on Aug. 16.
