Jacks survive overtime in Fargo

Saturday, January 21

Fargo, N.D.

7:00 PM

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

1/21/2012 11:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: SDSU Sports Info

FARGO, N.D. - South Dakota State led by as many as 11 points late in the second half on Saturday at North Dakota State, but as these Jackrabbits saw so many times in years past, that does not mean much. The host Bison did erase that double-digit lead and force overtime, but this time the Jacks responded, and held on for a 91-88 overtime win in front of 5,011 fans inside Bison Sports Arena in Fargo. N.D.

The win snaps a 10 game overall losing streak to the Bison, and marks the first Jackrabbit win in Fargo since the 2004-05 season. None of which matters to SDSU Head Coach Scott Nagy.

"The reason it's a big win is because we've played nine league games and five of them have been on the road and we've won four of them" Nagy said after the win. "To stay in the conference championship race, you have to win road games and you have to win close games like this."

The win boosts the Jackrabbits record to 16-5 overall and gives them an 8-1 record through the first half of Summit League play. The Bison fall to 13-6 overall and 6-3 in league play.

After trailing by as many as five points early, Jordan Dykstra put the Jacks up 12-10 with one of his three three-pointers of the night with 11:54 to go in the first half. Less than two minutes later, Chad White knocked down a three to give SDSU a 15-10 lead.

The Jacks would hold on to that lead until the 5:05 mark of the first half, when TrayVonn Wright hit a jumper to tie the game at 19-all. SDSU would answer with a 10-2 run that put the Jacks up 29-21 at halftime.

Despite leading by as many as 11 points in the second half on three different occasions, the last being at the 5:55 mark in the second half, SDSU could not keep the potent NDSU offense bottled up, as the Bison chipped away at the lead, until they eventually tied the game at 76-76 with eight seconds left in regulation.

A Nate Wolters three-pointer from the right wing missed its mark at the buzzer to force the overtime frame, where the Jacks fell into a four point hole with less than a minute gone off the clock.

Wolters nailed a three to get the Jacks within one point and Griffan Callahan hit a free throw for the first of four ties in the extra stanza to get the Jacks back in the game. From there the lead would change hands three times, before Callahan put the Jacks up for good at 84-83 with 2:22 left in the OT.

SDSU did not score another field goal in the extra period, but Callahan, Chad White, Dykstra and Wolters all went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to close the game and seal the win.

Wolters scored just four points in the first half, but erupted for 23 in the second half to finish with 27. He also added seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists. Dykstra added a season-high 20 points, Callahan 19 and White 11 points in the win.

Taylor Braun led all scorers with 28 points before fouling out in the overtime. He also finished with a game-high 12 rebounds. Wright added 16 points, Lawrence Alexander 14 and Dylan Hale 11 points in a losing cause.

The Jackrabbits return to action on Thursday, when they travel to Rochester, Mich., to take on Oakland. The Jacks and Golden Grizzlies tipoff at 7:05 p.m. ET.

NOTES: Saturday's game marked the 203rd meeting between SDSU and NDSU, with the Bison holding a 108-95 series lead ... the game also marked the seventh overtime game between the Bison and Jackrabbits, with NDSU holding a 4-3 edge ... SDSU played its second overtime game of the season, with a 97-95 overtime win at IUPUI on Dec. 1, 2011, being the first ... the Jackrabbits improve to 29-36 all-time in overtime games ... two Jackrabbits scored at least 20 points for the first time since March 7, 2011, when Wolters (23) and White (21) did it in a loss to Oakland at The Summit League Championships ... Wolters moves to fifth on the career assists charts with 392, two shy of passing Tony Matthews (393 assists from 1987-91) for fourth on the all-time list ... Brayden Carlson played a career-high 44 minutes in the win ... White played a career-high 35 minutes ... NDSU scored 55 points the second half, the most allowed by SDSU in any half this season