Jacks close nonleague slate with Idaho

GAME 15: South Dakota State (8-6) vs. Idaho (4-6)

When	Saturday, Dec. 21 \| noon
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Live Video	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Idaho
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

Previewing the Game
Jackrabbit basketball wraps up nonleague play and a three-game homestand Saturday as Idaho comes to Frost Arena. Tipoff in Brookings is set for noon.

The Jackrabbits are 7-0 at home this season and are in the final contest of a three-game stay at Frost Arena. SDSU has won 15 consecutive games in Brookings, currently the nation's fifth-longest active home winning streak. The Jacks have won two straight games, topping Florida Gulf Coast (75-56) and Nebraska-Kearney (66-53) in the first two games of the homestand.

Idaho (4-6) has not played since a 76-70 overtime victory against CSU Bakersfield last Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak that included a 70-53 setback against North Dakota State.

The Jackrabbits are 4-4 all-time against Idaho, last playing in a home-and-home series in 2016-17. SDSU has won three of four games against the Vandals in Frost Arena, claiming an 80-77 victory in the last matchup. State also played a home-and-home with the Vandals in 2014-15, and have split the last four matchups overall with Idaho.

About South Dakota State
The Jackrabbit men's basketball team has secured a winning record through the nonconference portion of the schedule and will begin Summit League play next week. Growth and competition have been on display throughout the first 14 games, as new head coach Eric Henderson blends seven newcomers and nine underclassman into a roster with six returning letterwinners.

The fresh look has seen the Jackrabbits shoot 45.1 percent field with 92 3-pointers. SDSU has hit 199 of its 289 charity stripe attempts and is 8-1 in games where it shoots more free throws than its opponent.

Douglas Wilson has reached double figures in 12 of 14 contests this season with three double-doubles and four 20-plus scoring performances. The Des Moines, Iowa native leads the team with 16.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the Summit League in scoring average. The two-time NJCAA All-American and 2018-19 NJCAA Player of the Year is shooting 61.3 percent from the field and 68.1 percent at the line, including a 23-for-28 (82.1 percent) run over the last six games.

Brandon Key (9.4 points per game) has been electric at the point, posting six double-digit scoring performances on the season with 66 assists (4.7 per game). He has a 1.57 assist-to-turnover ratio and is back for the Jackrabbits after redshirting a year ago. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native had 112 assists in 2017-18. Key is coming off a seven-assist performance against Florida Gulf Coast, giving him four career games with seven assists.

Matt Dentlinger has turned in a pair of double-doubles, most recently in a 17-point, 11-rebound performance against North Alabama. Dentlinger is third on the team with 9.7 points and second at 5.9 rebounds per game. He has sunk 52-of-93 (55.9 percent) from the field, including a run of 13 consecutive makes between the Arizona, Mississippi Valley State and Samford contests (going 8-for-8 against MVSU).

Alex Arians (24.7 minutes per game) and Noah Freidel (22.9 minutes per game) join the three Jackrabbits above as the primary starters, though David Wingett earned his first-career start last Wednesday and made the most of the opportunity with a 12-point showing.

Arians' 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game provide a steady-presence in the three-spot, tallying double figures in the two of the last three games (16 versus Nebraska-Kearney and 10 against Colorado State).

Freidel, the 2019 Argus Leader Class A Player of the Year, currently sits fifth on the team in scoring (7.4 points per game) and is second in made 3-pointers (21). He has reached double figures in five games, burying five 3-pointers in a win over Samford with a 20-point effort.

Wingett (7.7 ppg) has 24 3-pointers and 12 steals, second on the team in swipes behind Brandon Key's 16.

Baylor Scheierman has played 19.4 minutes per game in his first collegiate season, dishing 23 assists with 90 points (6.4 per game). The Aurora, Nebraska native has also pulled down 4.4 rebounds per contest and hit nine 3-pointers.

Tray Buchanan is seventh in scoring after two 15-point games in the last month, tallying a 6.3 per game scoring average with a .53.8 field goal percentage.

About Idaho
Idaho has not played since a 76-70 overtime victory against CSU Bakersfield last Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak that included a 70-53 setback against North Dakota State.
The Vandals are minus-0.8 in scoring margin for the year at 68.8 points per game, burying 5.2 3-pointers per contest as part of a .451 field goal percentage mark. UI is minus-0.5 on the boards at 34.4 rebounds per game, and holds a 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team.

The Vandals are averaging double figure points, led by Trevon Allen's 17.7 points per game. Allen missed two games in late November, but has returned to the lineup for the last two contests. He is first on the team with 14 3-pointers, adding 15 assists and 11 steals out of a guard role.

BJ Simmons (10.7 points per game) and Scott Blakney (10.5 ppg) are in double figures as well. Simmons has buried nine 3-pointers and is shooting 44.4 percent from the field, while Blakney is second among Vandals with six rebounds per contest, behind Quinton Forrest's eight boards per contest. Forrest has dished 16 assists, second on the team behind Keyshaad Dixon's 27 assists.

Zac Claus took over as interim head coach of the Vandals men's basketball team in July 2019. He spent four years as an assistant at Idaho and is 4-6 on the bench.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Make SDSU 9-6 on the year and 5-4 all-time against Idaho ... move SDSU to 8-0 at home with 16 consecutive wins at Frost Arena ... give State a 1,544-1,046-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Deal the Jackrabbits their first home loss in 2019-20 and move the team to 8-7 on the year ... snap a 15-game home winning streak ... make SDSU 4-5 all-time against Idaho ... give the Jacks a 1,543-1,047-1 program mark.

Wilson Honored by Summit League
Douglas Wilson was selected as the Summit League's Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Nov. 11.

Wilson posted a monster debut week for the Jackrabbits, averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest with a trio of double-figure scoring performances. Wilson helped SDSU to a 3-0 record to begin the year, scoring 24, 13 and 26 against UTRGV, Peru State and CSU Bakersfield, respectively. Wilson tallied his first-career double-double in the win over CSU Bakersfield with a game-high 13 rebounds.

On the Line
The Jackrabbits have seen a trend develop through the nonleague portion of its 2019-20 schedule related to the free throw line.

Though SDSU is shooting just 70 percent as a team at the charity stripe, the Jackrabbits are 8-1 in games where they attempt more free throws than their opponent. Additionally, State is winless in the five games where opponents get to the line more.

SDSU has held opponents to single-digit attempts three times this season, including back-to-back games against Nebraska-Kearney (four attempts) and Florida Gulf Coast (eight attempts).

Basketball Coaches Show Returns Dec. 30
The Jackrabbit Basketball Coaches Show returns to Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings on Dec. 30. The hour-long show covering the 2019-20 basketball season tips off every Monday at 6 p.m. through March 2.

Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the weekly look at the South Dakota State basketball teams features interviews with head men's coach Eric Henderson and head women's coach Aaron Johnston, as well as segments with Jackrabbit student-athletes and members of the coaching staff.
Fans can attend in person and will be eligible for weekly drawings.

The show also airs live on flagship radio station WNAX 570 AM and Jackrabbit Sports Network affiliates, and can be heard live or on-demand for free via Jackrabbits All-Access and the Jackrabbit App.

New Faces, New Roles
South Dakota State's lineup will feature new roles and new faces throughout the season, as the Jackrabbits return only 16.9 percent of their scoring from 2018-19, and 10.7 percent of their 3-point makes. SDSU's 15.8 points per game returning ranks sixth-lowest nationally, and the 16.9 percent back is the third-lowest margin (according to available records).

#FearFrost

The Jacks own a 110-6 record at Frost Arena over the last seven seasons dating back to 2011-12, which includes perfect home records in five of the last seven years. That span includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
The Jackrabbits' current home winning streak of 15 games is tied for fifth-longest in NCAA Division I.
Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 94.8 percent of its home games, a mark that top all Division I programs in that span. South Dakota State won 34 consecutive games from Jan. 30, 2014 to Dec. 28, 2016. It ended as the nation's second-longest active streak.
The Jackrabbits won 30 consecutive home games from Jan. 29, 2011 to Nov. 14, 2013.
SDSU won 26 consecutive home games from Dec. 31, 2016 to Dec. 22, 2018.
South Dakota State won 34 consecutive home nonconference games inside Frost Arena from Dec. 31, 2016 to Dec. 22, 2018. That mark was the fourth-longest active streak when it ended.
SDSU put together undefeated seasons inside Frost Arena the following years: 1984-85 (18-0), 2002-03 (17-0), 2011-12 (14-0), 2012-13 (13-0), 2014-15 (13-0), 2015-16 (12-0) and 2017-18 (15-0).

Quick Hits

SDSU is second nationally with 556 rebounds on the year.
The Jackrabbits sit eight in free throw attempts and 12th in charity stripe makes through Dec. 18.
Brandon Key's 66 assists has him leading the Summit League and ranking 20th nationally.
Douglas Wilson is seventh nationally with 92 field goals this season, ranking 28th in field goal percentage and 18th in total points.
South Dakota State has played five games against opponents this year it had not previously met.
The Jackrabbits held Mississippi Valley State to 17 first-half points on Nov. 24, 2019. That is the fewest since South Dakota State held Chadron State to 12 first-half points on Nov. 24, 2014.
SDSU's 93-91 victory over CSU Bakersfield saw five Jackrabbits reach double figures for the first time in 2019-20. The feat last happened Jan. 31, 2019 against Oral Roberts.
State posted back-to-back 50-rebound games to open the season. The last time an SDSU program had 50-plus rebounds in consecutive games was Dec. 15 and 27, 2002 against Finlandia (60) and Fort Lewis (58). The Jacks also had three-straight games with 50-plus rebounds that season: Nov. 23, 29 and 30.
Douglas Wilson's 24 points on Nov. 5 are the most in a Jackrabbit debut dating back to 2000-01, when game-by-game statistics were readily available.
SDSU went 13-0 when holding opponents under 70 points last season (11-9 when not) and scored 70-plus points in 32 of 33 contests. The Jackrabbits were 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points in 2017-18. The Jacks have accomplished the feat six times this year and are 5-1 in those contests, with the lone loss coming at Indiana.
At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 388 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2008 at IUPUI when Anthony Cordova had nine points to lead the Jacks.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 418 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
SDSU is 94-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, SDSU is 12-4 in those games.
SDSU is 75-39 in season-openers all-time. The Jacks are 8-8 in season-opening games at the Division I level.

State Adds Two on National Signing Day
South Dakota State men's basketball announced a pair of signees on National Signing Day, with William Mfum and Noah King set to join the Jackrabbits in fall 2020.

William Mfum enters his senior campaign at Spring Creek Academy (Plano, Texas) on a high note, earning All-Texas Christian Athletic League and All-City First Team honors as a junior. Mfum averaged 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2018-19, burying 34 3-pointers and hitting 47 percent from the field. The 6-2 guard scored 20 or more points in nine games a year ago and had one double-double. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mfum is the son of Stella Nyarko and Seth Adjei and plans to major in business management.

Noah King averaged 19 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior, helping his team reach the section 1AA semifinals. The 6-2 guard has scored over 1,900 points in his prep career and is closing in on the school's all-time scoring record. King also led Caledonia's football team to a state championship in 2018 and 2019. The younger brother of current Jackrabbit Owen King, Noah hails from Caledonia, Minnesota and is the son of Brad and Susan King. He is undecided on his major.

Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League teams are in year two of scheduling agreements with the Western Athletic Conference and Big Sky.

The Jackrabbits took on Grand Canyon last year in the first year of the Summit League/WAC challenge, defeating the Lopes in the 2018-19 season opener. Year two of the challenge sent SDSU to face CSU Bakersfield Nov. 9, where the Jacks claimed a 93-91 double-overtime win.

The scheduling agreement with the Big Sky is a four-year contract. The Jackrabbits will play the following games as part of the deal:

2018-19: Montana (home; L, 74-85), Eastern Washington (away; W, 74-64)
2019-20: Idaho (home), Montana State (away; L, 70-77)
2020-21: Eastern Washington (home), Montana (away)
2021-22: Montana State (home), Idaho (away)

Tough Tests
South Dakota State played four Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) opponents in the 2019-20 nonleague season, facing USC, Nebraska, Arizona and Indiana in November. Though the Jacks went winless in those games, they led for a majority of the contest at Arizona, and held Indiana (a top-10 scoring offense) to a season-low 64 points.

South Dakota State has seven wins over Power Five programs since joining The Summit League in 2007, picking up victories over Iowa State (2008), Iowa (2010 and 2017), Washington (2011), TCU (2015), Minnesota (2015) and Ole Miss (2017).

SDSU's wins over Iowa and Ole Miss in 2017-18 came in the shortest time frame of any Summit League team since 1998 (seven days). The Jackrabbits are the fifth league team to post a win over separate Power Five conferences in the same regular season, and the first to do it since 2009.

Jacks Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll
South Dakota State men's basketball earned two first-place votes and was tabbed fifth in the 2019-20 Summit League men's basketball preseason poll, released in October.

The poll is voted on by league coaches, sports information directors and select media.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
The Jackrabbit men's basketball team used a fast start to roll past Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday night at Frost Arena, 75-56.
South Dakota State improved to 8-6 with the victory, running its home winning streak to 15 games.

Douglas Wilson went 8-for-9 from the field and finished with 20 points. Matt Dentlinger scored 15 points and David Wingett added 12. The Jacks outscored Florida Gulf Coast 38-26 in the paint, thanks in part to 14 offensive boards that turned into 18 second-chance points.

Alex Arians pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, just ahead of Baylor Scheierman's seven boards. Scheierman added three assists, second-most on the team behind Brandon Key, who matched his career-high with seven assists.

Noah Freidel was efficient in 12 minutes of action, scoring seven points with five points.

FGCU opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on its first possession, but went cold over the next eight minutes as the Jackrabbits took control with a 22-0 run. State grew its lead to a game-high 25 (42-17) thanks to a run of nine unanswered that began near the five-minute mark. The Eagles strung together a 9-0 rally of their own to end the half, but the early lead helped the Jacks head to the locker room with a 42-26 lead.

The Eagles kept charging as the second half started, crawling within 12 (45-33) on a Caleb Catto jumper at 16:52. They would come no closer, though, as a Wilson fast-break dunk followed Arians' lone 3-pointer of the night to start the Jacks on a 7-0 scoring burst.

South Dakota State's bench performed well down the stretch, as Freidel scored five of the last 10 Jackrabbit points and all 14 Jackrabbits saw the floor.

Opponent Last Time Out
MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team defeated CSU Bakersfield, 76-70, in overtime on Saturday evening. The Vandals (4-6) and Roadrunners (4-8) were tied, 63-63, at the end of regulation before the home side prevailed.

Both teams were coming off a long layoff, and began the game feeling each other out. It was a back-and-forth affair until Chance Garvin hit three three-pointers in the midst of a 15-0 run to put the Vandals up, 30-19. However, the Runners would not go quietly. Just before the halftime buzzer, Greg Lee hit a long two to cut the deficit to just one. Idaho entered the break up, 35-34.

After CSU Bakersfield took the lead early on in the second half, the Vandals responded with an 8-0 run, including Garvin's fourth three-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play by Trevon Allen, and Idaho led, 45-40, with just over 14 minutes to play. However, the Roadrunners would fight back, and the two teams would continue to trade buckets.

The Runners held a six-point lead with 2:24 to play, but the home side did not lay down, clawing back into the game. A Garvin layup with 40 seconds to play but the home team up, 62-61. After a CSUB bucket, Trevon Allen made a free throw with 12 seconds to play to tie it up, 63-63. Strong Vandal defense kept the Roadrunners off the board, and the two teams headed to overtime.

After trading free throws to open the extra five minutes, the Vandals went on an 8-1 run to lead by six. Although the Runners were able to cut the lead to three with 18 seconds remaining, free throws by Allen and Babacar Thiombane iced the victory for Idaho.

Trevon Allen led the Vandals with 23 points, while Chance Garvin (16 points), Scott Blakney (13 points), and Quinton Forrest (11 points) each reached double figures as well.

-GoJacks.com-

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