EASLEY'S THREE LIFTS JACKS TO WIN IN FARGO

Friday, February 19

Fargo, N.D.

7:30 P.M.

South Dakota State University

13-5,7-2Summit League

North Dakota State

11-10,9-4Summit League

South Dakota St.

North Dakota St.

2/20/2021 1:13:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Tyler Merriam

FARGO, N.D. – Charlie Easley's 3-pointer with 18 seconds left provided the South Dakota State men's basketball team with the winning margin in a 68-67 road victory over North Dakota State Friday night at the Scheels Center.

The win propelled SDSU (13-5, 7-2 Summit League) into first place in the conference, while the Bison (11-10, 9-4) fell to third in the standings.

The Jacks started strong, as Alex Arians, Baylor Scheierman and Matt Dentlinger combined to score 14 points, staking the visitors to a double-digit edge. SDSU increased its advantage to 13 before the Bison closed the first on a 9-2 run, shrinking the Jackrabbit lead to 40-34 at the half.

Runs were the story of the second half. NDSU scored seven straight to climb within two, only for the Jacks to rattle off eight in a row, stretching the margin to 53-43 with 13:58 remaining. The Bison scored 22 of the next 27 points, claiming their largest lead, 65-60, at the 2:03 mark.

Having scored only three field goals in the previous 12 minutes, the Jacks hit three in the final 1:44, outscoring the hosts 8-2 down the stretch to claim the win.

Dentlinger scored at the rim as the Jacks closed to within three. Scheierman evened the tally with a triple, but NDSU forward Rocky Kreuser regained the lead for his team with a basket at 0:39. That set the stage for Easley's heroics and a final possession in which SDSU's defense prevented the Bison from attempting a game-winning shot.

The Jacks buried 13-of-25 from long range (52 percent) to make up for only making three visits to the free throw line. NDSU shot an even 50 percent overall, 25-of-50, but was only 7-of-20 on 3s and 10-of-15 at the stripe.

Notes

Easley hit a career-high 3 3-pointers. He's 9-of-14 from deep in the last four games.
It was the first time Douglas Wilson has not scored double figures in a Summit League game.
Matt Mims scored a season-high 9 points.
The last three SDSU-NDSU games in Fargo have been decided by a total of four points.

Up Next
The Jacks and Bison wrap up their two game series Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in Fargo.

-GoJacks.com-