SDSU COMPLETES COMEBACK IN OT WIN AT OMAHA

Saturday, February 17

Omaha, Neb.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Omaha

Photo by: Joclyn Haven

2/17/2024 10:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

OMAHA, Neb. – The South Dakota State men's basketball team trailed by six with less than a minute remaining in regulation, but found a way to force overtime and eventually pull an 85-77 victory away from Omaha on Saturday at Baxter Arena.

After going into halftime tied at 35, the two teams kept the margin close throughout the second half. A 7-0 run for the Mavericks pushed them ahead 61-55 with 7 minutes, 31 seconds remaining. JJ White hit a 3-pointer at the 6:12 mark to give Omaha a seven-point advantage, 64-57, the Mavs' largest of the night.

SDSU used a 10-1 scoring run late in the second half to go ahead 67-65 with 2:19 to play. However, Omaha went on an eight-point scoring spree capped by a pair of Jaeden Marshall free throws to propel the Mavs backs in front 73-67 with 49 seconds left.

The Jackrabbits got their next shot off quickly as Zeke Mayo crossed the timeline and passed to Matt Mims who hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds on the clock to make it 73-70. Following an SDSU timeout, Mims forced a turnover on the Omaha inbounds play as the Jackrabbits regained possession with 33 seconds.

SDSU responded on an inbound with a layup by Mayo just three seconds later and he was followed on the drive giving him a three-point opportunity. The Jackrabbit junior guard connected on his free throw to tie the score at 73. Omaha's jump shot at the buzzer wouldn't fall and the contest headed into overtime.

Mayo hit a jumper less than 20 seconds into the period to help the Jacks seize control early in overtime. Omaha's Frankie Fidler made a free throw on the Mavericks' next possession. Mayo took over by scoring the next eight points to put the Jackrabbits up 83-74 with 38 seconds left. A set of Charlie Easley free throws with 12 seconds on the clock sealed the victory for the Jackrabbits.

South Dakota State improved to 15-12 overall and 8-4 in Summit League play with the win. Omaha dropped to 13-15 (6-7).

Notes

The Jackrabbits earned their first overtime victory since the 2019-20 season. SDSU that campaign won 93-91 in two overtimes at CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 9.
SDSU has now won 10 straight matchups against Omaha.
Three Jackrabbits finished the contest with double-doubles.
Easley finished as the Jackrabbits' leading scorer behind a career-high 24 points. He was 8-for-15 from the floor and 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Easley had 10 rebounds for the second double-double of his career.
Mayo scored 22 points with 19 coming after halftime. He had 10 rebounds along with a game-high five assists. Mayo's third double-double of the season was boosted by a 10-for-11 clip at the free throw line.
William Kyle III scored 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. The double-double was his fourth of the season and third in his last four outings. He also had a game-high two blocks.
Luke Appel joined them scoring in double digits with 12 points.
Nate Barnhart and Kalen Garry each played over 20 minutes off the bench and each had five rebounds.
South Dakota State led for a majority of the contest including for almost 15 minutes of the first half. The Jacks opened the game by jumping out to a 10-0 lead before the Mavs captured their first lead of the night at 25-24.
Omaha was led in scoring by Fidler who notched 26 points. He was held to 7-for-19 from the floor, but he was 11 of 13 at the charity stripe. He also had 11 rebounds. Marshall scored 22 points for the Mavs.
SDSU ended the contest with a 48-32 rebound margin. The squad's rebound total matched its highest mark against a Division I opponent this season.

Up Next
The Jackrabbits return to Brookings for their final two home games of the 2023-24 season. SDSU will host Denver at 7 p.m. in Frost Arena on Thursday, then host Senior Day in its home confines at 2 p.m. on Saturday against St. Thomas.

-GoJacks.com-