HENDERSON GETS WIN NO. 100 AS JACKS TOP YOTES

Sunday, February 4

Brookings, S.D.

4 p.m.

South Dakota State University

13-11,6-3Summit League

South Dakota

9-15,2-7Summit League

South Dakota

South Dakota St.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

2/4/2024 7:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State made tough plays down the stretch to close out a 70-67 victory over South Dakota in front a season-high crowd of 3,718 fans inside Frost Arena on Sunday. The Jackrabbits' win over the Coyotes signified a season sweep of the Interstate Series presented by First Interstate Bank, while SDSU has now won eight consecutive matchups against USD.

The largest lead by either team came in the first half as South Dakota held an 8-5 lead less than two minutes into the contest. A William Kyle III hook shot kick-started a 10-0 scoring run for SDSU as the Jacks jumped out to a 15-8 advantage with 13:14 remaining in the first half.

South Dakota State led for a majority of the first half before a 7-0 run propelled USD again on top. Paul Bruns hit a 3-pointer at the 3:59 mark to give the Coyotes a 33-32 edge. The two sides traded baskets over the final minutes of the opening half before the halftime buzzer sounded with South Dakota ahead 38-37.

The Jackrabbits scored the second half's first five points and led for most of the remaining 20 minutes. SDSU got up again by seven, 51-44, but the Yotes clawed their way back and took a 54-53 lead with 7:47 to play. The Jacks began to lean into working in the paint from there.

Three Luke Appel free throws and a Zeke Mayo layup gave SDSU a two-possession advantage. The Jackrabbits fended off the Coyotes by going 15-for-20 at the free throw line in the second half and committed just two turnovers in the game's final 20 minutes.

SDSU's wouldn't dip below three points until an Isaac Bruns 3-pointer for USD with four seconds to play made it a 69-67 score. The Jackrabbits' Charlie Easley was fouled on SDSU's ensuing inbounds play and the senior guard made one of his two free throws. South Dakota's Kaleb Stewart attempt a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer following a full-court pass, but it fell short as South Dakota State completed the regular season sweep of its rival.

The victory served as the 100th of Eric Henderson's career as head coach at South Dakota State. SDSU also improved to 13-11 overall and 6-3 in Summit League action, putting the Jackrabbits into a tie for first in the conference standings. South Dakota dropped to 9-15 and 2-7 in league play.

Notes

South Dakota outshot South Dakota State 45.8%-41.1% from the floor, but the Jackrabbits went 17-for-22 (77.3%) at the charity stripe. The Coyotes were just 5 of 7 at the free throw line. SDSU also won the turnover battle by committing eight to USD's 13.
Kyle III led four double-digit scorers with 16 points. It was his 11th game in a row scoring in double digits. He had 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Kyle III's five blocks were a career high and tied for the second most by a Jackrabbit in a game during the Division I era, trailing only Cody Larson's mark of six he set in 2014.
Appel scored 15 points and did most of his damage at the free throw line. He tied his career high with seven free throws made and his 10 free throws attempted were the most in his SDSU tenure. Appel also had six rebounds.
Easley and Mayo scored 12 points apiece. Mayo had a game-high six assists while Matt Mims had a game-high two steals.
Stewart paced South Dakota's scorers with 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Lahat Thioune scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Paul Bruns added 11 points.
The win signified South Dakota State's first this season when trailing at halftime. The Jackrabbits were 0-10 when facing the obstacle prior to the victory on Sunday.

Up Next
The Jackrabbits return to Frost Arena for the third game of a three-game homestand. SDSU is slated to host Oral Roberts in Brookings at 3 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Jacks and Golden Eagles' meeting will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

-GoJacks.com-