FIRST-HALF RALLY BOOSTS JACKS TO WIN OVER NDSU

Thursday, January 30

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

15-8,6-2Summit League

North Dakota State

16-7,5-3Summit League

South Dakota St.

North Dakota St.

Joe Sayler

1/30/2025 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State came back from a 13-point first-half deficit and shot over 50% from the field in the second half to defeat North Dakota State, 72-62, inside the Scheels Center on Thursday in front of 2,791 spectators.

The Bison came out firing to get the contest started.

NDSU hit three of its first four 3-point attempts while SDSU was 0-for-6 from 3-point range in the early moments of the matchup. The Bison led 15-2 at the start of the game and before the Jackrabbits made their first 3-pointer on the night after eight missed attempts, NDSU was up 21-8 with just over 10 minutes on the clock.

That's when South Dakota State made a game-changing run.

Jaden Jackson drained a 3-pointer and was followed by three consecutive made 3-pointers by Joe Sayler to cut the NDSU lead to 21-20. Sayler then converted on an and-one opportunity to give the Jackrabbits their first lead, 23-21, at the 7:19 mark of the first half. Sayler eventually capped a 20-point scoring stretch for the Jacks with another 3-pointer which put SDSU ahead, 28-21, with just over five minutes remaining in the opening half.

The Bison eventually closed in on the Jacks before the break, cutting into the SDSU lead and sending the meeting to halftime with a 32-21 score.

The two sides traded baskets to begin the second half. SDSU's Oscar Cluff completed an and-one finish, then Kalen Garry scored eight straight points to push the Jacks into a 46-34 advantage with 16:34 to play.

A three-point play by NDSU's Jacksen Moni made it a 50-46 contest with 13:15 to play. It was the closest the Bison got the margin the remainder of the night.

SDSU followed with an eight-point scoring run to push the Jackrabbit advantage back into double digits. The Jackrabbits never let their lead dip below seven points the final 10 minutes of the contest.

The Jackrabbits were led by Cluff's 23 points and 15 rebounds. He recorded his 15th double-double of the season which included a 10-for-14 clip from the field and a season-best three blocks. Sayler finished with 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Garry added 12 points, five rebounds and a team-leading three assists, while Owen Larson registered 10 points.

The Bison received 19 points from Moni who ended the night shooting 7-for-20 from the field. Tajavis Miller had 14 points and Masen Miller registered 10.

South Dakota State improved to 15-8 overall, and 6-2 in Summit League play, as the Jackrabbits earned their conference-leading fifth straight victory. North Dakota State fell to 16-7 (5-3).

NOTES

South Dakota State finished the contest outshooting North Dakota State 48-38%, which included SDSU going 53.3% in the second half compared to NDSU's 32.4%.
NDSU finished the night with a 38-30 edge rebounding.
The Jackrabbits have won two consecutive matchups in Fargo against the Bison.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits continue their trip north on I-29. SDSU travels to Grand Forks next to take on North Dakota in the Betty Sioux Engelstad Center at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

-GoJacks.com-