JACKRABBITS EARN HOME WIN OVER MAVERICKS

Thursday, February 13

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

17-9,8-3Summit League

Omaha

16-11,10-2Summit League

Omaha

South Dakota St.

Oscar Cluff

Photo by: Evan Patzwald

2/13/2025 10:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State nearly led for the entire contest, and while Omaha kept the margin close for a majority of it, the Jackrabbits closed out a 98-85 Summit League men's basketball victory over the Mavericks on Thursday. The win for SDSU came in front of 3,842 spectators in First Bank & Trust Arena.

SDSU led for moments during the opening 11 minutes but the two sides wound up tied at 21 with 8:46 to play in the opening half. The lead changed over three times before a Jaden Jackson 3-pointer put the Jackrabbits on top, 27-25, just over a minute later.

The Jackrabbits built out their advantage to a 42-29 score thanks to a 12-2 run that included an eight-point scoring stretch.

South Dakota State led 48-35 after a pair of Damon Wilkinson free throws with 2:23 on the clock. The Jacks couldn't hold the Mavs at bay as Omaha closed in at the half. Four different Mavericks combined for 10 points as their 10-0 scoring run made it a 48-45 score at the break.

The second half saw the Jackrabbits score the first six points to quickly jump ahead by nine. Omaha cut the deficit to 55-51 with 15:42 remaining, however the Mavs were never able to get the contest within a single possession again.

The 12:50 mark saw South Dakota State push their lead into double digits for good. The Jackrabbits were up by as many as 17 points on multiple occasions down the stretch. An Oscar Cluff hook shot with 1:26 to go put a cap on the SDSU scoring for the night.

South Dakota State shot over 55% in the contest including a 61.5% mark in the second half. SDSU held Omaha to 38.2% from the floor in the second half and 46.2% in the game. The Jacks were 10 of 20 from 3-point range while the Mavs finished 9 of 27 (33.3%).

The Jackrabbits improved to 17-9 overall and 8-3 in Summit League action. The Mavericks fell to 16-11 (10-2).

NOTES

South Dakota State outrebounded Omaha 37-28. SDSU matched a season-high 24 free throws made on 29 attempts for a 82.8% clip. Omaha was 16-for-20 (80%) at the charity stripe.
The Jackrabbits have now won 17 of the last 19 matchups against the Mavericks. They had a 10-game winning streak snapped by the Mavs in the series on Jan. 11.
Cluff finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds for SDSU on Thursday. His double-double was the 17th of the season, ranking second in Division I men's basketball. Cluff also matched the nation's leading mark of 20-point, 15-rebound performances with his sixth this year. He also had a team-high six assists.
Four other Jackrabbits joined him scoring in double digits. That included Joe Sayler (19), Owen Larson (18), Kalen Garry (12) and Damon Wilkinson (10). All 19 of Sayler's points came in the second half, while Larson had a game-high four 3-pointers made.
Omaha had a pair of 20-point scorers in Marquel Sutton and Tony Osburn. JJ White scored 12 points and dished out a game-high eight rebounds, while Lance Waddles added 10 points.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits head to Vermillion to face South Dakota on Sunday. The Interstate Series matchup, presented by First Interstate Bank, is slated for a 1 p.m. tipoff. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

-GoJacks.com-