JACKRABBITS DROP OT BATTLE TO HAWKS

Saturday, January 3

Grand Forks, N.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

8-9,1-1Summit League

North Dakota

8-10,2-0Summit League

OT 1

South Dakota St.

North Dakota

Joe Sayler

Photo by: Andrew Pedersen

1/3/2026 7:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – South Dakota State and North Dakota played a thriller in the Betty Sioux Engelstad Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, that featured 11 lead changes and tie scores which went into overtime. The host Fighting Hawks eventually came away with a 90-87 victory over the Jackrabbits in the Summit League men's basketball clash.

South Dakota State trailed by as many nine in the second half before rallying late. The Jackrabbits tied the score at 72 on a Damon Wilkinson field goal with 4 minutes, 19 seconds left in regulation. Joe Sayler followed with two free throws to give SDSU a 74-72 advantage 50 seconds later.

A Matthew Mors and-one conversion put the Jacks on top 77-76 with 56 seconds remaining. North Dakota's ensuing possession saw Zach Kraft drain a corner 3-pointer to put the Hawks ahead again, 79-77, as the clock dipped to 49 seconds.

SDSU responded with an offensive rebound and putback by Damon Wilkinson to tie the score at 79 with 19 seconds to go. UND had a 3-point attempt to end the contest in regulation, but it didn't fall, sending the game to overtime.

The Jackrabbits had two separate two-point advantages early in the overtime frame. SDSU again led by two, 87-85, following a Jaden Jackson layup with the clock winding down to 35 seconds.

North Dakota went ahead 88-87 as Garrett Anderson drained a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left. SDSU had a chance to take the lead, but a missed layup on the other end ended with a rebound by UND. The Fighting Hawks' Greyson Uelmen knocked down two ensuing free throws to make it 90-87. The Jackrabbits' final attempt to tie the score saw SDSU turn the ball over as scoreboard dipped to zero seconds remaining.

The Fighting Hawks improved to 2-0 in Summit League play and 8-10 overall. The Jackrabbits dropped to 1-1 in conference action and 8-9 overall.

SDSU held North Dakota to 30.3% shooting in the second half, but had to fight back from a 50-45 halftime deficit to UND. The Fighting Hawks shot 77% in the opening 10 minutes of the contest and had a 64.3% clip following the first half. The Jackrabbits led 24-15,, but a 10-for-10 stretch from the field for the Hawks allowed the home side to take control in the opening 20 minutes.

The Jacks ended the matchup with a 48-46% edge from the field. The biggest difference on the day came on the boards as North Dakota finished with a 38-32 advantage in rebounds. SDSU also had 13 turnovers to UND's 10.

NOTES

South Dakota State was led by Joe Sayler's career-high 27 points. He was 9-for-19 from the floor and 5 of 9 from deep. He also had five rebounds and two assists.
Jaden Jackson scored 22 points on 8 of 14 from the field. He also was 5-for-9 from 3-point range. He recorded six rebounds and two assists.
Damon Wilkinson scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Kalen Garry followed with 10 points and a team-high five assists.
North Dakota had five double-digit scorers Uelmen's 17 points. Anthony Smith III registered 16 points and five assists.
The Fighting Hawks extended their win streak over the Jackrabbits to three games. That's UND's longest stretch of wins over SDSU since 1993.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State returns home for its next Summit League contest. The Jackrabbits host Denver inside First Bank & Trust Arena at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

-GoJacks.com-