JACKRABBITS SURGE PAST PIONEERS

Thursday, January 8

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

9-9,2-1Summit League

Denver

8-10,1-2Summit League

Denver

South Dakota St.

Damon Wilkinson

Photo by: Evan Patzwald

1/8/2026 10:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State rallied back from a seven-point deficit in the second half, turning the tide in a tight contest, to come away with an 87-79 victory over Denver on Thursday inside First Bank & Trust Arena. The victory pushed the Jackrabbits to 9-9 overall, and 2-1 in Summit League play, while Denver fell to 8-10 (1-2).

The Jackrabbits led for a majority of the first half before the Pioneers struck back. A six-point scoring spree for Denver got the visitors a 20-17 edge at the 6:34 mark of the opening half. The Pios eventually held a 35-33 advantage at halftime.

The two sides exchanged leads to begin the second half. Denver used an 8-0 run to push the margin to two possessions and the Pioneers went ahead 59-52 with 11:06 remaining on the clock.

South Dakota State, which went 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half, responded.

A Kalen Garry 3-pointer and a three-point play converted by Joe Sayler trimmed the deficit down to one. The Pioneers worked to stave off the Jackrabbits over the next few minutes, but a five-point personal scoring run by SDSU's Joe Sayler tied the score at 65 with 7:38 remaining. Denver hit a pair of free throws on its ensuing possession before South Dakota State took control.

Two consecutive Damon Wilkinson layups, followed by a pair of Jackson free throws, and capped by another Wilkinson field goal gave the Jacks a 73-67 lead. Two straight field goals for Denver made it a 73-71 score, however a Matthew Mors 3-pointer at the 4:41 mark pushed SDSU in front by more than a possession the rest of the way.

Four Jackrabbits scored in double digits. Wilkinson went 8-for-11 from the field and led SDSU in points (19) and rebounds (9). Sayler scored 18 points, Jackson registered 17 and Mors finished with 10. Jackson and Kalen Garry had four assists apiece, while Mors snagged three steals.

Denver's Carson Johnson was 10 of 22 shooting and scored a game-high 27 points. He was joined in double digits by Jeremiah Burke (20), Logan Kinsey (12) and Zane Nelson (11).

The Jackrabbits dominated inside, scoring 48 points in the paint compared to Denver's 30. SDSU eventually finished the night shooting 50% from the field, benefiting from a 6-for-8 clip from deep in the second half. The Jacks also were 19 of 25 (76%) at the charity stripe.

Denver finished the contest 43.5% shooting. The Pioneers were outrebounded by SDSU 41-34 while both teams had less than 10 turnovers each.

NOTES

South Dakota State improved to 25-9 all-time against Denver. The Jackrabbits have won 19 of the last 22 matchups in the series.
The Jacks have won their last 11 meetings in Brookings against the Pioneers. Thursday's game was the last between the two as conference foes in First Bank & Trust Arena. Denver moves to the West Coast Conference following the 2025-26 athletic year.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State heads north on Interstate 29 for its next contest at North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits take on the Bison in Fargo at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, inside the Scheels Center.

-GoJacks.com-