South Dakota State was fueled by a season-best offensive performance as the Jackrabbits coasted to a 96-73 victory on Thursday, Feb. 2, over North Dakota in Summit League men’s basketball at Frost Arena.
SDSU led for nearly the entire contest, but the Fighting Hawks kept the margin within a single possession through the first eight minutes as a Tsotne Tsartsideze field goal made it an 11-9 contest. The Jackrabbits slowly started to create some separation as redshirt freshman Matthew Mors spearheaded the SDSU offense in the first half. His 15 points in the opening 20 minutes, which matched his then-career high, helped push the Jacks to a 44-35 lead at halftime.
The Jackrabbits’ entire offense clicked in the second half.
SDSU began the second frame on a 10-2 run and the advantage never dipped to single digits again. The Jacks went 22-for-30 (73.3%) from the floor over the course of the second half and made 8 of their 12 (66.7%) 3-pointers.
The Jackrabbits finished with six double-digit scorers in the contest paced by Mors’s career-high 23 points. The six double-digit scorers were a first for SDSU since a win over Prairie View A&M in November of 2021.
Mors went 8 of 9 from the floor including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Zeke Mayo recorded his third double-double of the season as he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also had a game-high six assists.
South Dakota State ended the contest shooting a season-high 61.7% (37-60) and its 58.3% clip from 3-point range was a season-best mark. The 96 points were 11 more than SDSU’s previous high of 85 in a win over Mount Marty on Dec. 12.
SDSU improved to 13-11 overall and 8-4 in Summit League play. North Dakota fell to 7-17 (1-10 Summit).
Notes
• Every Jackrabbit that appeared in Thursday’s game scored. Matt Dentlinger recorded 13 points, William Kyle III registered 12, while Charlie Easley and Matt Mims each contributed 11. Easley was 4-for-5 from the field in his first time on the court since Dec. 6. Alex Arians, who missed the last three games, scored six points and had the Jacks’ second-highest assist total with four.
• North Dakota was led by 18 points and 10 rebounds from Tsartsidze. Matt Norman and BJ Omot scored 17 points apiece for the Fighting Hawks. UND shot just 36.4% in the opening half, but rebounded with a 51.6% clip in the second half.
• SDSU won the rebounding battle over UND, 37-25. The Jackrabbits earned their 15th consecutive victory over the Hawks.
Up Next
South Dakota State continues its three-game home stand at Frost Arena on Saturday. The Jackrabbits are slated to take on North Dakota State at 2 p.m.
