BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State opened Summit League play in emphatic fashion on Thursday by using a dominant second half, along with a career performance from Damon Wilkinson, to power past Omaha 84–69 inside First Bank & Trust Arena.
After a tightly contested first 20 minutes that ended knotted at 36, the Jackrabbits (8–8, 1–0 Summit League) exploded for 13 consecutive points to begin the second half. SDSU had a 49-36 lead less than four minutes into the final period and never allowed the advantage to dip down to a single possession. The Jacks eventually recorded 48 second-half points behind a 53.1% clip from the field. SDSU controlled the interior on both ends, owning a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint.
Wilkinson set the tone early. He registered a double-double by the end of the first half behind 15 points and 13 rebounds. The sophomore center eventually finished with 24 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
While Wilkinson set the foundation, the rest of the Jackrabbit lineup increased its production as the second half progressed.
Joe Sayler caught fire from deep by hitting three 3-pointers, all in the second half, and poured in 14 points on the day. Matthew Mors added 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Kalen Garry scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a game-high six assists. Jaden Jackson matched his career high with 10 rebounds.
SDSU’s defense was exceptional in the second half as the Jacks held the Mavericks to 28.1% shooting.
The Jackrabbits second-half performance came after the Mavericks bounced back from a double-digit deficit. A Bubz Alvarez layup put SDSU ahead 24-14 at the 9:30 mark of the first half. Omaha eventually tied the score at 28-28 with 4:15 on the clock.
South Dakota State finished the contest outshooting Omaha 47.7%-35.9%. The Jacks also were 17 of 21 (81%) at the charity stripe.
Omaha (7-9, 0-1) was led by Paul Djobet who scored 22 points. Julian Margrave came off the bench to add 14 points thanks to four 3-pointers. The Mavs’ leading scorers this season in Lance Waddles and Tony Osburn recorded nine and six points, respectively. Both shared team highs with five assists.
NOTES
- Wilkinson’s 24 points and 19 rebounds were each career highs as he registered his third double-double of his college career. The 19 rebounds are tied for the eighth most by a Jackrabbit in a single game in the program’s Division I era. He matched his career highs in both assists and blocks.
- SDSU finished the night with a 52-29 edge on the boards. The 52 rebounds by the Jackrabbits are tied for the fourth most by an SDSU squad in its Division I program history.
- The Jackrabbits led for over 34 minutes in the contest. The Mavericks held an advantage for just 52 seconds which came late in the first half.
- SDSU has now won 18 of the previous 20 matchups against Omaha. The Jacks have won their last six conference-opening contests and are now 12-7 in Summit League openers.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State hits the road for its first away contest of Summit League action. The Jackrabbits head to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Brooklyn Meyer was dominant in the paint, going 10-for-11 from the floor for a game-high 22 points. She also contributed five rebounds and three assists for the Jacks. Madison Mathiowetz chipped in 10 points, seven boards and three assists while Mahli Abdouch, Hilary Behrens and Katie Vasecka each scored nine.
For the game, SDSU outscored UST 46 to 32 inside and had a 39-32 edge on the glass. The Jacks had a slight 20-19 lead after the opening quarter, then outscored the Tommies 47-30 over the final 30 minutes. SDSU was really able to pull away in the fourth, holding St. Thomas to just six points in that final period.
Up 37-30 at halftime, SDSU scored 10 of the first 12 points in the third quarter to go up 15. Meyer scored six in that stretch. The Tommies responded with the next eight to cut the deficit to seven at 47-40. Behrens scored four points over the final minute of the third quarter to put the Jackrabbits back up by double figures. The Jacks pulled away from there, outscoring the visitors 14-6 in the fourth.
Maggie Hartwig and Vasecka matched Mathiowetz’s seven rebounds. Abdouch dished five assists.
Alyssa Sand posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double to pace St. Thomas.
Neither team had much success from the 3-point line as the sides combined to go just 9-of-41 from deep. The Jackrabbits went 9-of-11 from the free throw line, while the Tommies were just 2-for-8.
SDSU converted 14 Tommie turnovers into 21 points. For UST, the Jackrabbits’ 12 turnovers resulted in 11 points.
NOTES
- SDSU is 10-0 all-time against St. Thomas.
- St. Thomas’ 49 points is the lowest scoring output by an SDSU opponent this year.
- Brooklyn Meyer has scored at least 20 points 10 times this season and in four straight games.
- SDSU has won 64 consecutive regular season Summit League games. That is the longest active streak in the NCAA and the sixth longest streak in NCAA history.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits go on the road to take on Omaha Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Baxter Arena.
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