MANHATTAN, Kan. – South Dakota State benefited from a pair of 3-pointers late, and withstood a game-tying attempt at the buzzer, to pull off a season-opening 68-66 victory on Tuesday over Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Jackrabbits took control of the matchup early on the sharp shooting of Davis Kern. The redshirt freshman hit his first 3-point field goals. He scored 11 of SDSU’s first 13 points as the Jacks held a one-possession lead through the opening 10 minutes of the contest. A 9-0 scoring run capped by a Kalen Garry fastbreak layup put South Dakota State on top, 25-14, with 7:12 remaining in the first half.
K-State eventually cut the deficit within four on multiple occasions, but A Semaj Stampley 3-pointer seconds before the first-half buzzer sounded gave South Dakota State a 35-28 halftime lead.
The Wildcats came out firing to open the second half. A stretch of three straight made 3-pointers for Kansas State gave the home side a 40-38 lead just over three minutes into the second half. SDSU trailed by six twice and a pair of free throws for Dezdrick Lindsay put K-State up 50-43 with 11:39 to play.
South Dakota State didn’t let the Wildcats push things out of reach. Kansas State led 54-49 with 8:31 remaining when the Jackrabbits went on a 9-0 run. A Kern free throw, followed by a Joe Sayler 3-pointer, got the margin back to a single possession. Kern then followed with a five-point scoring run to jump in front 58-54 with 5:42 to play.
Less than two minutes later the Wildcats had tied the score at 58 before both teams were tied at 60 with 3:13 on the clock.
Kern knocked down two free throws with 2:51 remaining to put the Jackrabbits up for good. His 3-pointer following a Kansas State turnover put SDSU ahead 65-60. Pape N’Diaye converted on two free throws on the Wildcats’ next possession, but Garry buried a 3-pointer to push the Jackrabbits’ advantage to 68-62 with 1:40 to go.
K-State scored on two straight possessions to make it a 68-66 game with 39 seconds left. The two teams had back-to-back turnovers to give the ball back to the Jackrabbits with seven seconds remaining. SDSU’s Joe Sayler eventually was fouled and went to the free throw line for a one-and-one opportunity. His attempt missed, giving the Wildcats a final opportunity to tie or win the game. Kansas State’s Brandon Rechsteiner had a last-second attempt at a tying jumper in the paint, but his shot didn’t fall, closing out a South Dakota State victory.
South Dakota State earned its first win ever over Kansas State in the two sides’ fifth all-time meeting. The previous closest game between the two sides was a 23-point victory for the Wildcats in November 2023. The Jackrabbits also earned their first true road win to open a season since a 67-55 victory at Eastern Illinois to begin the 2010-11 campaign.
Kern scored a game-high 24 points by shooting 7 of 15 from the field and 5-for-8 behind the 3-point line. It’s the most points for a Jackrabbit in a debut since Douglas Wilson who scored 24 against UT Rio Grande Valley in 2019. He also had eight rebounds to tie for a game high with Garry.
Garry scored 14 points to go along with three assists. Jon Mekonnen scored a career-high 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He also had three steals. Sayler and EJ Ryans dished out four assists apiece. Sayler also scored 10 points and Trey Buchanan had two steals.
K-State was led in the score column by N’Diaye (18), Rechsteiner (16) and Isaiah Abraham (16).
South Dakota State narrowly outshot Kansas State from the field (43.9-41.5%), but the Jackrabbits were 10-for-24 (41.7%) from 3-point range while the Wildcats were 8-for-28 (28.6%). K-State hung in thanks to a strong shooting night at the charity stripe going 14 of 18 (77.8%).
NOTES
- South Dakota State claimed its first win over a power conference opponent since December 2021. The Jacks beat Washington State, then a Power Five of the Pac-12 Conference, on a buzzer beats by a 77-74 score. SDSU’s last victory against a Big 12 foe came in December 2020 when the Jackrabbits defeated Iowa State in Ames, 71-68.
- Multiple Jackrabbits appeared in their first collegiate games. Kern made his opening appearance as well as Stampley and Blake Ellwein.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State makes its home debut at First Bank & Trust Arena on Friday. The Jackrabbits host Briar Cliff, as a part of a doubleheader with the SDSU women’s basketball team, with tipoff slated for approximately 8:30 p.m.
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