Jackrabbits secure spot in championship after downing Bison

3/9/2020 12:00:00 AM

Press Conferences: SDSU Head Coach Aaron Johnston | SDSU Players | NDSU Head Coach Jory Collins | NDSU Players

The Basics
Score: No. 2 South Dakota State 76, No. 6 North Dakota State 56
Records: South Dakota State (23-9), North Dakota State (11-19)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the third straight year, South Dakota and South Dakota State will meet in The Summit League Tournament title game. The second-seeded Jackrabbits made that a reality with a … victory over sixth-seeded North Dakota State in Monday's second semifinal.

Summit League Freshman of the Year Tori Nelson led four Jackrabbits in double-figures with 21 points in a game that saw SDSU shoot 46 percent from the field while holding the Bison to a 38-percent clip.

One of those Jacks shooting well was junior Tylee Irwin, who established a new season-high with 18 points by making 7-of-13 shots from the floor.

It was a back-and-forth affair midway through the first quarter before the Jacks closed with a 12-4 run that provided them with their first decent cushion of the contest.

NDSU freshman Ryan Cobbins made a driving layup with just over four minutes to give NDSU its first and only lead of the game at 11-10, but four different Jacks would make field goals during that closing four minutes to make it a 22-15 contest after 10 minutes.

The Jacks built a double-figure lead and led by as many as 13 in the second quarter before NDSU chipped away at the deficit thanks to a 7-2 run over the final 4:30 to trail 38-30 at the break.

SDSU took the momentum back to start the third quarter, however, opening it on another well-balanced run that reached 12-2 and gave the Jackrabbits a 50-32 advantage.

The Bison would never get the lead back within single digits. Cobbins and Michelle Gaislerova shared team-high scoring honors for NDSU with 12 points

South Dakota State will face top-seeded South Dakota in Tuesday's title game set for 1 p.m. CT on ESPNU. This is the third straight year and 10^th in the last 12 that these two squads will meet in the championship game.

Turning Point
After NDSU had trimmed a 13-point deficit down to eight by halftime, SDSU opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run that put the game out of reach.

Inside the Box Score

South Dakota State record 40 points in the paint compared to North Dakota State's 24.
The Jackrabbits forced 28 Bison turnovers and converted them into 23 points.
Irwin finished with a season-best 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go along with four rebounds, five assists and two steals.
South Dakota State notched eight 3-points against North Dakota State with four coming in the third quarter alone.

News & Notes

The Jackrabbits will meet the Coyotes in the championship game for the third consecutive year.
This was NDSU's first semifinal appearance since 2009, which was the Bison's first year of tournament eligibility.
South Dakota State improves to 30-2 in the tournament all-time while North Dakota State falls to 2-11 all-time.
South Dakota State now holds a 54-39 advantage in the all-time series over the Bison and have won the last 10 contests against North Dakota State.

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