Press Conference: South Dakota State | Omaha
The Basics
Score: No. 1 South Dakota State 84, No. 8 Omaha 71
Records: South Dakota State (16-6), Omaha (5-20)
Location: The Sanford Pentagon - Sioux Falls, S.D.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Top-seeded South Dakota State got 25 points from Douglas Wilson and 18 from Baylor Scheierman as the all-league duo carried the Jackrabbits to an 84-71 victory over eighth-seeded Omaha in the opening quarterfinal of The Summit League Men's Basketball Championship at the Sanford Pentagon.
Wilson and Scheierman both added seven assists in a contest that saw the Jacks assist on 22-of-31 made field goals. For Scheierman, the assist total is normal as he led all players in dimes during league play with more than four per game, but Wilson's total established a new career-high. The Jacks finished shooting 53 percent from the floor.
For a team that had lost its last two opening-round games, it took a while for the Jackrabbits to get rolling. Omaha freshman Jadin Booth played a key part in that as the teams went back-and-forth for the opening 15 minutes. He matched his season high with 12 points in thee first half and drilled a trio of 3-pointers.
Wilson took over down the stretch of the opening 20 minutes as he played in the league tournament for the first time after missing the Jacks' first-round exit a year ago with an injury. He scored seven of his 15 first-half points in the closing 4:32 as SDSU used an 11-2 run to open up a 40-31 advantage.
For Wilson, the 2020 Summit League Player of the Year, his 15 first-half points was his best opening half output of the season. He would add 10 more in the second half to reach 20-plus for the sixth time this season. Scheierman collected his league-leading 13th double-double adding a game-high 11 rebounds to his 18 points.
The Jackrabbits never relented despite the efforts of Omaha senior Ayo Akinwole. He hit six straight 3-pointers during a six-minute stretch, but the Mavericks could never close within single digits after falling behind by 18. Akinwole finished with a game-high 26 points while Booth finished with 13 off the bench and Kyle Luedtke chipped in with 10 points.
The Jackrabbits will take on the winner of the No. 4 Oral Roberts/No. 5 North Dakota matchup in Monday's first semifinal at 5:45 p.m. CT.
Turning Point
SDSU closed the first half on an 11-2 run over the final 4:34 that stretched a one-point lead to 11 at halftime. Wilson had seven of his 15 first-half points to spark the decisive run.
Inside the Box Score
- Omaha's Ayo Akinwole made six consecutive 3-pointers during the second half and scored 20 of his team-high 26 points after the break
- SDSU's Baylor Scheierman took the league lead in double-doubles with his 13th of the season. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds
- The Jacks, who entered the game as the nation's top 3-point shooting team owning a 40.2 percent clip, made 8-of-19 attempts to improve on that percentage
- SDSU went 12-for-13 from the foul line in the first half while Omaha made its only attempt
News & Notes
- SDSU had lost its last two quarterfinal games at the tournament, falling as the No. 1 seed in 2019 (vs. No. 8 Western Illinois) and No. 2 seed in 2020 (vs. No. 7 Purdue Fort Wayne).
- The Jackrabbits last tournament win came in 2018 when they cut down the nets
- Wilson hit the 20-point plateau for the 15th time in his career and the first time in back-to-back games this season
- Wilson helped the Jackrabbits outscore the Mavericks 44-20 in the paint as SDSU went 23-for-39 from inside the arc
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