The Basics
Score: No. 1 South Dakota State 87, No. 8 Omaha 79
Records: South Dakota State (28-4), Omaha (5-25)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 1 seed South Dakota State fought off a pesky eighth-seeded Omaha squad Saturday night in the opening Summit League Men's Championship quarterfinal, defeating the Mavericks 87-79.
 
The Jackrabbits’ first team all-leaguers were key in the victory, as Douglas Wilson finished with 22 points and Baylor Scheierman added 20. Wilson went 7-14 from the field and 8-10 at the line, adding seven boards. Scheierman dished a team-best five assists while sinking a game-high four 3-pointers.
 
For Omaha, freshman Frankie Fidler was electric in the first half, scoring 22 of his 34 total points to keep the Mavericks within striking distance. Fidler finished 9-10 at the line and 11-18 from the field with three 3-pointers.
 
Felix Lemetti had 13 points and a team-high five assists, while Akol Arop added 10 points in 30 minutes of action.
 
Fans were treated to an offensive showcase in the opening half of action, with 11 lead changes and six ties. All told, neither team led by more than two possessions through the first 20 minutes.
 
After Fidler scored the game’s first five points, SDSU responded with seven unanswered to set a back-and-forth tone for the remainder of the half.
 
State took a 18-14 lead near the 11-minute mark but saw the Mavericks string together an 11-2 run to flip the lead to 25-20 in their favor. Moments later, the Jackrabbits answered back with a 10-3 burst of their own to regain control.
 
Fidler reached the 20-point mark and gave the Mavs a 40-38 lead with a triple at 2:26, but a 10-2 Jackrabbit rally that included a friendly bounce on the final shot of the half carried the top-seed to the locker room with a 48-42 lead.
 
That burst was part of a larger 18-4 run for the Jackrabbits that stretched into the second half and pushed the lead into double figures for the first time all night.
 
Omaha cut its deficit to seven (61-54) near the 12-minute mark of the second behind a Darrius Hughes layup and four straight points from Fidler, but Scheierman snuffed out the comeback with his fourth 3-pointer of the night at 11:28.
 
State’s lead reached a game-high 17 on a Dentlinger bucket just past the five-minute mark. Omaha hung within striking distance the rest of the way and closed the game with a 12-3 rally but could not complete the first-round upset.
 
Turning Point
Down 40-38 late in the first half, South Dakota State used an 18-4 run over 5:16 of game action to lead 56-44 with 16:59 left in the game.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Omaha finished shooting 52.6 percent from the field and held the nation's top field-goal percentage unit in SDSU to a 47.4 percent clip from the field. It was just the second time this season the Jacks were outshot by a Summit League foe.
• SDSU was plus-20 in free throw attempts and sank 25-33 at the line, compared to Omaha’s 11-13 effort.
• The Jackrabbits won the rebounding battle by a narrow 32-31 margin but turned 13 offensive boards for a 20-11 advantage in second-chance points.
• Of the 17 total players who appeared in the game, only two failed to score.

News & Notes

• South Dakota State is making its second consecutive trip to the Summit League semifinals and improved to 22-8 all-time in the league tournament.
• SDSU’s 19 consecutive wins is the longest active win streak in NCAA Division I. Additionally, the Jackrabbits’ 28 wins is tied for the most in the country with Murray State (28-2), which plays tonight in the OVC Championship. The 28 wins also ties the Jackrabbits’ team record, matching the 2017-18 team that finished 28-7.
• Frankie Fidler became the first freshman to score 30-plus in a Summit League Tournament game since Noah Friedel (SDSU) scored 35 in 2019-20. His 34-point outing is tied for the seventh most all time and second most by a rookie.