The Basics
Score: No. 3 North Dakota State 89, No. 2 South Dakota State 79
Records: North Dakota State (16-16, 11-7 SL), South Dakota State (19-13; 13-5 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 3 North Dakota State used fast starts to both halves to beat No. 2 South Dakota State, 89-79, and earned a spot in the Summit League Tournament championship game. This will be the Bison’s fifth consecutive appearance in the final.
Grant Nelson was dominant on the glass, breaking the tournament's single-game record with 22 rebounds to go along with 20 points. Boden Skunberg scored a game-high 24 points, while Damari Wheeler-Thomas and Andrew Morgan also scored in double figures for the Bison.
“This is a terrific win in a hostile environment,” NDSU head coach Dave Richman said. “Like we talked about last night we need to be able to flush this and move on to the challenge that is tomorrow night.”
NDSU burst out of the gate with a 17-0 run that built a 21-6 lead in front of a blue-clad Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. This was done primarily on the back of its defense, which frustrated a potent Jackrabbit offense into starting the game 3-16 from the field.
The No. 2 seed would jump right back into the game. Alex Arians (20 points) kick-started the Jackrabbits with several floaters in the lane, and capped off a 20-4 run by giving SDSU a 28-27 lead just before the under four media timeout. NDSU would ultimately hold a 40-34 lead as the buzzer sounded on the first half.
It was then deja vu for the Bison out of the locker room.
NDSU went on a 16-4 run starting at the 17:50 mark to blow open what had been a close game since the competing runs to begin the game. A young Bison team caught fire after shooting just 1-10 from the three-point line in the first half, making their first six shots from distance out of the locker room. This coincided with Nelson continuing to dominate in the paint, equaling the Jackrabbits by himself in rebounding (19-19) as deep into the game as the under 12 media timeout.
Skunberg was a key figure in NDSU’s second half surge, scoring 17 points on 3-5 shooting from three after the break.
“Basketball is a game of momentum, especially in an atmosphere like this,” Richman said. “That’s a visual growth of their maturity right there.”
The Bison lead would swell to 21 before SDSU made a barrage of three’s in a late-game surge to narrow the deficit. Until that point the usually effective Jackrabbits struggled to score, with Wheeler-Thomas doing an especially good job guarding all-league first team guard Zeke Mayo (18 points, 5-17 FG).
“This is never how you want it to end, but sometimes you have to tip the cap,” SDSU head coach Eric Henderson said.
The Bison move on to play regular season champion No. 1 Oral Roberts in the championship game on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT.
Turning Point
A less than one minute segment put the game out of reach midway through the second half. Jacari White hit a three pointer with 8:29 left, and Wheeler-Thomas stole the ball on the ensuing possession to start a fastbreak that ended with a Tajavis Miller layup. Nelson then drilled a three with 7:34 left to extend the Bison lead to 20, which would prove top much for a quality SDSU team to overcome.
Inside the Box Score
- Nelson’s massive night on the glass contributed to this 12th double double of the season, and was just the 11th 20-20 game by any Division I player in the country this season.
- To go along with an impressive defensive display, Wheeler-Thomas matched his career-high with 17 points, 11 of which came after the break.
- Arians hit the 20-point mark for the second time in his career.
- Mims’ 19 points were the highest mark in his four-year career.
News & Notes
- NDSU has become a regular in the championship game under Richman, and will look to avenge a 75-72 loss in the 2021 title tilt to the ORU team that ultimately went to the Sweet 16 that season.
- The Jackrabbits fell short of defending their 2022 tournament title, but finished with at least 13 League wins for the third time in Eric Henderson’s four-year tenure in Brookings.
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