MISSOULA, Mont. – A 32-point performance from Brooklyn Meyer lifted South Dakota State basketball to a 78-70 win over Montana Saturday afternoon at Dahlberg Arena.
SDSU improves to 7-2 on the year and has won four straight games while Montana slips to 4-5.
Saturday was the first 30-point game of Meyer’s career, besting her previous high of 29 points. The junior finished 12-of-15 from the floor and was 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Meyer scored on all seven of her shot attempts in the second half.
Meyer scored the first six Jackrabbit points of the fourth quarter to put SDSU up 62-52 with 7:47 remaining in the game, forcing a Montana timeout. Out of the break, the Grizzlies answered with 10 straight points over the next three minutes, tying the game.
The Jacks went ahead for good with free throws from Kallie Theisen and Haleigh Timmer that ended the Montana run. Timmer and Madison Mathiowetz knocked down one 3-pointer each in the final three minutes and the Jacks went 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the same stretch to hold off the Griz. Montana missed each of its last four shot attempts over the final 1:35 of game clock.
Freshman Emilee Fox followed Meyer with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line, doubling her career high. Mathiowetz was 4-for-6 for 11 points to go with six rebounds and Timmer was next with nine points.
Meas Byom dished a career-best five assists and chipped in five boards and four points for the Jacks. Katie Vasecka matched Mathiowetz’s game-high six rebounds.
SDSU finished the game shooting 54 percent from the floor, a season high, and was 50 percent from the 3-point line for the second time this year. The Jacks out-rebounded the Griz 35-23.
Dani Bartsch scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds for Montana.
NOTES
- Saturday’s win is the 500th victory of South Dakota State’s Division I era.
- Brooklyn Meyer’s previous career-high of 29 points came against North Dakota State in the regular-season finale of the 2023-24 season.
UP NEXT
SDSU returns to Brookings for a three-game home stretch beginning with Dakota Wesleyan at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening at First Bank & Trust Arena.