BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State had a 17-1 lead less than five minutes into its matchup against Southern Miss and never looked back as the Jackrabbits defeated the Golden Eagles, 101-76, in First Bank & Trust Arena on Wednesday in front of 2,429 fans.
The Jacks scored the first 10 points of the contest with senior center Oscar Cluff accounting for eight. Southern Miss made one of two at the free throw line, then another seven-point spree by SDSU forced a Golden Eagle timeout as they trailed 17-1 with 15 minutes, 16 seconds left on the clock.
SDSU led by as many as 28 in the opening half before Southern Miss slimmed the deficit to 18 at one point. A Stoney Hadnot layup on an assist from Kalen Garry with seconds to go in the half gave the Jackrabbits a 55-32 advantage at halftime.
The Jackrabbits shot 67.6% during the first half, their best mark of the season. SDSU’s 55 points were the most in a half since the Jackrabbits scored 55 against South Dakota at the 2022 Summit League Tournament.
Southern Miss cut the SDSU lead to 19 on multiple occasions, but it was as close as the Golden Eagles could get the margin. A 13-point scoring run midway through the second half gave South Dakota State a 32-point edge, its largest of the night.
The Jackrabbits eventually topped the century mark at the end of the game on a pair of Jaden Jackson free throws. It’s the first time since 2022 that SDSU topped the 100-point plateau.
South Dakota State finished the contest shooting 61% from the field. The Jacks were also 21 of 29 (72.4%) at the charity stripe. SDSU finished with five players in double digit scoring led by Jackson’s 19 points. He and Hadnot had a team-high 10 rebounds apiece. Owen Larson dished out a team- and career-high five assists.
The Jackrabbits improved to 4-1 on the season.
Southern Miss dropped to 2-2 overall. The Golden Eagles were held to 34.7% shooting including a 7-for-35 clip (20%) from 3-point range. Netfali Alvarez had 13 points and Denijay Harris followed with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
NOTES
- South Dakota State finished the game with a 50-32 edge in rebounds. The rebound total was the most by the Jackrabbits since a 60-rebound total against Dakota Wesleyan in November of 2023.
- The Jackrabbits’ 17 assists matched their season high they set against Mount Marty on Monday. Followed Larson with his five assists was Isaac Lindsey who dished out a career-high four assists.
- Several Jackrabbits had career-best performances. Jackson recorded his first-career double-double with his career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Hadnot registered his first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. William Whorton had a career-high eight points and two steals as well.
- Multiple Jackrabbits also logged season-best efforts. Garry (14), Matthew Mors (10) and Nate Barnhart (8) had season-high point totals.
- Cluff finished the contest with 16 points and nine rebounds. He was 7-for-7 from the field, one made basket away from qualifying for a tie for first in program history for field goal percentage in a single game.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State heads to the Cayman Islands for three games in a three-day span. The Jackrabbits begin action at the Cayman Islands Classic on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT when they take on Duquesne. The entire tournament is available to watch with a subscription to FloCollege.