BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State opened its new era inside First Bank & Trust Arena with some late-game heroics as a three-point play by Oscar Cluff with 1.5 seconds remaining propelled the Jackrabbits over Long Beach State, 80-79, in front of 3,646 fans on Friday, Nov. 8.
SDSU watched a 13-point second half advantage slowly get trimmed down over the course of a 10-minute span. The Beach took their first lead of the half on a TJ Wainwright 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 16 seconds left in the matchup.
The two sides had four lead changes over the waning moments of the contest which included a Devin Askew jumper put the visiting side ahead 79-77 with 16 seconds to go.
South Dakota State came down the floor to try to tie or take the lead. Redshirt freshman Joe Sayler dribbled down the right baseline and got a pass into Cluff in the middle of the paint. The senior center’s initial attempt fell short, but he followed with a putback that he banked in off the glass and was fouled on the play for an and-one opportunity.
Cluff converted on his free throw attempt to complete the three-point play.
Long Beach State was unable to get a final attempt for a game winner off before the final buzzer sounded, sealing the SDSU victory in its first game inside its new confines.
South Dakota State improved to 2-0 on the season while Long Beach State dropped to 1-1. The Jackrabbits have won their first two games of a campaign for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
NOTES
- SDSU led for more than 31 minutes of the contest. The Jacks held a 37-30 edge at halftime by limiting LBSU to a 37.5% shooting mark in the first half, including a 25% clip from 3. The Beach went 8-for-14 (57.1%) from 3-point range in the second half, along with making 15 of 17 free throws, to work their way back into the meeting. The Jacks shot 15 of 23 (65.2%) from the field in the second half.
- Cluff led the Jackrabbits with his second consecutive double-double. He scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Sayler followed him with a career-high 21 points and a team-high three assists. Owen Larson recorded 10 points and Matthew Mors added nine.
- Long Beach State was paced by its starting backcourt of Devin Askew and Wainwright. Askew went 5 of 20 from the field, however he went 15-for-16 at the charity stripe to finish with 27 points. Wainwright registered 23 points, while teammate Kam Martin also had 15.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State continues non-conference play with a trip to Rapid City, South Dakota. The Jackrabbits are slated to meet Northern Colorado for a neutral site matchup in Summit Arena at The Monument. The Jacks and Bears are scheduled for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff on Thursday, Nov. 14.