SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota State thwarted multiple McNeese State comeback bids and maintained a lead over the final 14 minutes of action as the Jackrabbits earned an 80-73 victory on Monday, Nov. 4, over the Cowboys at the Sanford Pentagon. The two teams squared off as part of The Field of 68 Showcase on the opening day of the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.
The two sides got off to slow starts offensively as SDSU was carried early by Joe Sayler. The redshirt freshman guard scored the Jackrabbits’ first eight points and SDSU got on top 11-10 on a Nate Barnhart three-point play at the 12:38 mark of the first half.
South Dakota State went up by as many as 10 on two occasions, but McNeese State rallied to end the half. The Cowboys’ DJ Richard consecutive treys to tie the score at 33 heading into the halftime break.
The Cowboys opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers to go up by six, their largest lead of the night. An 8-2 scoring stretch for the Jackrabbits, featuring a trey by Joe Sayler and five points from Owen Larson, tied the score back up at 41 less than three minutes into the half.
Richards knocked in three free throws for the Cowboys to put the visitors from Lake Charles, Louisiana, ahead 48-46 with 15:01 to play. The lead for McNeese State would be its last.
SDSU’s Jaden Jackson hit a 3-pointer at the 14:32 mark to give the Jackrabbits a 49-48 margin. After forcing a missed field goal, Jackrabbit senior Oscar Cluff was fouled and completed an and-one opportunity to push the SDSU advantage to two possessions.
A pair of Stoney Hadnot free throws, a Larson 3-pointer and two free throws from Kalen Garry were part of a 13-1 run for SDSU as the Jacks led 59-49 with 10:07 to play.
The Jackrabbits worked to fend off the Cowboys as their advantage got down to a single possession twice before eventually landing at 75-73 with 1:29 remaining in the contest. McNeese State’s Christian Shumate missed the second of two free throws to give the Cowboys a chance to tie or take the lead.
SDSU’s defense stood up against two 3-point attempts that came off of offensive rebounds for McNeese State. SDSU got a defensive rebound from Cluff and on its ensuing possession, the senior center sent a pass to Larson who drained a corner 3-pointer to push the Jackrabbits ahead 78-73 with 42 seconds to go.
The Cowboys missed a layup their next time down the court and a Matthew Mors layup back the other way clinched a Jackrabbit win.
South Dakota State earned the season-opening win in its first meeting against McNeese State. The victory for the Jackrabbits was also over a Cowboy squad that was receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Poll and was ranked 10th in the Preseason CollegeInsider Top 25 Mid-Major Rankings.
NOTES
- SDSU outshot McNeese State 46-39% from the field and 34.3-26.9% behind the 3-point line. The Jackrabbits were 12 of 16 (75%) at the free throw line. SDSU outrebounded McNeese State 43-29. The Cowboys forced 16 SDSU turnovers and recorded 13 steals but trailed SDSU for nearly 32 minutes in the matchup.
- The Jackrabbits had four double-digit scorers and were paced by Sayler’s 18 points. Sayler’s point output was the most by a Jackrabbit freshman in their collegiate debut since Reed Tellinghuisen recorded 19 in 2014.
- Cluff and Larson each had 14 points. Cluff registered a double-double with 14 rebounds which were the most by a Jackrabbit since 2021 when Baylor Scheierman had 14- and 18-rebound efforts during the first half of that season.
- Hadnot had 12 points off the bench for the Jackrabbits to go along with nine rebounds. Jackson contributed nine points as the two and Larson made their true freshman season-opening appearances.
- Alyn Breed led the Cowboys with 18 points, while Shumate had 11 points and nine rebounds for McNeese State.
- South Dakota State improved to 10-8 all-time in showings inside the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State plays its inaugural game in First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings on Friday. The Jackrabbits will partake in a doubleheader with the women’s squad, taking on Long Beach State at approximately 8:15 p.m.