BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State shot over 57% from the field en route to a 78-62 non-conference victory over Dakota Wesleyan on Monday, Dec. 2, inside First Bank & Trust Arena.
The Tigers came out firing from deep making four of their first seven 3-pointers to jump out to an early advantage. A Blaze Lubbers 3-pointer put Dakota Wesleyan up 16-10 with 13 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first half, serving as the Tigers’ largest lead of the night.
SDSU trailed 23-18 before starting a scoring spree. Seven Jackrabbits scored during a 14-0 scoring run that saw South Dakota State jump ahead 32-23 in a span that lasted over three minutes. The Jacks eventually took a 38-27 edge into halftime following a Joe Sayler 3-pointer right before the break.
Dakota Wesleyan briefly got the margin into single digits at the start of the second half, but the Jackrabbits pushed the contest to double digits for the final 16 minutes of the matchup. SDSU led by as many as 19 points in the contest.
South Dakota State’s Oscar Cluff had game highs in points (20), rebounds (12) and blocks (3). He was 10-for-10 from the floor, becoming just the third Jackrabbit ever to make every shot taken with at least eight made. Matt Dentlinger had two games, in back-to-back seasons from 2019-20, in which he went 8 of 8 shooting during his career. Baylor Scheierman converted on all eight field goal attempts in a 2022 matchup versus South Dakota.
Stoney Hadnot scored a career-high 13 points to go along with four rebounds, while Jaden Jackson registered 10 points and a career-high three steals.
The Tigers got 14 points from Samuel Aslesen and 10 from Randy Rosenquist. Oliver Vincent had five assists for DWU and Lubbers finished with five rebounds.
The Jackrabbits improved to 7-2 overall behind the win. The game served as an exhibition for Dakota Wesleyan.
NOTES
- South Dakota State out-shot Dakota Wesleyan 57.1-33.8% from the field. The Tigers had their best success from long range going 12 of 32 (37.5%).
- SDSU junior Nate Barnhart joined Cluff with three blocks. That total matched his career high. The Jackrabbits swatted a season-high nine shots combined as a team.
- Cluff recorded his seventh double double of the season and his fourth straight.
- The Jacks out-rebounded the Tigers 40-32.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State takes part in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. The Jackrabbits first head to Missoula, Mont., to face the Grizzles in Dahlberg Arena at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday. SDSU hosts Eastern Washington as part of the conference series on Saturday. The Jacks and Eagles square off at 6 p.m. in First Bank & Trust Arena.