BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State came back from an early deficit, and outscored Dakota Wesleyan by 20 points in the second half, to complete a 94-62 victory on Friday in First Bank & Trust Arena.
The Tigers got out to a strong shooting start. Dakota Wesleyan was 9-for-13 in the opening nine minutes of the contest and held a 23-13 lead at the 11:09 mark of the first half.
South Dakota State responded. The Jacks went on a 21-1 scoring run in a stretch that lasted over seven minutes. SDSU forced 11 consecutive missed Dakota Wesleyan field goal attempts as the Jackrabbits went ahead 34-24.
The visiting Tigers briefly had the deficit down to single digits before a Caleb Delzell 3-pointer near the end of the first half made it a 42-30 halftime score in favor of the host Jacks.
SDSU scored the first four points of the second half and never looked back from there.
The Jackrabbits shot 59.4% in the second half and finished the night at 55.6% from the field. SDSU was also 12 of 29 (41.4%) from deep. The 12 3-pointers were the second most in a game this season for the Jacks. SDSU’s 52 points in the second half matched the team’s most recorded in a second half this season.
State held Dakota Wesleyan to just 35.4% shooting. SDSU also outrebounded DWU by a 51-28 margin.
Three Jackrabbits finished the game scoring in double figures. Kalen Garry had a season-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Joe Sayler scored 16 points and dished out a career-high seven assists. Damon Wilkinson tallied his second-career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
South Dakota State improved to 7-5 on the season with the win. The contest served as an exhibition for Dakota Wesleyan which is 5-7 overall.
NOTES
- South Dakota State’s 51 rebounds in the contest were their second most in a game this season. The total is tied for the sixth most in a game in the program’s Division I era.
- The Jackrabbits also had 24 assists, their second most in a game this season, and tied for eighth highest output in a contest.
- Ten players scored points for SDSU on Friday. Freshman Jaden Rogers scored a career-high nine points. Delzell scored a season-high six points. Luke Haertle matched his season-best seven rebounds and Bubz Alvarez matched his high in points this season of seven.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State heads to Sioux Falls to play in the Sanford Pentagon on Monday night. The Jackrabbits are slated to square off against Wyoming at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale on Ticketmaster.