BROOKINGS South Dakota State came up short against No. 16 ranked Duke on Sunday afternoon at First Bank & Trust Arena as the Blue Devils outlasted the Jackrabbits, 75-71.
SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston said it felt like a missed opportunity after the game because the Jackrabbits had a lot of empty possession down the stretch.
Its not [a missed opportunity] in a crushing way, Johnston said. The nice thing about [SDSU] is we have a lot more opportunities in front of us. Well have plenty of opportunities, but I do feel like we missed a chance here and well look back on it and try to get better with those things. I think thats OK.
Its OK to have it sting a bit and say, jeez there were a couple of missed shots here and have a couple of better plays and better passes. More stops and more rebounds. I dont think that makes it easy. Its OK for that sting, but its also OK to say we did a lot of good things to be in that place.
Mesa Byom hit a 3-pointer with 7:38 to play and that tied the game at 59-59. Duke then went on a 7-0 run and that put the Blue Devils up 66-59 with 4:56 left. A Paige Meyer 3-pointer and a lay up from Brooklyn Meyer cut the lead to two with 2:42 left but Duke responded again.
This time it was a lay up from Jadyn Donovan and two free throws from Ashlon Jackson to make it 70-64 with two minutes left. SDSU then missed two lay ups and Duke extended the lead to seven with 43 seconds left. An Emilee Fox 3-pointer cut the lead to three with 17 seconds left but then a free throw from Jackson sealed the victory for the Blue Devils.
I think it was a tough game, Paige Meyer said. I think we had a couple of loose possessions in there that we can look back on and clean up. But we battled with them and we have some things that we can work on going forward.
The two teams traded buckets in the first quarter but the Blue Devils led 23-18 at the end of it. Duke went on a 7-0 run early in the second quarter to make it 30-21. The Blue Devils pushed the lead to 38-28 with 1:30 left in the half but a lay up from Brooklyn Meyer made it 38-30 at halftime.
The Jacks got the crowd into the game midway through the third quarter. They went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 45-45 and that brought the sold out crowd to its feet. Johnston said it was one of the best environments that hes been a part of in Brookings.
With the good [atmospheres] weve had, that would be right up there with it. I wont start naming them off, but that would be right there with some of the great moments weve had. I think the fans are probably pleased with the game. They saw two really good teams play well in a great environment, Johnston said.
It was then 50-50 with 1:32 left in the quarter and Duke scored back-to-back baskets to make it 54-50 heading into the fourth. That set up the final quarter in which the Jacks couldnt get over the hump.
SDSU shot 45.6% from the field and was 8-of-16 from three. Turnovers were the demise of the Jacks on Sunday as they turned it over 15 times and the Blue Devils scored 21 points off of them. Johnston said Dukes length and quickness made things tough at times for the Jackrabbits offensively.
I think their pressure [made it tough]. I thought we handled their full court pressure OK. It wasnt like we were overwhelmed with that, and they can do that to teams and they have this year. It was just their length and quickness defensively. They dont make entry passes into the post easy. Brooklyn had to work for every catch. We had to work to get the ball from the passer to Brooklyn. Just their length and quickness to get in passing lanes makes it hard, Johnston said.
Brooklyn Meyer led the Jacks with 25 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Paige Meyer had 12 points and seven assists. Haleigh Timmer had 11 points and Madison Mathiowetz had eight points. Byom had seven points and five rebounds. Kallie Theisen grabbed 12 rebounds but did not score.
The Blue Devils shot 42.9% from the field and were 3-of-11 from three. Duke was led by Donovan who had 23 points and 15 boards. Jackson had 18 points and Vanessa De Jesus had 13 points.
It wasnt the first time a big time program has come to Brookings and had to fight hard for a victory and it wont be the last. Duke head coach Kara Lawson said she knew what she was getting her team into when she put this road trip on the schedule and it did not disappoint.
One of the things that we love to do is come to places like this. This was unbelievable for our team. This atmosphere. The hospitality that we received here [was great]. For most of us this was our first time coming to South Dakota and it was a great trip for us. To see the type of environment thats created here and the energy and support for the womens basketball team. I think our players really enjoyed playing against this team and playing in this arena, Lawson said.
SDSU (3-1) will continue its tough start to the season next week as the Jackrabbits will play in the Hawaii North Shore Showcase. Theyll take on Georgia Tech on Nov. 23 and No. 25 Oregon on Nov. 26.
Johnston said Sunday was a game that gave his team confidence that they can play with anyone in the country.
I think [playing in these games] continues to help. We have to continue to make that case [that were one of the best teams in the country] and build that confidence through success. Were going to get more of these opportunities with our upcoming games. You look at Oregon and Georgia Tech and those are easy ones to see, but I think Ball State is really good. After that we have more mid-majors who are really good. I dont know if well step on the floor here where it will be too easy. Well have plenty of chances to make our case and prove that we can be a really good team, Johnston said.
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