BROOKINGS The South Dakota State mens basketball team will look to bounce back on Thursday when the Jackrabbits host North Dakota at First Bank & Trust Arena.
The Jackrabbits are coming off of back-to-back losses to St. Thomas and Omaha. SDSU lost on late free throws to the Tommies in a back-and-forth game on Jan. 8. The Jacks then got off to a fast start against the Mavericks on Saturday but Omaha closed the first half on a 13-0 run and seized control to come away with an 87-80 win.
SDSU head coach Eric Henderson said he thought the Mavericks hustled harder in the final minutes of the first half and that carried over to the beginning of the second half.
I think [Omaha] was just a little quicker to the ball at that time, Henderson said. There were a couple of 50-50s that they got and we didnt, and when that happens usually things go [that teams] way. When youre a little quicker to the ball and 50-50s are going your way, things tend to go pretty well and vice versa. When you dont get those and are a little late and reactive, it can go [south] in a hurry, and thats what [happened].
We got off to a great start and thats the beauty of sports and the beauty of basketball in my opinion. It can change like that, and it did for us and not in a not positive way in those moments. We just need to make sure we get a little more intentional in those moments where we feel like its slipping or not going our way.
SDSU is 10-8 overall and 1-2 in the Summit League. Omaha and St. Thomas are both 4-0 in conference play, Denver is 0-4 and the the other six teams are jumbled in the middle. Henderson said its too early to focus on records in conference play but it looks like its going to be a season-long battle for the top spots in the conference.
Anybody can beat anybody on any given night at any place. That makes it exciting for the fans, the players and all of us. It gives you a great amount of excitement every time you step on the floor. Were three or four games into this thing, so if youre looking at records to try and determine how good a team is, I think youre probably looking at the wrong thing, Henderson said.
North Dakota comes into Thursdays matchup with a record of 7-12 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Fighting Hawks three conference losses have all come by single digits and their lone win in the Summit League was a 95-70 victory over Denver.
UND is led by junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff, who is averaging 18.6 points per game, which is second in the conference. His highlight of the season was scoring a career-high 40 points against No. 4 ranked Alabama on Dec. 18.
Eaglestaff isnt the only scoring threat for the Fighting Hawks though as sophomore guard Mier Panoam is averaging 13.2 points per game for the season and is averaging 21.3 points per game in conference play. Henderson said Panoam increasing his scoring over the past four games makes the Fighting Hawks even tougher to guard.
[Panoam] gives them another weapon. [Eaglestaff] gets most of the publicity, and rightfully so. What he did against Alabama was incredible. But Panoam gives them another dimension [to their offense], and honestly it gives them another dimension at the basket. Hes so electric and fast getting downhill and puts a lot of pressure on guards, and then bigs at the rim too because they have to decide if they want to help because he can then dish it off, Henderson said.
Kalen Garry had a strong week for the Jacks. In the two games against St. Thomas and Omaha he scored 46 points on 61.5% shooting from the field and was 7-of-16 from three.
Henderson said having a year under his belt has helped Garry have the confidence to put up big numbers in the first two weeks of conference play.
Experience is a beautiful thing. Hes been through conference play and understands the difference in the type of energy and the spirit in conference play. For him to go through that has been very beneficial. Obviously, hes off to a great start in Summit League play, and not only is he scoring the basketball, which is great and much needed, but the way hes playing defensively and the tenacity hes playing with and the intention hes playing with is pretty special, Henderson said.
SDSU senior center Oscar Cluff is tied for lead in rebounds per game in the country as he is averaging 11.8 per contest. Omaha held Cluff to six rebounds in Saturdays game and Henderson said the Mavericks did a good job of being physical with him, and that started in the second half against the Tommies. He added that the Jacks have to do a better job of getting Cluff the ball closer to the basket because he is not getting to the free throw line enough.
Teams are really trying to be super physical with him. Trying to push him out early in the possession and not letting him move. Obviously, thats a strategy that both St. Thomas and Omaha used. More for St. Thomas in the second half. They doubled him in the first half and then the second half they mostly played him one-on-one and tried to beat him up and wear him out and just physically pummel him on every possession, and thats really what Omaha did too.
… We have to be a little bit more stubborn. Oscar is only shooting 10 times per game. We probably have to give him a few more opportunities with the ball, and tell him to be a little more stubborn and work on his seals and get the catches a little bit closer to the basket. Hes only shooting four free throws per game too. So, we have to do a better job of making his catches a little closer and give him more opportunities.
Tip off between the Jacks and Fighting Hawks is scheduled for 7 p.m. You can watch the game on Midco Sports or the Summit League Network. SDSU will close the week with a game in Brookings against Oral Roberts on Saturday. That game is scheduled to tip off at 4:15 p.m. and is the second game of a women-mens doubleheader for the Jackrabbits.
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