GRAND FORKS – The Jackrabbit men’s basketball team won a slugfest on the road Wednesday night, claiming a 78-74 victory over North Dakota at the Betty Englestad Sioux Center.
South Dakota State (15-6, 5-1 Summit League) shot 48.3 percent in the game and hit seven 3-pointers, using a 15-5 advantage in second-chance points to diminish the effect of 14 North Dakota treys. The Fighting Hawks finished 46.2 percent from the field.
Mike Daum led the Jackrabbits with his 44th career double-double, finishing with 34 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as he played all 40 minutes.
David Jenkins scored 20 on 7-of-14 shooting and Skyler Flatten tallied 10 points with two 3-pointers.
Alex Arians had six points and grabbed six boards.
SDSU started just 1-of-6 from the field but overcame through the slow start to carry a 10-point lead into the locker room. Trailing 7-0 out of the gates, the Jackrabbit stayed within striking distance as the teams traded buckets, and with 8:46 on the clock started a burst of seven unanswered that put SDSU in the lead for the first time, 23-21.
The Fighting Hawks regained control briefly, but the Jackrabbits continued to heat up from the field, drilling eight of their final nine field goal attempts in the half to take a 41-31 advantage at the break.
UND stormed out of the locker room to begin the second half, burying six 3-pointers before the under-12 media break to retake the lead, 57-55. Down 63-60 with less than 10 minutes to play, a poster-worthy dunk from Daum sparked SDSU on a 9-0 run of its own to help the Jacks go back on top.
Though State did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way, the Jackrabbits found themselves in a battle down the stretch. Up eight (73-65) with 2:37 on the clock, State looked to run down the clock, but five unanswered from the Fighting Hawks kept it close, though two offensive boards for the Jackrabbits in the final minute helped SDSU hold off any further charges from UND.
The Jackrabbits have won three straight and are atop the Summit League standings after three weeks of league play.
Game Notes – South Dakota State is 84-104 all-time against North Dakota but holds a 6-1 record in the Division I series. ... Daum entered today’s game tied for 22nd on the NCAA’s scoring list with 2,706 career points. He is now 20th with 2,740 points, passing Reggie Lewis and Tyler Hews while breaking a tie with Campbell’s Chris Clemons (2,728 points) for the active lead in scoring. ... Daum recorded the fourth 30-20 game in NCAA Division I this season. ... Daum tallied a first-half double-double for the third time this year and fourth time in his career. ... Jenkins has 956 career points through 55 career performances and is on pace to join the 1,000-point club later this month. ... The Jackrabbits were plus-11 on the boards, extending their record to 13-1 on the year when winning the rebounding battle.
Up Next
Having completed its lone game of the week, South Dakota State returns home for a weeklong hiatus from the court until North Dakota State comes to town Thursday, Jan. 24. Tipoff at Frost Arena is 7 p.m. against the Bison.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 78, NORTH DAKOTA 74
South Dakota State (15-6, 5-1 SL)
Mike Daum 14-24 4-7 34, David Jenkins 7-14 5-7 20, Skyler Flatten 4-11 0-0 10, Alex Arians 2-4 1-2 6, Tevin King 1-4 3-4 5, Owen King 1-3 0-0 3, Matt Dentlinger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-60 13-20 78.
North Dakota (8-11, 2-4 SL)
Marlon Stewart 7-11 0-0 19, Cortez Seales 8-19 0-0 18, Billy Brown 2-6 0-0 6, Conner Avants 2-6 0-0 4, Kienan Walter 0-4 0-0 0, Filip Rebraca 7-9 0-1 15, Aanen Moody 3-5 0-0 9, Ethan Igbanugo 1-4 0-0 3, Jal Bijiek 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-65 0-1 74.
Halftime – SDSU 41-31. 3-point goals – SDSU 7-22 (Daum 2-7, Jenkins 1-5, Flatten 2-6, Arians 1-2, O. King 1-2); UND 14-33 (Stewart 5-7, Seales 2-6, Brown 2-5, Walter 0-2, Rebraca 1-3, Moody 3-5, Igbanugo 1-4, Bijiek 0-1). Rebounds – SDSU 41 (Daum 21); UND 30 (Walter 7). Assists – SDSU 9 (Daum 3, Arians 3); UND 20 (Seales 7). Steals – SDSU 6 (T. King 2); UND 7 (Avants 2). Blocks – SDSU 3 (Daum 2, O. King); UND 3 (Walter, Rebraca, Igbanugo). Turnovers – SDSU 12; UND 11. Total fouls – SDSU 12; UND 18. Fouled out – Moody. Technical fouls – None.
A – 1,880.
