A last-second drive by Jaden Jackson fell short as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits suffered a 68-67 defeat to the University of South Dakota Coyotes Wednesday night in a tightly contested game before a crowd of nearly 4,300 at the Sanford Pentagon.
The Coyotes opened the game with an 11-0 run after SDSU scored the first points, quickly establishing a 13-4 lead. SDSU battled back to within six points, but USD responded with another surge, extending their advantage to 12 with approximately 11 minutes remaining in the first half. A 12-2 run by the Jackrabbits narrowed the gap to three points, but USD closed the first quarter with a three-pointer from Jordan Crawford, taking a 43-32 lead into halftime.
USD’s strong first-half shooting from beyond the arc, 6-of-15, contrasted with SDSU’s 5-of-10 performance. However, the key difference in the first half was field goal percentage, with USD shooting roughly 13% better from the field overall.
The Jackrabbits dramatically improved their shooting in the second half, increasing their field goal percentage by 17.6%. SDSU landed 16 of 30 shots in the second half and briefly took the lead before USD regained control. With eight seconds left on the clock and no timeouts remaining after a missed USD free throw, Jackson drove to the basket for the potential game-winning shot, but his attempt was unsuccessful.
Joe Sayler led SDSU in scoring with 21 points, followed by Damon Wilkinson with 18 and Jackson with 17. Wilkinson, a sophomore center from De Smet, South Dakota, is seeing an expanded role this season following the transfer of former Jackrabbit center Oscar Cluff to Purdue, according to reporting from The Collegian.
SDSU head coach Bryan Petersen acknowledged the challenge posed by their upcoming opponent, Denver. “We know they are a very dangerous offense,” Petersen said. “Present a lot of challenges, got a lot of really excellent offensive players, space the floor very well.” Denver currently boasts the best offense in the Summit League, averaging 83.7 points per game, led by Carson Johnson (19.5 points per game) and Jeremiah Burke (37.6% from three-point range, 5.7 assists per game). Gabe Oldham leads the Summit League in rebounding, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game.
Despite Denver’s offensive prowess, they also allow the most points per game in the Summit League, averaging 83.5 points allowed. The Jackrabbits will face the Pioneers this Thursday at 8 p.m. Mountain Time in Denver, with the game broadcast on Midco Sports Plus.
