Jacks Pounce Over Omaha in Summit League Opener

by Nick Lenz, Sports Anchor/Reporter
December 01, 2012 11:07 PM


BROOKINGS, SD -- South Dakota State opened The Summit League season on Saturday against league newcomer Omaha with a well-balanced 78-63 win in front of 3,021 fans at Frost Arena, which saw four Jackrabbits score at least 13 points.

The Jackrabbits dominated the first half, leading by as many as 30 points before taking a 56-28 lead into the locker room.

Omaha came out hot in the second half, and cut the lead to as few as 13 points, but the Jacks didn’t let them get any closer.

“I though we played a great first half, we caused a lot of turnovers and didn’t give them easy shot, and because we were active defensively, we were good offensively,” head coach Scott Nagy said. “Then it was followed by a half that just wasn’t very good. Our players didn’t feel good about that walking off the floor because of the second half and the way we played.”

The Jackrabbits 21st consecutive home win gives them a 6-2 overall record on the season and a 1-0 mark in league play. The visiting Mavericks fall to 2-7 overall and to 0-2 in the league.

The Jackrabbits shot 56 percent in the first half on 23-of-41 shooting, but went cold in the second half, shooting just 34.6 percent on 9-of-26 shooting, including a 2-for-11 effort from long range.

Omaha shot 48 percent in both halves, going 13-for-27 in the first half and 12-for-25 in the second half.

Jordan Dykstra led all players with 17 points, including a 3-for-4 night from 3-point range. Tony Fiegen tied a career-high with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and added a game-high nine rebounds, while Nate Wolters and Brayden Carlson both contributed 13 points in the win. Wolters added five assists and grabbed four rebounds, while Carlson finished with five rebounds.

John Karhoff led the Mavericks with 16 points, with Justin Simmons and CJ Carter both adding 10 points in a losing cause.

The Jackrabbits return to action on Tuesday, when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis at 7 p.m.