Drue Aman & Marcus TraxlerSports Editor/Assistant Sports Editor

Extracurricular activity

Players and coaches appeared discontent with the refereeing in SDSU’s 85-75 win over IPFW to open the second half of quarterfinal play Saturday. John Peckinpaugh, noticeable for his head gear to help prevent a concussion, was issued a technical foul early in the second half. Earlier, Trey McCorkle was whistled for an intentional foul after the officiating crew reviewed the previous play. McCorkle appeared to forcibly elbow Jacks guard Dale Moss, but Mastodons head coach deferred any conscious harm.

“I’ll take it to my grave, Trey McCorkle does not do anything to intentionally foul anyone, that never will happen, I disagree with the call.”

Fife prefaced that earlier indicating the officiating crew among the best in the Summit League.

Nasty Nate Wolters

Nate Wolters finished with 30 points on 7 of 18 shooting from the field, but it’s the shots he made at the right moments that stood out. Wolters’ three from well past the line as the shot clock wound down was buried, giving the Jacks a nine point lead with three minutes to play. IPFW was on the verge of another threatening run in the second half when the sophomore all-conference selection made the clutch basket.

It even elicited a rare moment of visible emotion from Wolters, who pumped his fist on his way back down the floor with a grin appearing on his face.

The lurking Golden Grizzlies

The win means a matchup in the semifinal of heavily favored Oakland, winners of 45 of 48 games in the Summit League. Jacks head coach Scott Nagy is aware of Oakland’s dominance, but notes that the Jacks should play loose.

“We’re gonna have to play just about perfect,” Nagy said. “Tomorrow night there’s no pressure, now we can just go out and play.”

Leading Leroy

IUPUI’s LeRoy Nobles has proved he is a great player. However, that doesn’t stop his coach, Ron Hunter from wanting more out of him.

Nobles led his team with a career-high 37 points on Sunday night and helping the third-seeded Jaguars past UMKC in a 79-55 win at the Sioux Falls Arena.

The 6-5 senior from Louisville split those points as easily as he could with 18 in the first half and 19 in the second frame, all but assuring the Kangaroos’ fate. Nobles was good on six three-pointers and went 9 of 10 from the free throw line.

“Coach challenged me mentally and physically and I just responded well. I don’t base myself on individual goals because we worked hard and without my teammates, my accomplishment wouldn’t be anything,” Nobles said.

“[Leroy] played like a senior who didn’t want to play his last game. He’s had a great year and he didn’t have a lot of offers,” Hunter said. “I can’t be more happier for this guy and I don’t know if I’ll ever have another kid like him where he turns out to be that good. He couldn’t make a jumpshot coming out of high school. He knows he has to outwork others and he can’t get by on talent alone. I’ve been on him hard and all his work has paid off.”

Attendance Update:

Tonight’s Attendance: 6,436. It is the largest turnout for any session during the three years in Sioux Falls and the highest total since the 1994 championship game.

2011 Total Attendance through four sessions: 16,936

2010 Attendance through four sessions: 16,359

2009 Attendance through four sessions: 14,586