SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Redshirt junior Macy Miller led the way for the second-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits to defeat the seventh-seeded North Dakota State Bison 87-62.
Miller led all scorers with 19 points. For her, 19 points might be a lone point above her average, but it more than bridged the gap for the Jacks.
It looked during the first quarter, that there was a possibility for an upset.
At the end of the first quarter, the Jacks and Bison were deadlocked at 18. At one point, the Bison led by as many as seven.
But, it was a tale of two halves.
During the second quarter, the Jacks managed to run away from the Bison. It was exactly the type of quarter head coach Aaron Johnston and his team needed, including a 23-2 run at one point.
“Our defensive pressure was better, and we just made some shots,” said head coach Aaron Johnston after the game.
In the second quarter alone, the Jacks outscored the Bison 30-13. SDSU managed to challenge the Bison’s shots and got some open looks themselves.
After the game, NDSU forward Reilly Jacobson contributed a reason to that run.
“I personally think we got a little bit tired and let fatigue set in,” Jacobson said after the game.
NDSU head coach Maren Walseth echoed Jacobson’s point.
“I think fatigue was a part of it and it was shown in our inability to box out,” Walseth said.
During the third quarter, the Bison looked to regain some of their composure and fatigue, but by then the game was out of hand.
It wasn’t just Miller who scored double figures for the Jacks. There were four other players in double figures. Junior Sydney Palmer had 13 points with five rebounds. Junior Madison Guebert had 12 points and connected on a three-pointer.
Freshman Tylee Irwin, in her first Summit League Tournament game, scored 12 points and had two three-pointers.
“It was fun, it was really fun,” Irwin said after the game.
Freshman Myah Selland also had a productive game for the Jacks, with 10 points and nine rebounds. Selland set a mark for her career-high in rebounds.
As a team, the Jacks were able to force 12 turnovers from the Bison and own a plus 10 turnover advantage. The Jacks turned the ball over twice.
Out-rebounding was also a key for the Jacks with 40 rebounds, while the Bison had 35.
SDSU had the three-point shot falling, they connected on 12 of their 33 attempts for a 36 percent rate. They had strong shooting performance all-around with 40 percent from field goal range.
There were 8,944 fans in house during the first session for the Summit League Tournament.
Up next, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits will play the winner of the Western Illinois Leathernecks and Omaha Mavericks game. These teams play at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 4 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
